Deuteronomy 7
1 When the LORD thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;
“Lapho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu elingenisa elizweni alinika lona ukuba libe ngelenu uxotsha izizwe ezinengi phambi kwenu, amaHithi, amaGigashi, ama-Amori, amaKhenani, amaPherizi, amaHivi lamaJebusi, izizwe eziyisikhombisa ezinkulu njalo ezilamandla kulani,
2 and when the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shalt smite them; then thou shalt utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them;
kuthi lapho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu esezinikele ezandleni zenu lani selizinqobile kufanele lizitshabalalise ngokupheleleyo. Lingabi lesivumelwano lazo, njalo lingabi lesihawu kuzo.
3 neither shalt thou make marriages with them: thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son.
Lingendiselani lazo. Lingendiseli amadodakazi enu emadodaneni azo, kumbe lithathele amadodana enu amadodakazi azo,
4 For he will turn away thy son from following Me, that they may serve other gods; so will the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and He will destroy thee quickly.
ngoba azaphambula amadodana enu ekungikhonzeni abesekhonza abanye onkulunkulu, kuthi ulaka lukaThixo luvuthe lulitshabalalise.
5 But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.
Nanku okumele likwenze kulezi zizwe: Dilizani ama-alithare azo, libhidlize amatshe eziwakhonzayo, ligamule izinsika zika-Ashera njalo litshise izithombe zazo ngomlilo.
6 For thou art a holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be His own treasure, out of all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.
Phela lina lingabantu abangcwele kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu. UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ulikhethile phakathi kwabantu bonke emhlabeni ukuthi libe ngabantu bakhe, isipho sakhe esiligugu.
7 The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people — for ye were the fewest of all peoples —
UThixo kazange ehlisele uthando lwakhe phezu kwenu ngoba libanengi kulezinye izizwe, phela lina livele liyisizwe sabantu abalutshwana.
8 but because the LORD loved you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
Kodwa kungenxa yokuthi uThixo walithanda wagcina isifungo asifunga kubokhokho benu walikhupha ngesandla esilamandla walihlenga ezweni lobugqili, emandleni kaFaro inkosi yaseGibhithe.
9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, He is God; the faithful God, who keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations;
Yazini-ke ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu unguNkulunkulu; unguNkulunkulu othembekileyo, ogcina isivumelwano sothando kuze kufike esizukulwaneni senkulungwane salabo abamthandayo njalo begcina imilayo yakhe.
10 and repayeth them that hate Him to their face, to destroy them; He will not be slack to him that hateth Him, He will repay him to his face.
Kodwa labo abamzondayo uzaphindisela kubo ngokubabhubhisa; kayikuphuza ukuphindisela kulabo abamzondayo.
11 Thou shalt therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them.
Kungakho, nanzelelani lilandele imilayo, izimiso kanye lemithetho engilinika yona lamuhla.
12 And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep, and do them, that the LORD thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto thy fathers,
Nxa linanzelela limithetho njalo liyilandela, uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzagcina isivumelwano sakhe sothando kini, njengoba wafunga kubokhokho benu.
13 and He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee; He will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy wine and thine oil, the increase of thy kine and the young of thy flock, in the land which He swore unto thy fathers to give thee.
Uzalithanda alibusise andise ubunengi benu. Uzabusisa izithelo zenzalo yezisu zenu, izilimo zamasimu enu, amabele enu, iwayini elitsha kanye lamafutha, amathole emihlambi yenkomo zenu kanye lamazinyane emihlambi yezimvu zenu elizweni afunga ukuthi uzalinika okhokho benu ukuba balinike lona.
14 Thou shalt be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
Lina lizabusiswa okungaphezu kwabanye abantu; kakho phakathi kwamadoda labafazi kini ozaswela umntwana, njalo lezifuyo zenu ngeke ziswele amankonyane.
15 And the LORD will take away from thee all sickness; and He will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee, but will lay them upon all them that hate thee.
UThixo uzaliphephisa emikhuhlaneni yonke. Kayikulehlisela imikhuhlane yonke eyesabekayo elaliyibona eGibhithe, kodwa uzayehlisela kulabo abalizondayo.
16 And thou shalt consume all the peoples that the LORD thy God shall deliver unto thee; thine eye shall not pity them; neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee.
Libobhubhisa bonke abantu uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu abanikela ezandleni zenu. Lingabazweli usizi, lingakhonzi onkulunkulu babo, ngoba lokho kuzakuba yisifu kini.
17 If thou shalt say in thy heart: 'These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them?'
Mhlawumbe lizakuthi: ‘Lezizizwe zilamandla kulathi. Sizazixotsha njani lapha?’
18 thou shalt not be afraid of them; thou shalt well remember what the LORD thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt:
Kodwa lingazesabi; khumbulani ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu wenzani kuFaro kanye lakulo lonke elaseGibhithe.
19 the great trials which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, whereby the LORD thy God brought thee out; so shall the LORD thy God do unto all the peoples of whom thou art afraid.
Lazibonela ngawenu amehlo imilingo emikhulu, izibonakaliso zemilingo lezimanga, isandla esilamandla lokwelulwa kwengalo, khona okwasetshenziswa nguThixo wenu ukulikhupha. UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzakuphinda khonokho kubo laba abantu elibesabayo.
20 Moreover the LORD thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and they that hide themselves, perish from before thee.
Phezu kwalokho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzathumela olonyovu phakathi kwabo kuze kuthi labasilileyo balicatshela babhujiswe.
21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them; for the LORD thy God is in the midst of thee, a God great and awful.
Lingabesabi, ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ophakathi kwenu, nguThixo omkhulu njalo owesabekayo.
22 And the LORD thy God will cast out those nations before thee by little and little; thou mayest not consume them quickly, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzazidudula lezozizwe phambi kwenu kancanekancane. Aliyikuvunyelwa ukuzibhubhisa ngasikhathi sinye ngoba izinyamazana zeganga zinganda zilihanqe.
23 But the LORD thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and shall discomfit them with a great discomfiture, until they be destroyed.
Kodwa uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzabanikela kini, abaphazamise baze babhujiswe.
24 And He shall deliver their kings into thy hand, and thou shalt make their name to perish from under heaven; there shall no man be able to stand against thee, until thou have destroyed them.
Amakhosi azo uzawanikela ezandleni zenu, njalo lizakwesula amabizo awo ngaphansi komkhathi. Kakho ozakwenelisa ukumelana lani, lizababhubhisa.
25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire; thou shalt not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
Izithombe zabonkulunkulu bazo lizazitshisa ngomlilo. Lingahawukeli isiliva legolide eliphezu kwezithombe, lingazigcineli lona, ngoba lizabe selizibambisile emjibileni ngalo, ngoba liyisinengiso kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
26 And thou shalt not bring an abomination into thy house, and be accursed like unto it; thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a devoted thing.
Lingalethi okunengisayo ezindlini zenu, ngoba lani njengakho lokho lizakhethelwa ukubhujiswa. Kwenyanyeni linengeke ngakho, ngoba kumiselwe ukutshabalaliswa.”
