Deuteronomy 8
1 “You must faithfully obey all the commandments that I am giving you today. If you do that, you will live [a long time], you will become very numerous, and you will occupy the land that Yahweh solemnly promised your ancestors that he would give [to you].
“Nanzelelani njalo lilandele yonke imilayo engilinika yona lamuhla, ukuze liphile njalo lande khona lizangena lithumbe ilizwe uThixo alinika okhokho benu ethembisa ngesifungo.
2 And do not forget how Yahweh our God led us as we traveled through the desert during these past 40 years. He [caused you to have many problems/difficulties], because he wanted to cause you to realize that you needed to trust him and not yourselves. And he wanted to test you, to find out what you intended to do [IDM], whether you would obey his commandments or not.
Likhumbule ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu walikhokhela njani lidabula inkangala okweminyaka engamatshumi amane, elichumisa lokulilinga ukuthi abone okwakusezinhliziyweni zenu, ukuthi kambe lizayigcina imiyalo yakhe na loba hayi.
3 So he caused you to have/experience difficulties. He allowed you to become hungry. Then he gave you manna [food from heaven], food that you and your ancestors had never eaten before. He did that to teach you that people need food [for their bodies]; but [they also need food for their spirits, which comes from paying attention to] everything that Yahweh says [MTY].
UThixo walichumisa, walenza lalamba kanti njalo walipha ukudla okuyimana, ukudla lokho laboyihlo abangazange bakwazi, kuyikulifundisa ukuthi umuntu kaphili ngesinkwa kuphela zwi kodwa ngalo lonke ilizwi eliphuma emlonyeni kaThixo.
4 During those 40 years [of walking through the desert], our clothes did not wear out and our feet did not swell [from walking a very long way through the desert].
Izigqoko zenu aziguganga njalo lezinyawo zenu azivuvukanga kuleyo minyaka engamatshumi amane.
5 Do not forget that Yahweh our God disciplines us, like parents discipline their children.
Gcinani lokhu ezinhliziyweni zenu lazi ukuthi njengendoda ikhuza indodana yayo, ngokufananayo uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uyalikhuza.
6 “Do obey the commandments of Yahweh our God, and conduct your lives as he wants you to do, and revere him.
Gcinani imilayo kaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu lihambe endleleni yakhe njalo limkhonze.
7 He is about to bring you into a good/fertile land, which has streams which flow down from the hills and pour/flow out of springs in the valleys.
Ngakho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ulisa elizweni elihle, ilizwe elilezifula leziziba zamanzi, intombo zamanzi ezimpompoza ezigodini lasemaqaqeni;
8 It is a land on which wheat and barley grow, a land where there are fig trees and pomegranates, and a land where there are olive trees and honey.
elizweni lengqoloyi lebhali, amavini lemikhiwa, amaphomegranathi, amafutha ama-oliva lenyosi;
9 It is a land where there will be plenty of food for you, where you will (not lack anything/have everything that you need) [LIT], a land which has iron [ore] in its rocks and from which you can dig copper [ore] from its hills.
elizweni lapha okungasayi kusweleka khona isinkwa njalo aliyikuswela lutho; elizweni lapho amatshe akhona ayinsimbi kanti njalo lingemba ikhopha emaqaqeni.
10 [Every day] you will eat until your stomachs are full, and you will thank Yahweh our God for the fertile/good land that he has given you.
Lizakuthi selidlile lasutha, lidumise uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ngelizwe elihle alinike lona.
11 But, [when that happens], be sure not to forget Yahweh our God by disobeying his commandments and rules and regulations that I am giving to you today.
Linanzelele ukuthi alilibali uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, lingehluleki ukugcina imilayo yakhe, imithetho kanye lezimiso engilinika zona lamuhla.
12 When your stomachs are full [every day], and when you have built good houses and are living in them,
Kungenzeka ukuthi lithi selidlile lasutha, selakhe izindlu ezinhle lahlala lazinza,
13 and when the number of your cattle and sheep has greatly increased, and when you have accumulated a large amount of silver and gold, and the amount of all your other possessions has greatly increased,
njalo imihlambi yezifuyo zenu leyezimvu zenu isiqhelile yanda kuze kuthi lesiliva legolide lenu selilinengi kanye lakho konke okwenu sekukunengi kuphindwe kanenginengi,
14 be sure that you do not become proud [IDM] and forget Yahweh our God, who rescued your ancestors from being slaves in Egypt and brought them out from there.
liziqhenye ezinhliziyweni zenu, libe selikhohlwa uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, yena owalikhupha eGibhithe, walikhupha elizweni lobugqili.
15 Do not forget that he led them [while they traveled] through that huge and terrible desert, where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. And do not forget that where the ground was very dry and there was no water, he caused water to flow for them out of (solid/very hard) rock.
UThixo walikhokhela enkangala enkulu eyesabekayo, eyomileyo engelamanzi, elobuthi benyoka lenkume. Walinika amanzi aphuma edwaleni.
16 Do not forget that in that desert he gave your ancestors manna to eat, food that they had never eaten before. He [caused them to have/experience many problems/difficulties], because he wanted them to realize that they needed to trust him and not themselves. And he wanted to test them, to find out whether they intended to obey him, in order that when [those difficulties] ended, he would do many good things for them.
Walinika imana ukuba lidle enkangala, into abangazange bayazi oyihlo, ukulichumisa njalo lokulilinga ukuze kuthi ekucineni kulihambele kuhle.
17 Be sure that you do not think to yourselves, ‘I have acquired all these things by my own power [MTY] and ability.’
Mhlawumbe lingathi, ‘Ngokuzimisela kwami langamandla ezandla zami sengizidalele inotho.’
18 Do not forget that it is Yahweh our God who has enabled you to become rich. He does this because he faithfully does what he solemnly promised our ancestors that he would do.
Kodwa khumbulani uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ngoba kunguye olipha amandla okunotha, lokho kuyikho ukugcwaliseka kwesivumelwano sakhe, sona afunga kubokhokho benu, okulokhu kunjalo lalamuhla.
19 “solemnly warn you that if you forget Yahweh our God and turn to other gods and start to serve them and worship them, you will certainly be destroyed.
Nxa lizake likhohlwe uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu beselilandela abanye onkulunkulu libakhonze libakhothamele, ngiyalifungela lamuhla ukuthi lizabhujiswa ngempela.
20 If you do not obey Yahweh our God, he will certainly destroy you just like he will destroy the people-groups that you will fight against.”
Njengezizwe uThixo azibhubhisa phambi kwenu lani lizabhujiswa nguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.”
