Exodus 23
1 “You must not spread stories that are lies. You must not help bad people by giving evidence that's malicious.
Ungawuphathi umbiko wamanga, ungafaki isandla sakho lomubi ukuze ube ngumfakazi wobubi.
2 Don't follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give evidence in a lawsuit, don't corrupt justice by siding with the majority.
Ungalandeli abanengi ngezinto ezimbi, ungafakazi ecaleni ukuze weyamele kwabanengi uliphambule.
3 Don't show favoritism to poor people in their legal cases either.
Lomyanga ungamzweli ecaleni lakhe.
4 If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey that has wandered off, take it back it to him.
Uba uhlangana lenkabi yesitha sakho loba ubabhemi waso kuduha, uzakubuyisela lokukubuyisela kuso.
5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you that has fallen under its load, don't just leave it there. You must stop and help.
Uba ubona ubabhemi walowo okuzondayo elele ngaphansi komthwalo wakhe, uyekele ukumkhulula, uzamkhulula lokumkhulula laye.
6 You must not prevent the poor from getting justice in their lawsuits.
Kawuyikuphambula ukwahlulelwa komyanga wakho ecaleni lakhe.
7 Don't have anything to do with making false accusations. Don't kill the innocent or those who do right, for I won't let the guilty go unpunished.
Bana khatshana lendaba yamanga, ungabulali ongelacala lolungileyo, ngoba kangiyikumlungisisa okhohlakeleyo.
8 Don't accept bribes, for a bribe blinds those who can see, and undermines the evidence of the honest.
Njalo kawuyikwemukela isivalamlomo, ngoba isivalamlomo siphumputhekisa ababonayo, sonakalise amazwi abalungileyo.
9 Don't abuse foreigners living among you, since you know very well what it's like to be foreigners, for you were once foreigners in Egypt.
Futhi kawuyikumcindezela owezizwe; ngoba lina liyayazi imizwa yowezizwe, ngoba lalingabezizwe elizweni leGibhithe.
10 Six years you are to sow your land and harvest crops,
Njalo iminyaka eyisithupha uzahlanyela isiqinti sakho, ubuthe isivuno saso.
11 but in the seventh year you are to let it rest and leave it uncultivated, so that poor people may eat what grows naturally from the field and the wild animals can finish what's left. Follow the same procedure for your vineyards and olive groves.
Kodwa ngowesikhombisa uzasilalukisa sibe lifusi, ukuze abayanga besizwe sakho badle, lalokho okuseleyo inyamazana zeganga zikudle. Wenze njalo ngesivini sakho lemihlwathi yakho.
12 You have six days to do your work, but on the seventh day you must stop working, so that your ox and your donkey can rest, and your slaves' families can catch their breath, as well as the foreigners living among you.
Insuku eziyisithupha uzakwenza umsebenzi wakho, njalo ngosuku lwesikhombisa uphumule, ukuze kuphumule inkabi yakho labobabhemi bakho, kuvuselele-ke indodana yencekukazi yakho lowezizweni.
13 Make sure to pay attention to everything I've told you. Don't think to call on the names of other gods—you must not even mention them.
Lezintweni zonke esengizitshilo kini qaphelani, lebizo labanye onkulunkulu lingaliphathi, kaliyikuzwakala emlonyeni wakho.
14 Three times every year you are to celebrate a feast dedicated to me.
Kathathu ngomnyaka uzangigcinela umkhosi.
15 You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread as I instructed you. You are to eat bread without yeast for seven days at the appropriate time in the month of Abib, because that was the month you left Egypt. No one can come before me without bringing an offering.
Umkhosi wesinkwa esingelamvubelo uzawugcina, insuku eziyisikhombisa udle isinkwa esingelamvubelo njengokukulaya kwami, ngesikhathi esimisiweyo senyanga kaAbhibhi; ngoba kuyo waphuma eGibhithe; kabayikubonakala phambi kwami bengaphethe lutho.
16 You are also to observe the Festival of Harvest when you present the firstfruits of the produce from what you've sown in the fields. Lastly you are to observe the Festival of Gathering-In the Harvest at the end of the year, when you gather in the harvest of the rest of your crops from the field.
Lomkhosi wesivuno, izithelo zokuqala zomsebenzi wakho, owuhlanyeleyo ensimini; lomkhosi wokubutha ekupheleni komnyaka, lapho usubuthile umsebenzi wakho ensimini.
17 Every Israelite male is to come before the Lord God at these three times every year.
Kathathu ngomnyaka bonke abesilisa bakho bazabonakala phambi kweNkosi uJehova.
18 You must not offer the blood of my sacrifices together with anything that contains yeast, and the fat from the offerings presented at my festival must not be left until morning.
Kawuyikunikela igazi lomhlatshelo wami kanye lesinkwa esilemvubelo. Lamafutha omkhosi wami angalali kuze kuse.
19 Bring the best firstfruits of your crops to the house of the Lord your God. Don't cook a young goat in its mother's milk.
Ikhethelo lezithelo zokuqala zensimu yakho uzaliletha endlini yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho. Ungapheki izinyane echagweni lukanina.
20 Look, I'm sending an angel ahead of you to protect you on the way and to take you to the place I've prepared for you.
Khangela, ngithuma ingilosi phambi kwakho ukuze ikulondoloze endleleni, ikuse endaweni engiyilungisileyo.
21 Make sure you pay attention to him and do what he says. Don't oppose him, because he won't forgive rebellion, for he carries my authority.
Uqaphele phambi kwayo, ulalele ilizwi layo; ungayicunuli, ngoba kayiyikuthethelela iziphambeko zenu; ngoba ibizo lami liphakathi kwayo.
22 However, if you listen to him carefully, and do everything that I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and I will fight those who fight against you.
Kodwa uba ulalela lokulalela ilizwi layo, wenze konke engikutshoyo, sengizakuba yisitha sezitha zakho, ngiphambane labaphambana lawe.
23 For my angel will go ahead of you and take you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.
Ngoba ingilosi yami izahamba phambi kwakho, ikungenise kumaAmori lamaHethi lamaPerizi lamaKhanani lamaHivi lamaJebusi. Njalo ngizababhubhisa.
24 You must not bow down to their gods or worship them or follow their pagan practices. No, you must demolish their idols and smash their sacred pillars into pieces.
Ungakhothameli onkulunkulu babo, ungabakhonzi, ungenzi njengemisebenzi yabo; kodwa ubachithe lokubachitha, ubhidlize lokubhidliza izinsika zabo eziyizithombe.
25 You are to worship the Lord your God, and he will bless your food and water. I will make sure none of you fall sick.
Lizakhonza-ke iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu; njalo izabusisa ukudla kwakho lamanzi akho, njalo ngisuse isifo phakathi kwakho.
26 No woman will have a miscarriage or be without children. I will make sure you live long lives.
Kakuyikuba khona okuphunzayo lokuyinyumba elizweni lakho. Ngizaphelelisa inani lensuku zakho.
27 I will send terror about me ahead of you which will throw every nation you meet into panic. I will make all your enemies turn and run away.
Ngizathumela ukwesabeka kwami phambi kwakho, ngiphambanise bonke abantu ozafika kubo, ngenze izitha zakho zonke zikunike isiphundu.
28 I will send hornets ahead of you to drive out before you the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites.
Ngizathumela olonyovu phambi kwakho abazaxotsha amaHivi, amaKhanani lamaHethi phambi kwakho.
29 I will not drive them out in just one year, because the land would become desolate and you would have to deal with increased numbers of wild animals.
Kangiyikubaxotsha phambi kwakho ngomnyaka owodwa, hlezi ilizwe libe ngamanxiwa, lenyamazana zeganga zikwandele.
30 Bit by bit I will drive them out ahead of you, until there are enough of you to take possession of the land.
Ngizabaxotsha phambi kwakho kancinyane kancinyane, uze wande, udle ilifa lelizwe.
31 I will fix your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates River. I will hand the inhabitants of the land over to you, and you will drive them out.
Njalo ngizamisa imingcele yakho kusukela eLwandle oluBomvu kuze kufike elwandle lwamaFilisti, njalo kusukela enkangala kuze kufike emfuleni; ngoba ngizanikela esandleni sakho abakhileyo belizwe; uzabaxotsha phambi kwakho.
32 You must not make any agreement with them or with their gods.
Ungenzi isivumelwano labo labonkulunkulu babo.
33 They must not be allowed to stay in your land, otherwise they will lead you to sin against me. For if you worship their gods, they will definitely become a trap for you.”
Kabayikuhlala elizweni lakho, hlezi bakwenze ukuthi wone kimi; uba ukhonza onkulunkulu babo, ngeqiniso kuzakuba yisifu kuwe.
