Mizi yakapiwa Balevi
1 Yahwe bakalebeleka na Mushe mu lubala gwe Moabu pa gwizi gwe Jorodani kulingisana Jerikho beti, 2 “Idwa bathu be Iziraela ba pebo Balevi shango ye bugalo kube mizi ne ye mafulo e zwithuwo zwabo kupoteleka mizi mikulu. 3 Mizi mikulu iyeyi inowobe magalo abo. Shango ye mafulo inowobe ye ng'ombe dzabo ne zwithuwo zwabo zose. 4 Shango ye mafulo yamunopa Balevi italabudziwe kudwa pa luswingo gwe nzi nkulu we bupabi gwe mithara dzili mazana manna ana makumi mashanu (450), mbizho dzose. 5 Ku bhezhuba kwe nzi nkulu kube bupabi gwe mithara dzili mazana ali zhanalume (900), ku burwa kube bupabi gwe mithara dzili zhanalume (900), ku golombedzo kube bupabi gwe mithara dzili zhanalume (900), ku bunandzwa kube bupabi gwe mithara dzili zhanalume (900), ndiyo inowobe ili shango yabo ye mafulo, nzi nkulu uli pakati. 6 Mupe Balevi mizi mikulu ili mitathatu ye matizhilo e nthu unowobe abulaya nthu kusi ne mazwimisilo awe. Mube mubapaphila mimwe ili makumi manna ne mibili (42). 7 Mizi mikulu yose ina shango ye mafulo yamunowopa Balevi, ibe makumi manna ana ili zhanakadzi (48). 8 Ngekwe mizi yamunowoshalula mu shango ye Baiziraela, mutole mu zwitjaba zwikulu mizi minjinji, ngono mu zwitjaba zwitukununu mutole mizi mishomanana, ngobe tjimwe ne tjimwe itjaba tjakafanila pa Balevi mizi sekwa takabudzwa.”
Mizi mikulu ye matizhilo
(Mbalo 19:1-13Joshuwa 20:1-9)9 Yahwe bakadwa Mushe bakati, 10 “Lebeleka ne bathu be Iziraela ubadwe uti, ‘Muti mutjuluka gwizi gwe Jorodani mungina mu shango ye Kanana, 11 muzwishalulile mizi mikulu inowobe matizhilo enyu. Ali matizhilo anowotizhigwa nge nthu unowobe abulaya nthu kusi nge mazwimisilo. 12 Mizi iyeyo inowobe matizhilo enyu muna unowobe eshaka bgwilizila, kuti ndizo wabulaya nthu asibulawe kudzina eyisiwa mbeli kwe gubungano enosumikilisiwa. 13 Ngono muduse mizi mikulu ili mitathatu kube mizi mikulu ye matizhilo enyu. 14 Muduse mizi mikulu ili mitatu seli kwe Jorodani ne ili mitatu mu shango ye Kanana, kube matizhilo. 15 Mizi mikulu ili mitathatu inowobe ili matizhilo e nthu mmwe ne mmwe unowobe abulaya nthu kusi nge mazwimisilo awe. Matizhilo iyawa anowobe e Baiziraela ne bataya ne balubili banowobe bali gele nabo.
16 “ ‘Koga aangawomba nthu nge tjimwe tje tshipi ebe efa, uwoyo nthu mbulayi, unowobulawabo. 17 Kene anganloba nge bgwe laakabhata lingabulaya nthu ebe efa, mbulayi, mbulayi unowobulawabo. 18 Kene angaloba nthu nge lukuni gwaakabhata nge luboko ebe efa, mbulayi, mbulayi unowobulawabo. 19 Gamu le wabulawa, ha lishangana ne mbulayi limbulayebo.
20 “ ‘Ngono ha entshindika ngoti embenga, kene amposa akanlalila kafa, 21 kene anloba nge luboko ngoti embenga ebe efa, iwoyo wamilidzila nthu luboko abulawe, mbulayi, gamu le wakabulawa libulaye mbulayi, ha lingashangana naye.
22 “ ‘Koga ha etshindika nthu asingambone, kuzhe kwe lubengo kene angati eposa akanloba asaka nlalila, 23 ebe enloba nge bgwe, asingambone nthu ebe efa, kuli kuti wabe asakazwimisila kun'hwisa zogwadza ngobe akambenga, 24 gubungano lowosumikilisa pakati kwe wabulaya nthu ne wabe eshoko bgwilizila ngotebula malopa, kuyenda nge nlayo. 25 Gubungano lowoangulanya mbulayi we nthu mu luboko gwe gamu le wakabulawa, ipapo gubungano lobgwiliza ntizhi ku nzi nkulu we matizhilo kwaakabe atizhilako. Ngono agale muuli kudzina ntungamili we bapirisiti wakazhodziwa efa. 26 Koga ha mbulayi we nthu angabhudila kuzhe kwe nzi nkulu we dizhilo waakatizhila muuli, kanopinda paakabigigwa kuti asitongopatjuluka, 27 ngono ha gamu le wakabulawa lingan'wana kuzhe kwe nzi nkulu atjuluka paakabigigwa kuti asitongo patjuluka libe limbulaya, alitowobong'wa nlandu. 28 Ngoti nthu iwoyu akafanila gala koga mukati kwe nzi nkulu we matizhilo kudzina ntungamili we bapirisiti efa. Koga shule kwe lufu gwe ntungamili we bapirisiti, mbulayi we nthu ungabgwilila zwe kanyi kwabo. 29 Nlayo uwoyu ne ndaulo iyeyi, muzwilondolodze kuyenda nge zwizekugwana zwenyu mu magalo enyu wose.
30 “ ‘Ha nthu angabulaya nthu, mbulayi wakafanila bulawabo apa kuna butendeki gwe batendeki babili kene kupinda. Kusibe ne nthu unobulawa apa kuna ntendeki nng'ompela. 31 Nenguba kwakatini, musitongoduma dzutunulo ye nthu wabulaya nthu. Koga nthu wasumikilisiwa kabong'wa nlandu we kubulaya mmwe nthu na iye ngaabulawe. 32 Kakale musitongoduma dzutunulo ye nthu wakatizhila ku nzi nkulu we matizhilo, kuti abgwilile kanyi kwabo ntungamili we bapirisiti esathu kafa. 33 Musitongo temapadza shango ya mugele muili, ngo tebula lopa, kotemapadza shango, ngono akuna tjingadzutunula kubulawa kwe nthu, kuzhe kwe kuti iye wabulaya nthu, abulawebo. 34 Usitongo temapadza shango ya ugele muili namibo yandigele muili, ngoti imi Yahwe ndogala pakati kwe bathu be Iziraela.’ ”
The Towns for the Levites
1 While the people of Israel were still camped in the lowlands of Moab across the Jordan River from Jericho, the Lord told Moses 2 to say to them:
When you receive your tribal lands, you must give towns and pastures to the Levi tribe. 3 That way, the Levites will have towns to live in and pastures for their animals. 4-5 The pasture around each of these towns must be in the shape of a square, with the town itself in the center. The pasture is to measure 900 meters on each side, with 450 meters of land outside each of the town walls. This will be the Levites' pastureland.
6 Six of the towns you give them will be Safe Towns where a person who has accidentally killed someone can run for protection. But you will also give the Levites 42 other towns, 7 so they will have a total of 48 towns with their surrounding pastures.
8 Since the towns for the Levites must come from Israel's own tribal lands, the larger tribes will give more towns than the smaller ones.
The Safe Towns
(Deuteronomy 19.1-13Joshua 20.1-9)9 The Lord then told Moses 10 to tell the people of Israel:
After you have crossed the Jordan River and are settled in Canaan, 11 choose Safe Towns, where a person who has accidentally killed someone can run for protection. 12 If the victim's relatives think it was murder, they might try to take revenge. Anyone accused of murder can run to one of these Safe Towns for protection and not be killed before a trial is held.
13 There are to be six of these Safe Towns, 14 three on each side of the Jordan River. 15 They will be places of protection for anyone who lives in Israel and accidentally kills someone.
Laws about Murder and Accidental Killing
The Lord said:
16-18 Suppose you hit someone with a piece of iron or a large stone or a dangerous wooden tool. If that person dies, then you are a murderer and must be put to death 19 by one of the victim's relatives. He will take revenge for his relative's death as soon as he finds you.
20-21 Or suppose you get angry and kill someone by pushing or hitting or by throwing something. You are a murderer and must be put to death by one of the victim's relatives.
22-24 But if you are not angry and accidentally kill someone in any of these ways, the townspeople must hold a trial and decide if you are guilty. 25 If they decide that you are innocent, you will be protected from the victim's relative and sent to stay in one of the Safe Towns until the high priest dies. 26 But if you ever leave the Safe Town 27 and are killed by the victim's relative, he cannot be punished for killing you. 28 You must stay inside the town until the high priest dies; only then can you go back home.
29 The community of Israel must always obey these laws.
30 Death is the penalty for murder. But no one accused of murder can be put to death unless there are at least two witnesses to the crime. 31 You cannot give someone money to escape the death penalty; you must pay with your own life! 32 And if you have been proven innocent of murder and are living in a Safe Town, you cannot pay to go back home; you must stay there until the high priest dies.
33-34 I, the Lord, live among you people of Israel, so your land must be kept pure. But when a murder takes place, blood pollutes the land, and it becomes unclean. If that happens, the murderer must be put to death, so the land will be clean again. Keep murder out of Israel!