Deteronomi 17
1 Okobonza te epai na Yawe, Nzambe na yo, ngombe to meme oyo ezali na mbeba to oyo ezali mabe, pamba te yango ezali likambo ya nkele liboso ya Yawe, Nzambe na yo.
“Do not sacrifice to Yahweh our God any cattle or sheep or goats that have any defects, because Yahweh hates that kind of gift.”
2 Soki kati na moko ya bingumba oyo Yawe, Nzambe na yo, apesi yo; emonani na mobali to mwasi oyo asali mabe na miso ya Yawe, Nzambe na yo, wana abuki boyokani elongo na Ye
“When you are living in any of the towns [in the land] that Yahweh our God is giving to you, suppose you hear that there is some man or woman who sins by disobeying the agreement that Yahweh has made with you.
3 mpe akei kosalela banzambe mosusu mpe kofukamela yango: moyi, sanza to minzoto nyonso ya likolo, nzokande natindaki bango bongo te;
Suppose someone tells you that that person has worshiped and served other gods, or the sun, or the moon, or the stars.
4 bongo bamemeli yo sango ya ndenge wana, yekola yango malamu. Soki emonani solo ete likambo ya nkele esalemi kati na Isalaele;
If you hear that some person has been doing that, you must investigate it thoroughly. If [you find out that] it is true that this detestable thing has happened in Israel,
5 kamata mobali to mwasi oyo asali likambo wana ya nkele, mema ye na ekuke ya engumba na yo mpe bamba ye mabanga kino akokufa.
you must take outside the town the man or woman who has done it. Then you must kill that person by throwing stones at him or her.
6 Ezali kaka na litatoli ya bato mibale to misato nde okoki koboma moto, kasi na litatoli ya moto moko te.
But you are allowed to execute such people only if at least two witnesses testify that they saw them [doing that]. They must not be executed if there is only one witness.
7 Maboko ya motatoli nde ekozala maboko ya liboso ya koboma moto yango, mpe na sima, maboko ya bato nyonso. Na nzela wana nde okolongola mabe kati na yo.
The (witnesses/ones who saw them doing it) must be the first ones to throw stones at them. Then the other people [MTY] [should throw stones at them]. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you.”
8 Soki makambo oyo eleki yo makasi mpo na kosambisa ekomi na bisambiselo na yo, makambo lokola koboma bato, kowelana, kozokisa bato, mema yango na esika oyo Yawe, Nzambe na bino, akopona.
“Sometimes it will be very difficult for a judge to decide what really happened. He might be trying to decide whether, when someone injured or killed another person, he did it accidentally or deliberately. Or he might be trying to decide if some person is suing another person unfairly. If in some town it is very difficult to know what really happened, with the result that the judge cannot decide it, you should go to the place that Yahweh our God has chosen for you [to worship him].
9 Okokende epai ya Banganga-Nzambe oyo bazali Balevi mpe epai ya mosambisi oyo azali kosala mosala na tango wana. Okotalisa bango likambo yango mpe bango nde bakokata likambo.
There you should present the case to the descendants of Levi who are the priests, and to the judge who is serving at that time, and they should decide what should be done.
10 Bongo yo okosala kolanda mikano oyo bango bakopesa yo na esika oyo Yawe akopona. Sala keba ete osala makambo nyonso oyo bakotinda yo.
After they make their decision, you must do what they tell you to do.
11 Okosala kolanda mobeko oyo bakoteya yo mpe bikateli oyo bakopesa yo. Kokende libanda te ya bikateli oyo bakopesa yo.
Accept what they have decided, and do what they say that you should do. Do not try to change in any way what they have decided [IDM].
12 Moto oyo akosala lolendo mpe akoboya kotosa Nganga-Nzambe to mosambisi oyo atelemi mpo kosala mosala na esika oyo Yawe aponaki mpo na ye, basengeli koboma ye. Na nzela wana nde okolongola mabe kati na Isalaele.
You must execute anyone who proudly/arrogantly disobeys the judge or the priest who stands there in the presence of Yahweh [and decides what should be done]. By doing that, you will get rid of evil practices among you.
13 Bato nyonso bakoyoka likambo yango, bakokoma na somo mpe bakosala lisusu lolendo te.
Then [after that person is executed], all the people will hear about it, and they will be afraid, and none of them will act that way any more.”
14 Tango okokota na mokili oyo Yawe, Nzambe na yo, akopesa yo; tango okozwa yango mpe okovanda kati na yango, tango mosusu okoki koloba: « Tika ete toluka mokonzi oyo akokonza biso ndenge ezali na bikolo nyonso oyo ezingeli biso, »
“[I know that] after you have occupied the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you are living there, you will say, ‘We should have a king to rule over us, like the kings that other nations around us have.’
15 sala keba ete opona kaka mokonzi oyo Yawe, Nzambe na yo, akopona. Asengeli kowuta kati na bandeko na bino. Kotia mopaya te oyo azali ndeko na bino te kati na Isalaele mpo na kokonza bino.
Yahweh our God will permit you to have a king, but be sure that you appoint someone whom he has chosen. That man must be an Israeli; you must not appoint someone who is a foreigner to be your king.
16 Nzokande mokonzi yango asengeli te kozala na bampunda ebele mpo na ye moko mpe kozongisa bato na Ejipito mpo na kobakisa motango ya bampunda, pamba te Yawe alobaki na bino: « Botikala kozonga lisusu te na nzela oyo. »
[After he becomes the king], he should not acquire a large number of horses for himself. He should not send people to Egypt to buy horses for him, because Yahweh said to you, ‘Never return to Egypt [for anything’]!
17 Asengeli te kozala na basi ebele noki te motema na ye ekopengwa. Asengeli te kozala na palata mpe wolo ebele koleka.
And he must not have a lot of wives, because if he did that, they would turn him [SYN] away from [worshiping only] Yahweh. And he must not acquire a lot of silver and gold.
18 Tango mokonzi yango akovanda na kiti na ye ya bokonzi, akozwa buku ya Mobeko epai ya Banganga-Nzambe oyo bazali Balevi mpe akokoma makambo oyo ezali na buku yango mpo na ye moko.
“When he becomes your king, he must [appoint someone to] copy these laws. He must copy them from the scroll that is kept by the priests who are descended from Levi.
19 Akozala na buku yango tango nyonso mpe akotanga yango mikolo nyonso ya bomoi na ye mpo ete ayekola kokumisa Yawe, Nzambe na ye, mpe asalela malamu maloba nyonso ya Mobeko oyo mpe bikateli na yango;
He must keep this new scroll near him and read from it every day of his life, in order that he may learn to revere Yahweh, and to faithfully obey [DOU] all the rules and regulations [that are written] in these laws.
20 mpo ete atombola te na lolendo liboso ya bandeko na ye to abima te libanda ya mibeko na yango. Boye, ye elongo na bakitani na ye bakowumela tango molayi na bokonzi kati na Isalaele.
If he does that, he [SYN] will not think that he is (better/more important) than [IDM] his fellow Israelis, and he will completely obey [LIT] Yahweh’s commands. As a result, he and his descendants will rule as kings in Israel for many years.”
