Joshua 20

1 Joshua te BOEIPA a voek tih,

Then the Lord told Joshua,

2 “Israel ca rhoek te thui pah lamtah, Moses kut dongah nangmih ham ka thui vabangla, 'Hlipyingnah khopuei te namamih ham khueh uh,’ ti nah.

“Tell the Israelites, ‘Assign sanctuary towns, as I instructed you through Moses.

3 A ming mueh ah tohtamaeh la hinglu aka ngawn, aka ngawn tah te lam te rhaelrham saeh. Te vaengah thii phu aka suk taeng lamloh nangmih ham hlipyingnah la om saeh.

Then any man who kills somebody by accident, unintentionally, can run there and they will be protected from those who wish to take revenge.

4 Te khopuei khuikah pakhat pakhat la a rhaelrham vaengah khopuei vongka kah thohka ah pai saeh lamtah a dum a lai te khopuei kah a hamca rhoek hna ah thui pah saeh. Te vaengah anih te a kho khuila khoem uh saeh, anih te a hmuen pae uh van saeh lamtah amih taengah khosa saeh.

When he gets to one of these towns, he shall state his case to the elders at the town gates. They must allow him to enter, and they will also arrange a place for him to stay.

5 Te vaengah thii phu aka suk loh a hnuk han hloem mai cakhaw hlaem hlavai ah anih te a hmuhuet moenih, a hui te poek mueh la a ngawn oeh dongah hlang aka ngawn te phu aka suk kut ah tloeng uh boel saeh.

If the one seeking revenge comes looking for the man, they must not hand the one who committed manslaughter over to him, because he killed someone unintentionally and without deliberate hatred.

6 Laitloeknah ham rhaengpuei mikhmuh ah pai hlan tih, te vaeng tue ah aka om khosoih puei loh a duek hlan khuiah tah te khopuei ah te khosa saeh. Hlang aka ngawn te a mael vaengah tah te lamkah a rhaelrham khopuei lamloh amah kho neh amah im te paan saeh,” a ti nah.

He shall remain in that town until he has received a public trial and a verdict has been given, and until the death of the high priest of the time. Then he is free to return to his home, back to the town from where he ran away.’”

7 Te dongah Galilee, Naphtali tlang kah Kedesh, Ephraim tlang ah Shekhem, Judah tlang Hebron ah Kiriatharba,

So they assigned the following sanctuary towns: Kedesh of Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Kiriath-arba (or Hebron), in the hill country of Judah.

8 rhalvangan ah Jordan kah khocuk Jerikho te a hoep uh. Khosoek tlangkol, Reuben koca khuiah ah Bezer, Gilead kah Gad koca khuiah Ramoth, Bashan kah Manasseh koca khuiah Golan te a khueh uh.

On the other side of the Jordan, east of Jericho, they assigned: Bezer, in the wilderness on the plateau, from the tribe of Reuben; Ramoth in Gilead, from the tribe of Gad; and Golan in Bashan, from the tribe of Manasseh.

9 Tohtamaeh ah hinglu aka ngawn boeih loh te la a rhaelrham ham, amih lakli ah aka bakuep Israel ca rhoek boeih neh yinlai ham khaw te rhoek te khopuei khoyaeh la om coeng. Te daengah ni rhaengpuei mikhmuh ah a pai hlan atah thii phu aka suk kut loh a ngawn pawt eh.

These were the assigned towns for all the Israelites, as well as for the foreigners living among them. Anyone who unintentionally killed someone could go there so they would not be killed by those who wished to take revenge before they had received a public trial and been given a guilty verdict.