Leviticus 25
1 Yahweh said to Moses/me on Sinai Mountain,
INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi entabeni yeSinayi isithi:
2 “Tell the Israelis [that I, Yahweh, say this]: When you enter the land that I am about to give you, every seventh year you must honor me by [not planting any seeds. You will be] allowing the ground to rest.
Tshono ebantwaneni bakoIsrayeli uthi kubo: Nxa lifika elizweni engilinika lona, ilizwe lizaphumula, isabatha eNkosini.
3 For six years you are to plant seeds in your fields and prune your grapevines and harvest the crops.
Iminyaka eyisithupha uzahlanyela insimu yakho, leminyaka eyisithupha uthene isivini sakho, ubuthe isithelo saso.
4 But the seventh/next year you must [dedicate] to me, and allow your fields to rest. Do not plant seeds in your fields or prune your grapevines [during that year].
Kodwa ngomnyaka wesikhombisa kuzakuba lesabatha lokuphumula kwelizwe, isabatha eNkosini. Kawuyikuhlanyela insimu yakho, ungatheni isivini sakho.
5 Do not reap [the grain] that grows in your fields without having been planted, or harvest the grapes that grow [without the vines being pruned]; you must allow the land to rest for that one year.
Kawuyikuvuna umkhukhuzela wesivuno sakho, kaliyikukha izithelo zamavini akho angathenwanga. Uzakuba ngumnyaka wokuphumula welizwe.
6 But you are permitted to eat whatever crops grow by themselves during that year without having been planted. You and your male and female servants, and workers whom you have hired, and people who are living among you temporarily are permitted to eat it.
Njalo isabatha lelizwe lizakuba yikudla kwenu, ngokwakho, lokwenceku yakho, lokwencekukazi yakho, lokoqhatshiweyo wakho, lokowemzini wakho ohlala lawe njengowezizwe,
7 Also, [during that year] your livestock and the wild animals in your land are permitted to eat it.’
lokwezifuyo zakho, lokwenyamazana eziselizweni lakho; konke elikuthelayo kuzakuba yikudla.
8 ‘Also, after every 49 years has ended, you must do this: (On the tenth day of the seventh month/At the end of September) [of the next/50th year], blow trumpets throughout the country, to declare that it will be a day on which you request that I forgive you for the sins that you have committed.
Uzazibalela-ke amaviki ayisikhombisa eminyaka, iminyaka eyisikhombisa ephindwe kasikhombisa, ukuze insuku zamaviki ayisikhombisa eminyaka zibe yiminyaka engamatshumi amane lesificamunwemunye kuwe.
Khona uzadlulisa uphondo lomsindo omkhulu enyangeni yesikhombisa ngolwetshumi lwenyanga; ngosuku lwenhlawulo yokuthula lizadlulisa umsindo wophondo elizweni lonke lakini.
10 Set apart that year, and proclaim that throughout the country, it will be a year of restoring the land and freeing people: All the people [who sold their property] will receive back the property that they previously owned, and slaves must be (freed/allowed to return to [their property and] their families).
Njalo lizangcwelisa lumnyaka wamatshumi amahlanu, limemezele inkululeko elizweni kubo bonke abakhileyo balo. Kuzakuba lijubili kini; lizabuyela, ngulowo lalowo, elifeni lakhe; futhi lizabuyela, ngulowo lalowo, kusapho lwakhe.
11 That year will be a Year of Celebration; [during that year] do not plant anything, and do not harvest [in the usual way] the grain/wheat that grows without having been planted, or the grapes that grow without the vines being pruned.
Umnyaka wamatshumi amahlanu uzakuba ngumnyaka wejubili kini; lingahlanyeli, lingavuni umkhukhuzela wawo, lingakhi ngawo kumavini angathenwanga.
12 It will be a Year of Celebration, so eat [only] what grows in the fields (by itself/without any work being done to produce anything).
Ngoba ulijubili, uzakuba ngcwele kini; lizakudla ensimini okuthelwayo kwayo.
13 ‘In that Year of Celebration, everyone must return to their own property.
Ngomnyaka walelijubili lizabuyela, ngulowo lalowo elifeni lakhe.
14 ‘If you sell some of your land to a fellow Israeli or if you buy some land from one of them, you must treat that person fairly:
Uba-ke uthengisa ulutho kumakhelwane wakho loba uthenga esandleni sikamakhelwane wakho, lingacindezelani.
15 If you buy land, the price that you will pay will depend on the number of years there will be until the next Year of Celebration. If someone sells land to you, he will charge a price that is determined by the number of years until the next Year of Celebration.
Ngokwenani leminyaka emva kwejubili uzathenga kumakhelwane wakho; ngokwenani leminyaka yokuthelwayo uzakuthengisela.
16 If there will be many years before the next Year of Celebration, the price will be higher; if there will be only a few years until the next Year of Celebration, the price will be lower. [You could say that] what he is really selling you is the number of crops [which you can harvest before the next Year of Celebration].
Ngobunengi beminyaka uzakwandisa intengo yakho; njalo ngobulutshwana beminyaka uzanciphisa intengo yakho; ngoba ekuthengisela inani lezivuno.
17 Do not cheat each other; instead, revere me. I, Yahweh your God, [am the one who am commanding this].
Ngakho lingacindezelani, kodwa wesabe uNkulunkulu wakho. Ngoba ngiyiNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu.
18 ‘Obey all my laws [DOU] carefully. If you do that, you will continue to live safely in your country [DOU].
Ngakho yenzani izimiso zami, ligcine izahlulelo zami, lizenze, ukuze lihlale elizweni livikelekile.
19 And crops will grow well on the land, and you will have plenty to eat.
Lelizwe lizathela izithelo zalo, lidle lize lisuthe, lihlale kulo livikelekile.
20 But you may ask, “If we do not plant or harvest our crops during the seventh year, what will we have to eat?”
Uba-ke lisithi: Sizakudlani ngomnyaka wesikhombisa? Khangela, kasihlanyeli, kasibuthi isivuno sethu.
21 [My answer is that] I will bless you very much during the sixth/previous year, with the result that during that year there will be enough crops to provide food for you for three years!
Khona ngizalaya isibusiso sami kini ngomnyaka wesithupha, ukuze uthele isivuno seminyaka emithathu.
22 Then, after you plant seed during the eighth/next year [and wait for the crops to grow], you will eat the food grown in the sixth year, and continue to eat it until more food is harvested in the ninth year!
Njalo lizahlanyela ngomnyaka wesificaminwembili lidle okwesivuno esidala kuze kufike umnyaka wesificamunwemunye; kuze kufike isivuno sawo lizakudla esidala.
23 ‘You must not sell any of your land to belong to someone else permanently, because the land [is not yours, it]; is really mine, and you are only living on it temporarily and (farming/taking care of) it for me.
Lelizwe kaliyikuthengiswa lanininini, ngoba ilizwe ngelami; ngoba lingabemzini labahlala njengabezizwe lami.
24 Throughout the country that you will possess, you must remember that if someone sells some of his land to you, he is permitted to buy it back from you [if he wants to].
Lelizweni lonke lelifa lenu lizavumela uhlengo lwelizwe.
25 ‘So, if one of your fellow Israelis becomes poor and sells some of his property [to obtain some money], the person who is most closely related to him is permitted to come and buy that land for him.
Uba umfowenu esiba ngumyanga, athengise okwelifa lakhe, uzafika umhlengi wakhe eyisihlobo sakhe, ahlenge lokho umfowabo akuthengisileyo.
26 However, if a man has no one to buy the land for him, and he himself prospers again and saves enough money to buy that land back,
Njalo umuntu, uba engelaye umhlengi, kodwa isandla sakhe sifinyelele, athole okwenele uhlengo lwakhe,
27 he must calculate how many years there will be until the next Year of Celebration. Then he must pay to the man who bought the land the money that he would have earned by continuing to grow crops on that land for those years.
kabale iminyaka yokuthengiswa kwalo, abuyisele okuseleyo kulowomuntu owamthengisela lona, abuyele elifeni lakhe.
28 But if the original owner does not have any money to buy the land that he sold, it will continue to belong to the man who bought it, until the next Year of Celebration. In that year it must be returned to its original owner, and he will be able to live on it again.
Kodwa uba isandla sakhe singatholanga okwenele ukubuyisela kuye, okuthengisiweyo kuzakuba sesandleni sokuthengileyo kuze kufike umnyaka wejubili; kodwa ngejubili kuzaphuma, njalo uzabuyela elifeni lakhe.
29 ‘If someone who lives in a city that has a wall around it sells a house there, during the next year he will be permitted to buy it from the man who bought it.
Umuntu, uba ethengisa-ke indlu yokuhlala emzini olomthangala, ilungelo lohlengo lwayo lizakuba kuze kuphele umnyaka wokuthengiswa kwayo; ilungelo lohlengo lwayo lizakuba ngumnyaka wonke.
30 If he does not buy it during that year, it will belong permanently to the man who bought it and to his descendants. It must not be returned to the original owner in the Year of Celebration.
Kodwa uba ingahlengwanga uze umnyaka wayo wonke ugcwale, leyondlu esemzini olomthangala izamiselwa lowo owayithengayo njalonjalo, ezizukulwaneni zakhe; kayiyikuphuma ngejubili.
31 But houses that are in villages that do not have walls around them are considered to be as though they are in a field. So if someone sells one of those houses, he is permitted to buy it back at any time. And [if he does not buy it], it must be returned to him in the Year of Celebration.
Kodwa izindlu zemizi engabiyelwanga ngomthangala zizabalwa njengensimu yelizwe; kulohlengo lwayo, njalo izaphuma ngejubili.
32 ‘If any descendants of Levi sell their houses in the towns in which they live, they are permitted to buy them back at any time.
Mayelana lemizi yamaLevi, izindlu zemizi yelifa lawo, amaLevi azakuba lohlengo lwaphakade.
33 And because the houses in their towns are on land that [was given to them by] other Israelis, that land will become theirs again in the Year of Celebration [if they do not buy it back before then].
Uba kungohlenga kumaLevi, kuzaphuma ukuthengiswa kwendlu lokomuzi welifa lakhe ngejubili; ngoba izindlu zemizi yamaLevi ziyilifa lawo phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
34 But the pastureland near their towns must not be sold. It must belong to the original owners permanently/forever.
Kodwa insimu yamaphethelo emizi yawo kayiyikuthengiswa, ngoba iyilifa lawo kuze kube nininini.
35 ‘If one of your fellow Israelis becomes poor and is unable to buy what he needs [IDM], others of you must help him like you would help a foreigner who is living among you [DOU] temporarily.
Uba-ke umfowenu esiba ngumyanga, lesandla sakhe sixega kuwe, uzamsekela: Owemzini lohlezi njengowezizwe, ukuze aphile lawe.
36 [If you lend money to him], do not charge any kind of interest [DOU]. Instead, [show by what you do that you] revere me, your God, and help that man, in order that he will be able to continue to live among you.
Ungathathi kuye umvuzo lenzuzo, kodwa wesabe uNkulunkulu wakho, ukuze umfowenu aphile lawe.
37 If you lend him money, do not charge interest; and if you sell food to him, [charge him only what you paid for it]; do not get a profit from it.
Ungamuphi imali yakho ngenzalo, futhi ungaphi ukudla kwakho ngenzuzo.
38 [Do not forget that] I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God and to give you the land of Canaan, [and I did not charge you for doing that].
NgiyiNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu owalikhupha elizweni leGibhithe ukulinika ilizwe leKhanani, ukuze ngibe nguNkulunkulu wenu.
39 ‘If one of your fellow Israelis becomes poor and sells himself to you, do not force him to work like a slave.
Uba-ke umfowenu olawe esiba ngumyanga, azithengise kuwe, ungamenzi asebenze njengesigqili;
40 Treat him like you treat workers that you hire or like someone who is living on your land temporarily. But he must work for you [only] until the Year of Celebration.
uzakuba lawe njengoqhatshiweyo, njengohlala njengowezizwe, asebenze kuwe kuze kufike umnyaka wejubili.
41 During that year, you must free him, and he will go back to his family and to the property that his ancestors owned.
Khona ezaphuma kuwe, yena labantwana bakhe laye, abuyele kwabomdeni wakhe, abuyele elifeni laboyise.
42 [It is as though] you Israelis are my slaves/servants, whom I [freed from being slaves] in Egypt. So none of you should be sold to become slaves.
Ngoba ziyizinceku zami engazikhupha elizweni leGibhithe; kaziyikuthengiswa ngokuthengiswa kwesigqili.
43 And do not treat the Israelis whom you buy cruelly; instead, revere me, your God.
Ungambusi nzima, kodwa wesabe uNkulunkulu wakho.
44 ‘If you want to have slaves, you are permitted to buy them from nearby countries.
Lesigqili sakho lesigqilikazi sakho ozakuba lazo, zizavela ezizweni ezilizingelezeleyo; kuzo lizathenga isigqili kumbe isigqilikazi.
45 You are also permitted to buy some of the foreigners who are living among you, and members of their clans that were born in your country. Then you will own them.
Futhi-ke ebantwaneni balabo abahlala njengabemzini abahlala njengabezizwe lani, kubo lingazithenga lakuzizukulwana zabo ezilani, abazizalela elizweni lakini, njalo bazakuba yimfuyo yenu.
46 They will be your slaves for the remaining years of your life, and after you die, it is permitted for your children to own them. But you must not act in brutal ways toward your fellow Israelis.
Njalo lizazenza abafuyi bazo lisenzela abantwana benu emva kwenu ukuze badle ilifa lemfuyo; lizabasebenzisa kuze kube nininini. Kodwa phakathi kwabafowenu, abantwana bakoIsrayeli, kaliyikubusa nzima, omunye phezu komunye.
47 ‘If a foreigner who is living among you [DOU] becomes rich, and if one of your fellow Israelis becomes poor and sells himself to that foreigner or to a member of his clan/family,
Uba-ke isandla sowezizweni loba sowemzini ohlala lawe sesifinyelele enothweni, lomfowenu olaye abe ngumyanga, azithengise kowemzini, owezizweni ohlala lawe, kumbe kusendo lwesizukulwana sowemzini,
48 it is permitted for someone to pay for him to be freed. It is permitted for one of his relatives to pay for him to be released:
esezithengisile kungaba lokuhlengwa kwakhe; omunye wabafowabo angamhlenga,
49 An uncle or a cousin or another relative in his clan may pay for him to be released. Or, if he prospers [and gets enough money], he is permitted to pay for his own release.
loba umfowabo kayise, loba umtanomfowabo kayise angamhlenga, kumbe isihlobo sakhe segazi emdeni wakhe singamhlenga; uba isandla sakhe sesifinyelele enothweni, angazihlenga.
50 The man who wants to pay for his own release must count the number of years until the next Year of Celebration. The price he pays to the man who bought him will depend on the pay that would be given to a hired worker for that number of years.
Uzabalisana lowamthengayo, kusukela emnyakeni owazithengisa kuye ngawo kuze kufike umnyaka wejubili; ukuze imali yentengiso yakhe izakuba njengenani leminyaka, njengensuku zoqhatshiweyo kuzakuba njalo ngaye.
51 If there are a lot of years that remain until the Year of Celebration, he must pay for his release a larger amount of the money.
Uba kuseleminyaka eminengi, ngokungayo uzabuyisela uhlengo lwakhe, emalini yokuthengwa kwakhe.
52 If there are only a few years that remain until the Year of Celebration, he must pay a smaller amount to be released.
Uba-ke kusele iminyaka emilutshwana kuze kufike umnyaka wejubili, uzabalisana laye; njengokweminyaka yakhe uzabuyisela uhlengo lwakhe.
53 During the years that he is working for the man who bought him, the man who bought him must treat him like he would treat a hired worker, and all of you must make sure that his owner does not treat him cruelly.
Uzakuba laye njengoqhatshiweyo iminyaka ngeminyaka; kayikumbusa nzima phambi kwamehlo akho.
54 ‘And even if a fellow Israeli who has sold himself to a rich man is not able to pay for himself to be freed by any of these ways, he and his children must be freed in the Year of Celebration,
Kodwa uba engahlengwanga ngalokhu, uzaphuma ngomnyaka wejubili, yena labantwana bakhe kanye laye.
55 because [it is as though] you Israelis are my slaves/servants, whom I, Yahweh your God, freed from [being slaves in] Egypt.’”
Ngoba kimi abantwana bakoIsrayeli bazinceku, bazinceku zami engazikhupha elizweni leGibhithe. NgiyiNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu.
