< Deuteronomy 12 >
1 These are the statutes and the decrees that you will keep in the land that Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth.
“Lezi yizo izimiso lemilayo okumele likugcine ngonanzelelo elizweni uThixo uNkulunkulu wabokhokho benu alinika lona ukuba libe ngelenu nxa lilokhu lisahlala kulelolizwe.
2 You will surely destroy all the places where the nations that you will dispossess worshiped their gods, on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.
Dilizani ngokupheleleyo zonke izindawo izizwe elizinqobayo ezazikhonzela onkulunkulu bazo khona, ezintabeni eziphakemeyo lasemaqaqeni kanye langaphansi kwezihlahla ezinabileyo.
3 You must break down their altars, dash in pieces their stone pillars, and burn their Asherah poles. You must cut down the carved figures of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.
Dilizani ama-alithare ezizwe, libhidlize amatshe abawakhonzayo litshise izinsika zika-Ashera emlilweni, dilizelani phansi izithombe zabo lihle lichithe licitshe amabizo abo kulezondawo.
4 You will not worship Yahweh your God like that.
Lingalandeli izindlela zabo zokukhonza uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
5 But to the place that Yahweh your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name, that will be the place where he lives, and it is there that you will go.
Kodwa lizadinga indawo uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu azayikhetha phakathi kwazo zonke izizwana zenu, ukuze abeke iBizo lakhe lapho, ahlale khona. Kumele liye kuleyondawo;
6 It is there that you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offerings presented by your hand, your offerings for vows, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.
khonapho lilethe iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa lemihlatshelo, lokwetshumi kwenu lezipho zenu eziqakathekileyo, lokho elifunge ukukunikela kanye leminikelo yenu yokuzithandela, amazibulo emihlambi yenu yenkomo leyezimvu.
7 It is there that you will eat before Yahweh your God and rejoice about everything that you have put your hand to, you and your households, where Yahweh your God has blessed you.
Khonapho, phambi kukaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, lina kanye labantwabenu lizakudla njalo lijabule ngakho konke elike labeka izandla zenu kukho, ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ulibusisile.
8 You will not do all the things that we are doing here today; now everyone is doing whatever is right in his own eyes;
Lingabokwenza njengalokhu esikwenza lamuhla, ngamunye esenza njengokuthanda kwakhe,
9 for you have not yet come to the rest, to the inheritance that Yahweh your God is giving you.
ngoba alikangeni endaweni yokuphumula kanye lelifeni uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika lona.
10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, and he will give you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you live in safety.
Kodwa lizachapha uJodani liyekwakha lihlale elizweni uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika lona ukuba libe yilifa lenu, njalo uzaliphumuza ezitheni zenu elakhelene lazo ukuze lihlale livikelekile.
11 Then to the place where Yahweh your God will choose to cause his name to live there—there you will bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offerings presented by your hand, and all your choice offerings for vows that you will vow to Yahweh.
Okumayelana lendawo uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu azayikhetha ibe likhaya leBizo lakhe, kulapho elizaletha konke engililaya ngakho: iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa lemihlatshelo, okwetshumi kwenu lezipho zenu eziqakathekileyo, kanye lazozonke impahla elikhethe ukufunga ngazo kuThixo.
12 You will rejoice before Yahweh your God—you, your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants, and the Levites who are within your gate, because he has no portion or inheritance among you.
Khona lapho lijabule phambi kukaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, lina, amadodana lamadodakazi enu, izinceku lezincekukazi zenu, kanye labaLevi abavela emadolobheni enu, abangelasabelo loba ilifa abaliphiwayo libe ngelabo.
13 Pay attention to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings at every place that you see;
Limukani linganikeleli iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa ingqe kungaphi elithanda khona.
14 but it is at the place that Yahweh will choose among one of your tribes that you will offer your burnt offerings, and there you will do everything that I command you.
Nikelelani kuphela endaweni uThixo azayikhetha phakathi kwezizwana zenu kuthi selilapho linanzelele konke engililaya ngakho.
15 However, you may kill and eat animals within all your gates, as you wish, receiving the blessing of Yahweh your God for all that he has given you; the unclean and the clean persons both may eat of it, animals such as the gazelle and the deer.
Ngalokho-ke, selilakho ukuhlaba izifuyo zenu lizibulale njengalokhu okwenziwayo emadolobheni enu njalo lidle yonke leyonyama elifisa ukuyidla, kungani lithaka loba imbabala, kusiya ngesibusiso leso lowo lalowo ayabe ebusiswe ngaso nguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu. Bonke labangahlanzekanga labahlanzekileyo ngokomkhuba bavunyelwe ukuyidla.
16 But you will not eat the blood; you will pour it out on the earth like water.
Kodwa lingadli igazi lazo; lilahleni kungathi lichitha amanzi phansi.
17 You may not eat within your gates from the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock; and you may not eat any of the meat you sacrifice along with any of your vows that you make, nor that of your freewill offerings, nor that of the offering you present with your hand.
Lingakudli emadolobheni enu okwetshumi kwamabele enu kanye lokwewayini elitsha lamafutha, loba amazibulo emihlambi yezifuyo zenu, lakho konke eselifunge lathembisa ukuba lizanikela ngakho, leminikelo yenu yokuzithandela loba izipho eziqakathekileyo.
18 Instead, you will eat them before Yahweh your God in the place that Yahweh your God will choose—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; you will rejoice before Yahweh your God about everything to which you put your hand.
Kodwa kumele likudle phambi kukaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu endaweni ezakhethwa nguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, lina, amadodana lamadodakazi enu, izinceku lezincekukazi zenu, kanye labaLevi abavela emadolobheni enu, lina labo lizajabula phambi kukaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ngakho konke elikuphatha ngezandla zenu.
19 Pay attention to yourself so that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live on your land.
Linanzelele lingalibali beselikhohlwa abaLevi nxa lilokhu lisahlala elizweni lenu.
20 When Yahweh your God enlarges your borders, as he has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat flesh,' because of your desire to eat meat, you may eat meat, as your soul desires.
Nxa uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu eseqhelisile ilizwe lenu njengokulethembisa kwakhe, libe seliloyisa ukudla inyama lithi, ‘Ngifisa ukudla inyama,’ kulapho elizakudla khona lize lifike lapho elithanda khona.
21 If the place that Yahweh your God chooses to put his name is too far from you, then you will kill some of your herd and your flock that Yahweh has given you, as I have commanded you; you may eat within your gates, as your soul desires.
Nxa indawo leyo lapho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu akhetha ukubeka iBizo lakhe ikhatshana kakhulu lani, lingahlaba emihlambini yezifuyo leyezimvu njengokuyiphiwa kwenu nguThixo, njengoba ngililayile, kuthi emadolobheni enu lizidle lezozifuyo njengokuthanda kwenu.
22 Like the gazelle and the deer are eaten, so you will eat of it; the unclean and the clean persons may eat of it alike.
Lidle kungathi lidla ithaka lembabala. Bonke abangahlanzekanga ngokomkhuba labahlanzekileyo bangadla.
23 Only be sure that you do not consume the blood, for the blood is the life; you will not eat the life with the meat.
Kodwa linanzelele lingadli igazi, ngoba igazi yiyo impilo ngakho akufanelanga ukuthi lidle impilo lenyama.
24 You will not eat it; you will pour it out on the earth like water.
Lingabokudla igazi; lichitheleni emhlabathini kungathi lilahla amanzi.
25 You will not eat it, so that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you will do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh.
Lingadli, ukuze kulihambele kuhle lina kanye labantwabenu abezayo, ngoba lizabe lenze okuhle emehlweni kaThixo.
26 But the things that belong to Yahweh that you have and the offerings for your vows—you will take these and go to the place that Yahweh chooses.
Kodwa thathani lokho okugcotshiweyo lalokho elifunge ukukunikela lisuke liye endaweni ezakhethwa nguThixo.
27 There you will offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of Yahweh your God; the blood of your sacrifices will be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God, and you will eat the flesh.
Lethani iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa e-alithareni likaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, konke inyama kanye legazi. Igazi leminikelo yenu lilichithele phansi kwe-alithari likaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, kodwa lingadla inyama yakhona.
28 Observe and listen to all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.
Linanzelele lilandele iziqondiso zonke engilinika zona, ukuze kulihambele kuhle lina kanye labantwabenu abezayo ngemva kwenu, ngoba lizabe lenze okuhle njalo kulungile emehlweni kaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
29 When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations from before you, when you go in to dispossess them, and you dispossess them, and live in their land,
UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzazichitha phambi kwenu zonke izizwe okufanele lizihlasele libe selizemuka okungokwazo. Kodwa nxa selizinqobile lazichitha selihlezi elizweni lazo,
30 pay attention to yourself that you are not trapped into following them, after they are destroyed from before you—trapped into investigating their gods, into asking, 'How do these nations worship their gods? I will do the same.'
njalo nxa sezichithiwe phambi kwenu, liqaphele lingahugeki ngokubuza ngabonkulunkulu bazo lisithi, ‘Kanti zona lezizizwe zibakhonza njani onkulunkulu bazo? Lathi sizakwenza okufananayo.’
31 You must not worship Yahweh your God in that way, for everything that is an abomination to Yahweh, things that he hates—they have done these with their gods; they even burn their sons and their daughters in fire for their gods.
Lingabokhonza uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ngendlela abakhonza ngayo, ngoba ekukhonzeni kwabo onkulunkulu babo, benza konke okunengisayo okungasoze kwamukeleke kuThixo. Baya baze batshise amadodana lamadodakazi abo emlilweni bethi bayanikela kubonkulunkulu babo.
32 Whatever I command you, observe it. Do not add to it or take away from it.
Nanzelelani ukuthi lenza lokho engililaya ngakho, lingengezeleli loba liphungule kulokho.”