Deuteronomy 21
1 “When there will have been found in the land, which the Lord your God will give to you, the corpse of a man who has been killed, and it is not known who is guilty of the murder,
“Nxa kungafunyanwa umuntu obuleweyo egangeni, elizweni uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika lona ukuba libe ngelenu, kungaziwa ukuthi ubulewe ngubani,
2 your judges and those greater by birth shall go out and measure, from the place of the corpse, the distance to each of the surrounding cities.
abakhokheli kanye labehluleli benu bazakuya balinganise umango phakathi kwalowo obuleweyo lamadolobho aseduze.
3 And in whichever one they perceive to be closer than the others, the elders shall take a calf from the herd, one which has not pulled with a yoke, nor tilled with a plow.
Kuzakuthi abakhokheli bamadolobho aseduzane lesidumbu leso bathathe ithokazi elingakaze lisetshenziswe futhi okungakaze kugaxwe ijogwe phezu kwalo
4 And they shall lead it into a rough and stony valley, one which has never been tilled or sown. And in that place, they shall cut the neck of the calf.
balithintele esigodini esingakaze silinywe kumbe kuhlanyelwe ulutho kiso njalo lapho okulesifula esigelezayo khona. Kabephule intamo yalo khonapho esigodini leso.
5 And the priests the sons of Levi shall approach, those whom the Lord your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in his name, and to decide every controversy by their word, and to judge which things are clean and which are unclean.
Abaphristi, amadodana kaLevi, bazasondela, ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ubakhethile ukuba benze inkonzo njalo bamemezele izibusiso ebizweni likaThixo bahlulele amacala okuxabana lawokulwa.
6 And those greater by birth of that city, nearest to the one who was slain, shall go and shall wash their hands over the calf that was killed in the valley.
Abakhokheli balawo madolobho aseduzane lesidumbu leso bazagezela izandla zabo phezu kwethokazi elephulelwe intamo esigodini,
7 And they shall say: ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it.
bafakaze bathi: ‘Izandla zethu kazilichithanga leligazi, futhi asibonanga kusenzeka.
8 Be merciful to your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, O Lord, and do not charge them with innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel.’ And so the guilt of the blood will be taken away from them.
Yamukela lindlela yokubuyisana yabantu bakho abako-Israyeli, obahlengileyo, Oh Thixo, ungabeki icala phezu kwabantu bakho ngenxa yegazi lomuntu omsulwa.’ Ngakho ukuchithwa kwegazi kuzahlawulelwa.
9 Then you will be free from the blood that was shed against the innocent, when you will have done as the Lord has instructed you.
Ngalokho lizazigeza emlandwini wokuchitha igazi elingelacala, njengoba selenzile okuhle emehlweni kaThixo.”
10 If you have gone out to fight against your enemies, and the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand, and if, as you are leading away the captives,
“Nxa usiya empini ukuyahlasela izitha zakho kuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu anikele izitha zenu ezandleni zenu, lizithumbe,
11 you see among the number of the captives a beautiful woman, and you love her, and you are willing to have her as a wife:
ungabona owesifazane omuhle njalo akukhange, ungamthatha abe ngumkakho.
12 then you shall lead her into your house. And she shall shave off her hair, and cut her nails short,
Uzamusa emzini wakho, aphuce ikhanda lakhe, aqume inzipho zakhe njalo
13 and remove the garment in which she was captured. And she shall sit in your house and weep for her father and mother, for one month. And after that, you shall enter to her and sleep with her, and she shall be your wife.
akhulule izigqoko athunjwe ezigqokile. Kuzakuthi lapho eseqede inyanga eyodwa esemzini wakho elilela uyise lonina, usungamthatha abe ngumkakho,
14 But if afterwards she does not sit well in your mind, you shall set her free. You cannot sell her for money, nor can you oppress her by force. For you have humiliated her.
kodwa nxa engakuthokozisi, umkhulule ayelapho athanda khona. Ungamthengisi kumbe umphathe njengesigqili, ngoba usumngcolisile.”
15 If a man has two wives, one beloved and the other hated, and they have produced children by him, and if the son of the hated wife is the firstborn,
“Nxa indoda ilabafazi ababili, ithande omunye kodwa omunye ingamthandi, kuthi bobabili bayizalele amadodana kodwa izibulo libe yindodana yomfazi engamthandiyo,
16 and if he wishes to divide his substance among his sons: he cannot make the son of the beloved wife the firstborn, and so prefer him before the son of the hated wife.
nxa ehlela ukwabela amadodana akhe impahla yakhe, akumelanga emuke izibulo lakhe ilungelo lalo aliphe indodana yomfazi amthandayo esikhundleni sezibulo langempela, indodana yomfazi engamthandiyo.
17 Instead, he shall acknowledge the son of the hated wife as the firstborn, and he shall give to him a double portion of all that he has. For he is the first among his children, and the rights of the firstborn are owed to him.
Kufanele itshengisele ukuthi indodana yomfazi ongathandwayo yilo izibulo ngokuyinika isabelo esiphindwe kabili sempahla yayo yonke. Indodana leyo iyisibonakaliso sakuqala samandla kayise. Ilungelo lobuzibulo ngelayo.”
18 If a man produces a disobedient and reckless son, who will not listen to the orders of his father or mother, and, having been corrected, shows contempt for obedience:
“Nxa indoda ilendodana eyisiqholo njalo engumhlamuki engalaleli uyise lonina nxa beyikhuza,
19 they shall take him and lead him to the elders of the city and to the gate of judgment.
uyise lonina bazayibamba bayise ebadaleni esangweni ledolobho lakibo.
20 And they shall say to them: ‘This our son is reckless and disobedient. He shows contempt when listening to our admonitions. He occupies himself with carousing, and self-indulgence, and feasting.’
Kumele bafike ebadaleni balelodolobho bathi, ‘Indodana yethu le iyisiqholo njalo ingumhlamuki. Ayisilaleli. Iyisixhwali njalo iyisidakwa.’
21 Then the people of the city shall stone him to death. And he shall die, so that you may take away the evil from your midst. And so may all of Israel, upon hearing it, be very afraid.
Ngakho wonke amadoda akulelodolobho azayitshaya ngamatshe ize ife. Kufanele liqede bonke ububi phakathi kwenu. U-Israyeli wonke uzakuzwa lokhu esabe.”
22 When a man will have sinned in a matter which is punished by death, and, having been judged unto death, he has been hanged on a gallows:
“Nxa umuntu olecala elikhulu ebulawa kuthi isidumbu silengiswe esihlahleni,
23 his corpse shall not remain on the tree. Instead, he shall be buried on the same day. For he who hangs from a tree has been cursed by God, and you shall not defile your land, which the Lord your God will give to you as a possession.”
lingaboyekela isidumbu sakhe silenga esihlahleni ubusuku bonke. Kangcwatshwe mhlalokho, ngoba umuntu olengiswa esihlahleni uqalekisiwe nguNkulunkulu. Lingangcolisi ilizwe uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika lona njengelifa.”
