Deuteronomy 31
1 Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel.
UMosi waphuma wayakwethula lamazwi kubo bonke abako-Israyeli wathi:
2 He said to them, “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. The LORD has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’
“Sengileminyaka elikhulu lamatshumi amabili yokuzalwa angisenelisi ukulikhokhela. UThixo usethe kimi, ‘Awusayi kuchapha iJodani.’
3 The LORD your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua will go over before you, as the LORD has spoken.
UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu nguye ozachapha phambi kwenu. Uzabhubhisa lezizizwe phambi kwenu, lina lizathatha ilizwe lazo libe ngelenu. UJoshuwa laye uzachapha ahambe phambi kwenu, njengokutsho kukaThixo.
4 The LORD will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them.
UThixo uzakwenza lokho akwenza kuSihoni lo-Ogi, amakhosi ama-Amori, ababhubhisa wabatshabalalisa lamazwe abo.
5 The LORD will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you.
UThixo uzabanikela kini, lina-ke kufanele lenze lokho engililaye khona.
6 Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them, for the LORD your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.”
Qinani libe lesibindi. Lingesabi lithithibale ngenxa yabo, ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uhamba lani, kayikulitshiya njalo kayikulifulathela.”
7 Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.
Ngakho uMosi wasebiza uJoshuwa wasesithi kuye phambi kwakhe wonke u-Israyeli, “Qina njalo iba lesibindi, ngoba kumele uhambe lalababantu kulelolizwe uThixo afunga kubokhokho babo ukubanika, njalo uzamele ubabele lona ubahlukanisele libe yilifa labo.
8 The LORD himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.”
UThixo ngokwakhe uhamba phambi kwakho njalo uzakuba lawe; kasoze akutshiye loba akufulathele. Ungesabi; ungapheli amandla.”
9 Moses wrote this law and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel.
UMosi wawuloba phansi umthetho wawuqhubela abaphristi, amadodana abaLevi, ababethwala umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo, kanye labadala bonke bako-Israyeli.
10 Moses commanded them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of booths,
UMosi wasebalaya wathi, “Ekupheleni kweminyaka eyisikhombisa, ngomnyaka wokwesulelana izikwelede, ngoMkhosi weziHonqo,
11 when all Israel has come to appear before the LORD your God in the place which he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing.
ngesikhathi abako-Israyeli bonke bezokuma phambi kukaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu endaweni azabe eyikhethile, lizawubala lumthetho phambi kwabo bezizwela.
12 Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and the foreigners who are within your gates, that they may hear, learn, fear the LORD your God, and observe to do all the words of this law,
Lizabuthanisa abantu, amadoda, abafazi labantwana, kanye labezizweni abahlala emadolobheni enu ukuze bazizwele bafunde ukwesaba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu balandele ngonanzelelo wonke amazwi alumthetho.
13 and that their children, who have not known, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land where you go over the Jordan to possess it.”
Abantwababo, abangawaziyo lumthetho, kumele bawuzwe njalo bafunde ukwesaba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ngasosonke isikhathi lisahlezi kulelilizwe elizachapha uJodani ukuba liyelithatha.”
14 The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, your days approach that you must die. Call Joshua, and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may commission him.” Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting.
UThixo wathi kuMosi, “Usuku lokubhubha kwakho selusondele. Biza uJoshuwa lize lobabili ethenteni lokuhlangana, lapho engizamgcobela khona.” Ngakho uMosi loJoshuwa bahamba bayazethula ethenteni lokuhlangana.
15 The LORD appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the Tent’s door.
UThixo wasebonakala ethenteni ngensika yeyezi, njalo iyezi lelo lema phezu komnyango wethente.
16 The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up and play the prostitute after the strange gods of the land where they go to be amongst them, and will forsake me and break my covenant which I have made with them.
UThixo waphinda wathi kuMosi: “Ususiyaphumula laboyihlo, kanti-ke lababantu bazahugeka masinyazana bakhonze onkulunkulu balelilizwe abazangena kulo. Bazangifulathela bephule isivumelwano engasenza labo.
17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not amongst us?’
Ngalolosuku ngizabathukuthelela ngibafulathele; ngizabafihlela ubuso bami, njalo bazabhujiswa. Bazakwehlelwa zingozi ezinengi lobunzima phezu kwabo, njalo ngalolosuku bazabuza bathi: ‘Kambe akusikuthi ingozi lezi zisehlela kubi kangaka ngoba uNkulunkulu wethu kakho phakathi kwethu na?’
18 I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other gods.
Ngiqinisile ubuso bami ngizabufihla ngalolosuku ngenxa yobubi babo ngokuphendukela kwabanye onkulunkulu.
19 “Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.
Lobani lingoma liyifundise abako-Israyeli ukuze bayihlabele ibe ngufakazi wami wokumelana labo.
20 For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat, then they will turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.
Ngizakuthi sengibangenise elizweni eligeleza uchago loluju, ilizwe engalithembisa okhokho babo ngesifungo, bathi nxa sebedle basutha baphumelela, bazaphendukela kwabanye onkulunkulu babakhonze, bangiphike njalo bephule isivumelwano sami.
21 It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I promised them.”
Kuzakuthi nxa sebehlaselwa zingozi lobunzima, ingoma le izakuba yibufakazi bokumelana labo ngoba ayiyikukhohlakala lakuzizukulwane zabo. Ngiyakwazi okulula kubo ukuba bakwenze, lanxa ngingakabangenisi elizweni engibathembise lona ngesifungo.”
22 So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel.
Ngakho uMosi wabhala leyongoma mhlalokho wahle wayifundisa abako-Israyeli.
23 He commissioned Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them. I will be with you.”
UThixo wanika uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni umlayo othi “Qina ube lesibindi, ngoba uzangenisa abako-Israyeli elizweni engabathembisa lona ngesifungo, njalo mina ngokwami ngizakuba lawe.”
24 When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,
Ngemva kokuba uMosi eseqedile ukuloba ogwalweni amazwi alowomthetho kusukela ekuqaleni kusiya ekucineni,
25 Moses commanded the Levites, who bore the ark of the LORD’s covenant, saying,
walaya abaLevi ababethwala umtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo wathi:
26 “Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the LORD your God’s covenant, that it may be there for a witness against you.
“Thathani iNcwadi yoMthetho le liyifake eceleni komtshokotsho wesivumelwano sikaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, izahlala lapha njengofakazi walokho elikwenzayo.
27 For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death?
Mina ngiyakwazi ukuhlamuka kwenu lokuba ngontamozilukhuni kwenu. Nxa kade lihlamukela uThixo ngisaphila njalo ngiselani, kuzakuba nganani ukuhlamuka kwenu nxa sengifile!
28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them.
Buthanisani phambi kwami bonke abadala bezizwana zenu kanye lezikhulu zenu zonke ukuze ngethule lamazwi bezizwela nginxuse izulu lomhlaba ukuba kufakaze ububi babo.
29 For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn away from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will happen to you in the latter days, because you will do that which is evil in the LORD’s sight, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.”
Ngoba ngiyakwazi ukuthi nxa ngingasekho sengifile lizaxhwala liphambuke endleleni engililaye yona. Ensukwini ezizayo, lizawelwa yingozi ngoba lizakwenza ububi phambi kukaThixo limvuse ulaka ngemisebenzi emibi yezandla zenu.”
30 Moses spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.
Ngakho uMosi wawaphinda amazwi engoma leyo kusukela ekuqaleni kusiya ekuphetheni ibandla lonke lako-Israyeli lilalele:
