Deuteronomy 19

¹ Very soon una go enter the land and attack the nations. The LORD una God go destroy them and give una their lands, towns, and homes. Then after una don settle,

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⁴ una must choose three of una towns make dem be Safe Towns. Make una divide the land to three regions with one Safe Town near middle of each one, so that e go dey easy to reach a Safe Town from anywhere for una land. Then, if one one of una kill someone by mistake, una fit run go Safe Town so that dem no go kill una. But make e no be say una vex with the person wey una kill.

⁵ For example, suppose say una and a friend go to forest to go cut wood. Una dey cut down a tree with axe, when the axe head remove from the handle, e hit una friend, and kill am. Una fit run go Safe Town and safe una life.

⁶ Una no deserve to die, since na by mistake e take happen. But he don die, and him family fit dey vex. Dem fit even choose one of the men for their family to track you and kill you. If e dey too far to one of the Safe Towns, the dead person relative fit catch una and kill una.

⁷ That na why I say make three Safe Towns dey.

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⁹ Israel, the LORD una God don promise say if una obey him laws and commands wey I dey give una, and if una dey always love him, then he go give una the lands wey he don promise una ancestors. When e happen, una must name three more Safe Towns for the new territory.

¹⁰ Una go need them, so that innocent people no go dey die when dem dey try reach Safe Town wey dey for far place. Una go dey guilty of murder, if innocent people loose their lives because una no name enough Safe Towns for the land the LORD una God go give una.

¹¹ But what if una really kill the person? Suppose say one of una hate a neighbor. So una wait for a place, kill the neighbor, and run go a Safe Town.

¹² If e happen like that, the leader of una town must send messenger to bring una back from the Safe Town. Dem go hand you over to one of the dead person relative wey go kill you.

¹³ Israel, for good of the country, make una kill any person wey murder innocent person. Make una no show mercy for murderer!

¹⁴ For the land the Lord dey give una, dem don already set up stones to mark property line between fields, so make una no move the stones.

¹⁵ Before una receive punishment for a crime, make at least two witness testify say una do am.

¹⁶ If una accuse someone for a crime, but he dey lie,

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¹⁸ then both una and the person una accuse, make dem take una to court for the place una dey worship God. For there, the priests and the judges go find out if una dey lie or tell the truth. If una dey lie and the person una accuse dey innocent,

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²¹ then una go receive punishment without mercy. Una go receive same punishment wey the person una accuse suppose receive, whether e mean say una go loose one eye, a teeth, a hand, a foot, or even una life. Israel, make una punish any person wey commit crime of telling lie for court. And when people hear wetin happen to witnesses wey lie, everyone else wey testify for court go tell the truth.