< Deuteronomy 4 >
1 And now, Israel, hearken to the statutes and to the ordinances which I teach you, to do [them], that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which Jehovah the God of your fathers giveth you.
Sikia sasa, ee Israeli, amri na sheria nitakazokufundisha wewe. Zifuate ili upate kuishi na uingie kuimiliki nchi ambayo Bwana, Mungu wa baba zako anawapa.
2 Ye shall not add to the word which I command you, neither shall ye take from it, that ye may keep the commandments of Jehovah your God which I command you.
Usiongeze wala usipunguze chochote ninachowaamuru ninyi, ila myashike maagizo ya Bwana Mungu wenu ambayo nawapa.
3 Your eyes have seen what Jehovah did because of Baal-Peor; for all the men that followed Baal-Peor, Jehovah thy God hath destroyed them from among you;
Mliona kwa macho yenu wenyewe kile Bwana alichokifanya kule Baal-Peori. Bwana Mungu wenu aliwaangamiza kutoka miongoni mwenu kila mmoja aliyemfuata Baali wa Peori,
4 but ye that did cleave to Jehovah your God are alive every one of you this day.
lakini ninyi nyote mlioshikamana na Bwana kwa uthabiti, Mungu wenu, mko hai mpaka leo.
5 See, I have taught you statutes and ordinances, even as Jehovah my God commanded me, that ye may do so in the land into which ye enter to possess it.
Tazama, nimewafundisha amri na sheria kama Bwana Mungu wangu alivyoniamuru mimi, ili mzifuate katika nchi mnayoiingia kuimiliki.
6 And ye shall keep and do them; for that will be your wisdom and your understanding before the eyes of the peoples that shall hear all these statutes, and say, Verily this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
Zishikeni kwa uangalifu, kwa kuwa hii itaonyesha hekima na ufahamu wenu kwa mataifa, ambayo yatasikia kuhusu amri zote hizi, nao watasema, “Hakika taifa hili kubwa ni watu wenye hekima na ufahamu.”
7 For what great nation is there that hath God near to them as Jehovah our God is in everything we call upon him for?
Ni taifa gani jingine lililo kubwa kiasi cha kuwa na miungu yao iliyo karibu nao kama Bwana Mungu wetu alivyo karibu nasi wakati wowote tunapomwomba?
8 And what great nation is there that hath righteous statutes and ordinances, as all this law which I set before you this day?
Nalo ni taifa gani jingine lililo kubwa hivi lenye kuwa na amri na sheria za haki kama hizi ninazoweka mbele yenu leo?
9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things that thine eyes have seen (and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but thou shalt make them known to thy sons and to thy sons' sons),
Mwe waangalifu, na makini ili msije mkasahau mambo ambayo mliyaona kwa macho yenu, wala kuyaacha yaondoke moyoni mwenu siku zote za uhai wenu. Mwafundishe hayo watoto wenu na watoto wao baada yao.
10 the day that thou stoodest before Jehovah thy God in Horeb, when Jehovah said to me, Gather me the people together, that I may cause them to hear my words, that they may learn them, and fear me all the days that they live upon the earth, and teach them to their children.
Kumbuka siku uliyosimama mbele za Bwana Mungu wako kule Horebu, wakati aliponiambia, “Wakutanishe watu mbele yangu wasikie maneno yangu ili kwamba waweze kujifunza kuniheshimu kwa muda wote watakaoishi katika nchi, nao waweze kuwafundisha watoto wao maneno hayo.”
11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and obscurity.
Mlisogea karibu na mkasimama chini ya mlima wakati ulipowaka moto mpaka mbinguni juu, pamoja na mawingu meusi na giza nene.
12 And Jehovah spoke to you from the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but ye saw no form; only [ye heard] a voice.
Ndipo Bwana alipozungumza nanyi kutoka moto. Mkasikia sauti ya maneno lakini hamkuona umbo, kulikuwa na sauti tu.
13 And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to do, the ten words; and he wrote them on two tables of stone.
Aliwatangazia Agano lake na Amri Kumi, ambazo aliwaamuru mzifuate, kisha akaziandika juu ya vibao viwili vya mawe.
14 And Jehovah commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and ordinances, that ye might do them in the land whither ye are passing over to possess it.
Naye Bwana alinielekeza wakati huo kuwafundisha ninyi sheria na amri ambazo mnapaswa kuzifuata katika nchi ambayo mnavuka Yordani kuimiliki.
15 And take great heed to your souls (for ye saw no form on the day that Jehovah spoke to you in Horeb from the midst of the fire),
Hamkuona umbo la aina yoyote siku ambayo Bwana alizungumza nanyi kule Horebu kutoka kwenye moto. Kwa hiyo mjihadhari kwa uangalifu sana,
16 lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the form of any figure, the pattern of male or female,
ili msije mkajichafua na kujitengenezea sanamu au kinyago chenye umbo lolote kama la mwanaume au mwanamke,
17 the pattern of any beast that is on the earth, the pattern of any winged fowl that flieth in the heaven,
au kama mnyama aliye juu ya nchi au ndege yeyote arukaye angani,
18 the pattern of anything that creepeth on the ground, the pattern of any fish that is in the waters under the earth;
au kama kiumbe kitambaacho juu ya ardhi au samaki yeyote aliye ndani ya maji.
19 and lest thou lift up thine eyes to the heavens, and see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, the whole host of heaven, and be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, which Jehovah thy God hath assigned unto all peoples under the whole heaven.
Na utazamapo juu angani na ukaliona jua, mwezi na nyota na vyote vinavyoipamba mbingu, usije ukashawishiwa kuviinamia na kuviabudu vile ambavyo Bwana Mungu wenu alivyogawia mataifa yote chini ya mbingu.
20 But you hath Jehovah taken, and hath brought you forth out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, that ye might be to him a people of inheritance, as it is this day.
Lakini kwenu ninyi, Bwana amewatoa kutoka kwenye tanuru ya kuyeyushia chuma, katika Misri kuwa watu wa urithi wake kama mlivyo sasa.
21 And Jehovah was angry with me on your account, and swore that I should not go over the Jordan, and that I should not enter in to that good land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance;
Bwana alinikasirikia kwa sababu yenu na akaapa kwamba sitavuka Yordani kuingia katika nchi nzuri Bwana Mungu wenu anayowapa kuwa urithi wenu.
22 for I shall die in this land, I shall not go over the Jordan; but ye shall go over, and possess this good land.
Nitakufa katika nchi hii; sitavuka Yordani, lakini ninyi ni karibu mvuke mkaimiliki ile nchi nzuri.
23 Take heed to yourselves lest ye forget the covenant of Jehovah your God, which he made with you, and make yourselves a graven image, the form of anything which Jehovah thy God hath forbidden thee.
Jihadharini msilisahau Agano la Bwana Mungu wenu lile alilofanya nanyi; msijitengenezee sanamu katika umbo la kitu chochote ambacho Bwana Mungu wenu amewakataza.
24 For Jehovah thy God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
Kwa kuwa Bwana Mungu wenu ni moto ulao, Mungu mwenye wivu.
25 When thou begettest sons, and sons' sons, and ye have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, the form of anything, and do evil in the sight of Jehovah thy God, to provoke him to anger,
Baada ya kuwa na watoto na wajukuu na kuishi katika nchi hiyo siku nyingi, tena kama mkijichafua na kutengeneza sanamu ya aina yoyote, mkifanya maovu machoni pa Bwana Mungu wenu na kumfanya awe na hasira,
26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye pass over the Jordan to possess it: ye shall not prolong your days on it, but shall be utterly destroyed.
ninaziita mbingu na nchi kama mashahidi dhidi yenu siku hii kwamba mtaangamia mara moja kutoka nchi ile ambayo mnavuka Yordani kuimiliki. Hamtaishi kule kwa muda mrefu bali kwa hakika mtaangamizwa.
27 And Jehovah will scatter you among the peoples, and ye shall be left a small company among the nations to which Jehovah will lead you.
Bwana atawatawanya miongoni mwa mataifa, na ni wachache wenu tu watakaosalia miongoni mwa mataifa hayo ambayo Bwana atawafukuzia.
28 And ye shall there serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.
Huko mtaabudu miungu ya miti na mawe iliyotengenezwa na watu, ambayo haiwezi kuona au kusikia wala kula au kunusa.
29 And from thence ye shall seek Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt find him, if thou shalt seek him with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul.
Lakini kama mtamtafuta Bwana Mungu wenu, mtampata; kama mtamtafuta kwa moyo wenu wote na kwa roho yote.
30 In thy tribulation, and when all these things shall come upon thee, at the end of days, thou shalt return to Jehovah thy God, and shalt hearken to his voice,
Wakati mnapokuwa katika dhiki, nayo mambo haya yote yamewatokea siku hizo, ndipo mtamrudia Bwana Mungu wenu na kumtii.
31 — for Jehovah thy God is a merciful God, — he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he swore unto them.
Kwa maana Bwana Mungu wenu ni Mungu mwenye huruma, hatawaacha au kuwaangamiza wala kusahau Agano alilofanya na baba zenu, alilowathibitishia kwa kiapo.
32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man on the earth, and from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens, whether there hath been anything as this great thing is, or if anything hath been heard like it?
Sasa uliza kuhusu siku za zamani, zamani kabla ya wakati wako, tangu siku ile Mungu alipomuumba mtu juu ya nchi, uliza kutoka mwisho mmoja wa mbingu mpaka mwisho mwingine wa mbingu. Je, kumepata kutokea jambo jingine lililo kubwa kama hili, au kuna jambo jingine kama hilo limepata kusikiwa?
33 Did [ever] people hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live?
Je, kuna watu wengine wowote waliosikia sauti ya Mungu ikizungumza kwenye moto, kama mlivyosikia, nao wakaishi?
34 Or hath God essayed to come to take him a nation from the midst of a nation, by trials, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a powerful hand, and by a stretched-out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that Jehovah your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
Je, kuna mungu yeyote amepata kujaribu mwenyewe kuchukua taifa moja kutoka taifa lingine, kwa mapigo, kwa ishara za miujiza na maajabu, kwa vita, kwa mkono wenye nguvu na mkono ulionyooshwa au kwa matendo makuu ya kutisha, kama yale ambayo Bwana Mungu wenu aliyofanya kwa ajili yenu huko Misri mbele ya macho yenu?
35 Unto thee it was shewn, that thou mightest know that Jehovah, he is God — there is none other besides him.
Mlionyeshwa mambo haya ili mpate kujua kuwa Bwana ndiye Mungu; hakuna mwingine ila yeye.
36 From the heavens he made thee hear his voice, that he might instruct thee; and on the earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words from the midst of the fire.
Kutoka mbinguni amewasikizisha sauti yake ili kuwaadilisha. Hapa duniani aliwaonyesha moto wake mkubwa, nanyi mlisikia maneno yake kutoka kwenye ule moto.
37 And because he loved thy fathers, and chose their seed after them, he brought thee out with his countenance, with his great power, out of Egypt,
Kwa sababu aliwapenda baba zenu na alichagua wazao wao baada yao, aliwatoa katika nchi ya Misri kwa Uwepo wake na kwa uwezo wake mkuu,
38 to dispossess nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.
aliwafukuza mbele yenu mataifa makubwa na yenye nguvu kuliko ninyi na kuwaleta ninyi katika nchi yao na akawapa ninyi kuwa urithi wenu, kama ilivyo leo.
39 Thou shalt know therefore this day, and consider it in thy heart, that Jehovah, he is God in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath: [there is] none else.
Kubalini na mweke moyoni leo kuwa Bwana ndiye Mungu mbinguni juu na duniani chini. Hakuna mwingine.
40 And thou shalt keep his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may be well with thee and with thy sons after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days on the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, for ever.
Mshike amri na maagizo yake ninayowapa leo, ili mpate kufanikiwa ninyi na watoto wenu baada yenu, na mpate kuishi maisha marefu katika nchi awapayo Bwana Mungu wenu siku zote.
41 Then Moses separated three cities on this side the Jordan toward the sun-rising,
Kisha Mose akatenga miji mitatu mashariki ya Yordani,
42 that the manslayer might flee thither, who should kill his neighbour unawares, and hated him not previously, that fleeing to one of these cities, he might live:
ambayo mtu yeyote aliyemuua mtu angeweza kukimbilia ikiwa amemuua jirani yake bila kukusudia na bila kuwa na chuki naye siku zilizopita. Angeweza kukimbilia katika mmojawapo ya miji hii na kuokoa maisha yake.
43 Bezer in the wilderness, in the plateau, of the Reubenites, and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites, and Golan in Bashan, of the Manassites.
Miji hiyo ilikuwa: Bezeri katika tambarare ya jangwa kwa ajili ya Wareubeni; Ramothi katika nchi ya Gileadi kwa ajili ya Wagadi; nao mji wa Golani katika nchi ya Bashani kwa ajili ya Wamanase.
44 And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel:
Hii ndiyo sheria Mose aliyoweka mbele ya Waisraeli.
45 these are the testimonies, and the statutes, and the ordinances that Moses declared to the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt,
Haya ndiyo masharti, amri na sheria Mose aliyowapa wana wa Israeli wakati walitoka Misri,
46 on this side the Jordan, in the valley opposite to Beth-Peor, in the land of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, whom Moses and the children of Israel smote when they came out of Egypt;
nao walikuwa katika bonde karibu na Beth-Peori mashariki ya Yordani, katika nchi ya Sihoni mfalme wa Waamori, ambaye alitawala Heshboni, naye alishindwa na Mose na Waisraeli walipokuja toka Misri.
47 and they took possession of his land, and the land of Og the king of Bashan, two kings of the Amorites, who were on this side the Jordan, toward the sun-rising;
Waliimiliki nchi yake na nchi ya Ogu mfalme wa Bashani, wafalme wawili Waamori waliotawala mashariki ya Yordani.
48 from Aroer, which is on the bank of the river Arnon, as far as mount Sion, which is Hermon,
Nchi hii ilienea kutoka Aroeri ukingoni mwa Bonde la Arnoni mpaka Mlima Sioni (yaani Hermoni),
49 and all the plain on this side the Jordan, eastward, and as far as the sea of the plain, under the slopes of Pisgah.
pamoja na eneo lote la Araba mashariki ya Yordani, na kuenea mpaka Bahari ya Araba kwenye miteremko ya Pisga.