Deuteronomy 21
1 “Suppose someone has been murdered in a field in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you do not know who killed that person.
Kama mtu akikutwa ameuawa, naye amelala kwenye shamba katika nchi ambayo Bwana Mungu wenu anawapa kuimiliki, wala haijulikani ni nani aliyemuua,
2 [If that happens], your elders and judges must go out to where that person’s corpse was found and measure the distance from there to each of the nearby towns.
wazee wenu na waamuzi watatoka na kupima umbali kutoka maiti alipolala mpaka kwenye miji ya jirani.
3 Then the elders in the town that is closest to where the corpse was found must select a young cow that has never been used for doing work.
Kisha wazee wa ule mji ulio karibu zaidi na yule maiti watamchukua mtamba ambaye hajapata kufanyishwa kazi na ambaye hajafungwa nira,
4 They must take it to a place near a stream where the ground has never been plowed or planted. They must break its neck there in that valley.
na kumpeleka kwenye bonde ambalo halijapata kulimwa au kupandwa mazao na ambapo kuna chemchemi itiririkayo. Huko kwenye hilo bonde, wazee watamvunja yule mtamba shingo.
5 The priests must go there also, because Yahweh our God has chosen them from the tribe of Levi to serve him and to be his representatives [MTY] when they bless people. And he has also chosen them to settle disputes in which someone has been injured.
Makuhani, hao wana wa Lawi, watasogea mbele, kwa kuwa Bwana Mungu wenu, amewachagua kuhudumu na kutoa baraka katika jina la Bwana, na kuamua mashauri yote ya mabishano na mashambulio.
6 The elders from the closest town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken,
Ndipo wazee wote wa mji ulio karibu zaidi na huyo maiti watanawa mikono yao juu ya huyo mtamba ambaye shingo yake imevunjwa huko kwenye bonde,
7 and they must say, ‘We did not murder this person [MTY], and we did not see who did it.
nao watatangaza: “Mikono yetu haikumwaga damu hii, wala macho yetu hayakuona likifanyika.
8 Yahweh, forgive us, your Israeli people whom you rescued [from Egypt]. Do not consider (us to be guilty/that we should be punished because) of murdering someone who (is innocent/had not done something that is wrong). Instead, forgive us.’
Ee Bwana, ukubali upatanisho kwa watu wako Israeli, ambao umewakomboa, wala usiwahesabie watu wako hatia ya damu ya mtu asiyekuwa na hatia.” Nayo damu iliyomwagika itakuwa imefanyiwa upatanisho.
9 By doing that, you will be doing what Yahweh considers to be right, and you will not be considered to be guilty for murdering that person.”
Hivyo mtakuwa mmejitakasa wenyewe kutoka hatia ya kumwaga damu isiyokuwa na hatia, kwa kuwa mmefanya lile lililo sawa mbele za macho ya Bwana.
10 “When you [soldiers] go to fight against your enemies, and Yahweh our God enables you to defeat them [IDM], and (they become your prisoners/you capture them),
Mkienda vitani kupigana na adui zenu naye Bwana Mungu wenu akawatia adui mikononi mwenu, nanyi mkachukua mateka,
11 one of you may see among them a beautiful woman that he likes, and he may want to marry her.
kama ukiona miongoni mwa mateka mwanamke mzuri wa sura nawe wavutwa naye, waweza kumwoa akawa mke wako.
12 He should take her to his home, and there she must shave [all the hair off] her head and cut her fingernails [to signify that now she does not belong to her people-group any more, but instead she is becoming an Israeli].
Mlete nyumbani mwako, anyoe nywele na kukata kucha zake,
13 She must take off the clothes that she was wearing when she was captured, [and put on Israeli clothes]. She must stay in that man’s house and mourn for a month because of [leaving] her parents. After that, he will be allowed to marry her.
avue nguo alizokuwa amevaa alipotekwa. Baada ya kuishi nyumbani mwako na kumwombolezea baba yake na mama yake kwa mwezi mzima, ndipo utakapoweza kumwendea na kuwa mume wake naye atakuwa mke wako.
14 Later, if he no longer is pleased with her, he will be permitted to allow her to leave him. But because she was forced to have sex with him, he will not be allowed to treat her like a slave [and sell her to someone else].”
Lakini kama hutaendelea kupendezwa naye, mwache aende popote anapotaka. Kamwe huwezi kumuuza au kumtendea kama mtumwa, kwa sababu utakuwa umemvunjia heshima.
15 “Suppose that a man has two wives, but he likes one of them and dislikes the other one. And suppose that they both give birth to sons, and the oldest son is the child of the woman that he does not like.
Kama mwanaume ana wake wawili, naye anampenda mmoja na mwingine hampendi na wote wawili wamemzalia wana wa kiume, lakini mwana mzaliwa wa kwanza ni wa yule mke asiyempenda,
16 On the day when that man decides how he will divide his possessions for his sons to possess [after he dies], he must not favor the son of the wife that he loves by giving him [a bigger share, ] the share that the older son should receive.
wakati anapotoa wosia wa mali yake kwa wanawe, kamwe asitoe haki za mzaliwa wa kwanza kwa mwana wa mke ampendaye kwa upendeleo, badala ya mzaliwa hasa wa kwanza, ambaye ni mwana wa mke ambaye hampendi.
17 He must give to the older son, the son of the wife whom he does not like, twice as much of his possessions. That son is his firstborn son, and he must be given the share that he should receive because of his being that man’s firstborn son.”
Ni lazima amkubali mwana wa mke asiyempenda kama mzaliwa wa kwanza kwa kumpa sehemu ya vile vyote alivyo navyo maradufu. Mwana huyo ni ishara ya kwanza ya nguvu za baba yake. Haki ya mzaliwa wa kwanza ni yake yeye.
18 “Suppose there is a boy who is very stubborn and always (rebelling against/disobeying) [his parents], and who will not heed what they say to him. And suppose that they punish him but he still does not pay attention to what they tell him [MTY].
Kama mtu ana mwana mkaidi na mwasi ambaye hamtii baba yake na mama yake, na hasikii wazazi wanapomrudi,
19 If that happens, his parents must take him to the (gate of/central meeting place in) the city where he lives and have him stand in front of the elders of the city.
baba yake na mama yake watamleta kwa wazee kwenye lango la mji wake.
20 Then the parents must say to the elders of that city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and always rebelling against us. He will not pay attention to what we tell him [MTY]. He wastes a lot of money (OR, eats too much food) and gets drunk.’
Watawaambia wazee, “Huyu mwanetu ni mkaidi na mwasi. Hatutii sisi, yeye ni mpotovu na mlevi.”
21 Then all the elders of that city must execute him by throwing stones at him. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you. And everyone in Israel will hear [about what happened] and they will be afraid [to do what he did].”
Kisha wanaume wote wa mjini mwake watampiga kwa mawe mpaka afe. Ndivyo imewapasa kuondoa maovu kati yenu. Israeli yote itasikia hili na kuogopa.
22 “If someone is executed for having committed a crime for which he deserves to die, and you hang his corpse on a post,
Kama mtu ana hatia ya kosa linalompasa kuuawa naye akauawa, mwili wake utaangikwa mtini,
23 you must not allow his corpse to remain there all night. You must bury it on the day that he died, because [God] has cursed anyone whose corpse is allowed to remain on a post. [You must bury the corpse that day], in order that you do not defile the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you.”
kamwe msiuache mwili wake mtini usiku kucha. Hakikisheni mnauzika mwili wake siku ile ile, kwa sababu kila mtu anayeangikwa mtini yupo chini ya laana ya Mungu. Msiinajisi nchi ambayo Bwana Mungu wenu anawapa kama urithi wenu.
