Exodus 23
1 You must not give a false report about anyone. Do not join with a wicked man to be a dishonest witness.
Ungawuphathi umbiko wamanga, ungafaki isandla sakho lomubi ukuze ube ngumfakazi wobubi.
2 You must not follow a crowd to do evil, nor may you bear witness while siding with the crowd in order to pervert justice.
Ungalandeli abanengi ngezinto ezimbi, ungafakazi ecaleni ukuze weyamele kwabanengi uliphambule.
3 You must not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.
Lomyanga ungamzweli ecaleni lakhe.
4 If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you must bring it back to him.
Uba uhlangana lenkabi yesitha sakho loba ubabhemi waso kuduha, uzakubuyisela lokukubuyisela kuso.
5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen to the ground under its load, you must not leave that person. You must surely help him with his donkey.
Uba ubona ubabhemi walowo okuzondayo elele ngaphansi komthwalo wakhe, uyekele ukumkhulula, uzamkhulula lokumkhulula laye.
6 Do not thrust aside justice for your poor in his lawsuit.
Kawuyikuphambula ukwahlulelwa komyanga wakho ecaleni lakhe.
7 Do not join others in making false accusations, and do not kill the innocent or righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.
Bana khatshana lendaba yamanga, ungabulali ongelacala lolungileyo, ngoba kangiyikumlungisisa okhohlakeleyo.
8 Never take a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see, and perverts honest people's words.
Njalo kawuyikwemukela isivalamlomo, ngoba isivalamlomo siphumputhekisa ababonayo, sonakalise amazwi abalungileyo.
9 You must not oppress a foreigner, since you know the life of a foreigner, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.
Futhi kawuyikumcindezela owezizwe; ngoba lina liyayazi imizwa yowezizwe, ngoba lalingabezizwe elizweni leGibhithe.
10 For six years you will sow seed on your land and gather in its produce.
Njalo iminyaka eyisithupha uzahlanyela isiqinti sakho, ubuthe isivuno saso.
11 But in the seventh year you will leave it unplowed and fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat. What they leave, the wild animals will eat. You will do the same with your vineyards and olive orchards.
Kodwa ngowesikhombisa uzasilalukisa sibe lifusi, ukuze abayanga besizwe sakho badle, lalokho okuseleyo inyamazana zeganga zikudle. Wenze njalo ngesivini sakho lemihlwathi yakho.
12 During six days you will do your work, but on the seventh day you must rest. Do this so that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and so that your female slave's son and any foreigner may rest and be refreshed.
Insuku eziyisithupha uzakwenza umsebenzi wakho, njalo ngosuku lwesikhombisa uphumule, ukuze kuphumule inkabi yakho labobabhemi bakho, kuvuselele-ke indodana yencekukazi yakho lowezizweni.
13 Pay attention to everything that I have said to you. Do not mention the names of other gods, nor let their names be heard from your mouth.
Lezintweni zonke esengizitshilo kini qaphelani, lebizo labanye onkulunkulu lingaliphathi, kaliyikuzwakala emlonyeni wakho.
14 You must travel to hold a festival for me three times every year.
Kathathu ngomnyaka uzangigcinela umkhosi.
15 You are to observe the Festival of Unleavened Bread. As I commanded you, you will eat unleavened bread for seven days. At that time, you will appear before me in the month of Aviv, which is fixed for this purpose. It was in this month that you came out from Egypt. But you must not appear before me empty-handed.
Umkhosi wesinkwa esingelamvubelo uzawugcina, insuku eziyisikhombisa udle isinkwa esingelamvubelo njengokukulaya kwami, ngesikhathi esimisiweyo senyanga kaAbhibhi; ngoba kuyo waphuma eGibhithe; kabayikubonakala phambi kwami bengaphethe lutho.
16 You must observe the Festival of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors when you sowed seed in the fields. Also you must observe the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your produce from the fields.
Lomkhosi wesivuno, izithelo zokuqala zomsebenzi wakho, owuhlanyeleyo ensimini; lomkhosi wokubutha ekupheleni komnyaka, lapho usubuthile umsebenzi wakho ensimini.
17 All your males must appear before the Lord Yahweh three times every year.
Kathathu ngomnyaka bonke abesilisa bakho bazabonakala phambi kweNkosi uJehova.
18 You must not offer the blood from sacrifices made to me with bread containing yeast. The fat from the sacrifices at my festivals must not remain all night until the morning.
Kawuyikunikela igazi lomhlatshelo wami kanye lesinkwa esilemvubelo. Lamafutha omkhosi wami angalali kuze kuse.
19 You must bring the choicest firstfruits from your land into my house, the house of Yahweh your God. You must not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.
Ikhethelo lezithelo zokuqala zensimu yakho uzaliletha endlini yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho. Ungapheki izinyane echagweni lukanina.
20 I am going to send an angel before you to guard you on the way, and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.
Khangela, ngithuma ingilosi phambi kwakho ukuze ikulondoloze endleleni, ikuse endaweni engiyilungisileyo.
21 Be attentive to him and obey him. Do not provoke him, for he will not pardon your transgressions. My name is on him.
Uqaphele phambi kwayo, ulalele ilizwi layo; ungayicunuli, ngoba kayiyikuthethelela iziphambeko zenu; ngoba ibizo lami liphakathi kwayo.
22 If you indeed obey his voice and do everything that I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
Kodwa uba ulalela lokulalela ilizwi layo, wenze konke engikutshoyo, sengizakuba yisitha sezitha zakho, ngiphambane labaphambana lawe.
23 My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. I will destroy them.
Ngoba ingilosi yami izahamba phambi kwakho, ikungenise kumaAmori lamaHethi lamaPerizi lamaKhanani lamaHivi lamaJebusi. Njalo ngizababhubhisa.
24 You must not bow down to their gods, worship them, or do as they do. Instead, you must completely overthrow them and smash their stone pillars in pieces.
Ungakhothameli onkulunkulu babo, ungabakhonzi, ungenzi njengemisebenzi yabo; kodwa ubachithe lokubachitha, ubhidlize lokubhidliza izinsika zabo eziyizithombe.
25 You must worship Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and water. I will remove sickness from among you.
Lizakhonza-ke iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu; njalo izabusisa ukudla kwakho lamanzi akho, njalo ngisuse isifo phakathi kwakho.
26 No woman will be barren or will miscarry her young in your land. I will give you long lives.
Kakuyikuba khona okuphunzayo lokuyinyumba elizweni lakho. Ngizaphelelisa inani lensuku zakho.
27 I will send fear of myself on those into whose land you advance. I will kill all the people whom you meet. I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you in fright.
Ngizathumela ukwesabeka kwami phambi kwakho, ngiphambanise bonke abantu ozafika kubo, ngenze izitha zakho zonke zikunike isiphundu.
28 I will send hornets before you that will drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you.
Ngizathumela olonyovu phambi kwakho abazaxotsha amaHivi, amaKhanani lamaHethi phambi kwakho.
29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, or the land would become abandoned, and the wild animals would become too many for you.
Kangiyikubaxotsha phambi kwakho ngomnyaka owodwa, hlezi ilizwe libe ngamanxiwa, lenyamazana zeganga zikwandele.
30 Instead, I will drive them out little by little from before you until you become fruitful and inherit the land.
Ngizabaxotsha phambi kwakho kancinyane kancinyane, uze wande, udle ilifa lelizwe.
31 I will fix your borders from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the Euphrates River. I will give you victory over the land's inhabitants. You will drive them out before yourselves.
Njalo ngizamisa imingcele yakho kusukela eLwandle oluBomvu kuze kufike elwandle lwamaFilisti, njalo kusukela enkangala kuze kufike emfuleni; ngoba ngizanikela esandleni sakho abakhileyo belizwe; uzabaxotsha phambi kwakho.
32 You must not make a covenant with them or with their gods.
Ungenzi isivumelwano labo labonkulunkulu babo.
33 They must not live in your land, or they would make you sin against me. If you worship their gods, this will surely become a trap for you.'”
Kabayikuhlala elizweni lakho, hlezi bakwenze ukuthi wone kimi; uba ukhonza onkulunkulu babo, ngeqiniso kuzakuba yisifu kuwe.
