Kobima 23
1 Okopanza sango ya lokuta te; okosangana te na moto mabe mpo na koloba litatoli ya lokuta.
“Do not tell to others (false rumors/untrue reports) about other people. Do not help someone who is guilty by (testifying falsely/lying) [about what happened].
2 Okolanda ebele ya bato te mpo na kosala mabe. Tango okoloba litatoli liboso ya basambisi, okotatola te kolanda mokano ya bato ebele mpo na kokweyisa bosembo.
Do not join a group of people who are planning to do something evil. Do not testify the way the [crowd wants you to], if that will prevent [the judge from deciding the case] justly/fairly.
3 Okokotela mobola te na tango azali kosamba liboso ya basambisi.
When a poor person is on trial, do not [testify in] his favor [just] because he is poor [and you feel sorry for him].
4 Soki okutani na ngombe to ane ya monguna na yo, oyo ebungi, osengeli kozongisela ye yango.
If you see someone’s bull or donkey when it is wandering away [loose], take it back to [its owner, even if the owner] is your enemy.
5 Soki omoni ane ya moto oyo ayinaka yo ekweyi na se ya mokumba oyo yango ememi, okotika yango wana te; osengeli kosalisa yango.
If you see someone’s donkey that has fallen down [because of its heavy load], help the owner to get the donkey up again, [even if] he is someone who hates you. Do not just walk away [without helping him].
6 Okokweyisa bosembo ya mobola te tango azali kosamba liboso ya basambisi.
Decide the cases of poor people who are on trial [as] fairly [as you decide the cases of other people].
7 Okozala mosika ya makambo ya lokuta. Okoboma te ezala moto oyo ayebi likambo te to moto ya sembo; pamba te nalongisaka te moto mabe.
Do not accuse people falsely. Do not decide that innocent and righteous [DOU] people should be executed, because I will (punish/not forgive) people who do such an evil thing.
8 Okondimaka kanyaka te, pamba te kanyaka ezipaka miso ya bato oyo bamonaka malamu mpe ebebisaka maloba ya moto ya sembo.
Do not accept money that is a bribe, because officials who accept bribes are not able to [MTY] decide what is right to do, and they do not allow innocent people to be treated fairly.
9 Okonyokola mopaya te, pamba te oyebi yo moko ndenge ezalaka soki ozali mopaya; bino mpe bozalaki bapaya na Ejipito.
Do not mistreat foreigners [who live among you]. You know [how people often treat] foreigners, because the Egyptians [did not treat you well when] you were foreigners there.
10 Mibu motoba, okolona bilanga na yo mpe okobuka mbuma.
Plant [seeds] in your ground and gather the harvest for six years.
11 Kasi na mobu ya sambo, okopemisa mabele. Boye babola kati na bato na yo bakozwa bilei ya kolia kati na yango mpe nyama ya zamba ekolia bilei oyo bato bakotika. Okosala ndenge moko mpo na elanga na yo ya vino mpe mpo na nzete na yo ya olive.
But during the seventh year you must not plant anything. [If things grow without your planting seeds], allow poor people [to harvest and] eat the crops. If there are still crops (left over/that they do not harvest), allow wild animals to eat them. Do the same thing with your grapevines/vineyards and your olive trees.
12 Mikolo motoba, okosala mosala na yo; kasi na mokolo ya sambo, okosala mosala moko te mpo ete ngombe na yo elongo na ane na yo ekoka kopema, mpe mpo ete mwana mobali ya mwasi mowumbu na yo mpe mopaya bazwa lisusu makasi.
[You may] work for six days [each week], but on the seventh day you must rest [and not work]. And on the seventh day you must allow your work animals and your slaves and the foreigners [who live among you] also [to rest and] be refreshed.
13 Bokosala keba na makambo nyonso oyo nayebisi bino. Bokobelela kombo ya banzambe mosusu te; bokomeka kutu te kotanga yango na bibebu na bino.
Make certain that you obey everything that I have commanded [you to do]. Do not pray to [MTY] other gods. Do not even mention their names.”
14 Mbala misato na mobu, bokosala bafeti misato mpo na Ngai.
“Every year you must celebrate three festivals to [honor] me.
15 Bokosala feti ya Mapa ezanga levire. Na mikolo sambo kolanda ndenge napesaki bino mitindo, bokolia mapa ezanga levire na tango oyo ekatama, na sanza ya Abibi, mpo ete ezali na sanza yango nde bobimaki na Ejipito.
[The first one] is the Festival of Bread That Has No Yeast. Celebrate it in the month [that is named] Abib. That is the month in which you left Egypt. Celebrate it in the way that I commanded you. And always bring [LIT] an offering when you come to worship me.
16 Okosala feti ya kobuka bambuma, okosala mpe feti ya bambuma ya liboso ya bilanga na yo, oyo olonaki. Na suka ya mobu, okosala feti ya kobuka bambuma tango okobuka mbuma ya elanga.
The second one is the Festival of Harvesting. During that festival you must offer to me the first parts/harvest of your crops that grow from the seeds that you planted. The third one is the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters. That will be after you finish harvesting your grain and grapes and fruit.
17 Mbala misato na mobu, bato nyonso bakoya liboso ya Nkolo Yawe.
Every year, at each of these times, all the men must gather together to worship me, Yahweh God.
18 Okobonzela Ngai te mbeka ya makila elongo na mapa batia levire. Mafuta ya nyama ya feti na Ngai ekoki kobombama te kino na tongo.
When you sacrifice an animal [and offer it] to me, you must not offer bread that has been baked with yeast. [When you] offer sacrifices, [burn] the fat [from the animals on that same day]. Do not allow any fat to remain until the next morning.
19 Okomema na Ndako ya Yawe, Nzambe na yo, bambuma ya liboso ya mabele na yo. Okolamba te mwana ntaba oyo ezali nanu komela mabele ya mama na yango.
Each year, when you harvest your crops, bring to the place where you worship me, Yahweh God, the first part of what you harvest. When you kill a (young animal/kid [or lamb or calf)], do not [prepare to eat it by] boiling it in its mother’s milk.”
20 Nakotinda anjelu liboso na bino mpo ete abatela bino na nzela mpe amema bino na esika oyo nabongisaki mpo na bino.
“Note this: I am going to send an angel ahead of you, to guard you as you travel and to bring you safely to the place that I have prepared [for you]. Pay attention to what he says and obey him. Do not rebel against him, because he will have my authority [MTY] and he will (punish/not forgive) [LIT] you if you rebel against him.
21 Bosala keba na miso na ye mpe boyoka makambo oyo akoloba; botombokela ye te mpo ete akolimbisa botomboki na bino te, pamba te Kombo na Ngai ezali kati na ye.
22 Kasi soki boyoki na bokebi makambo oyo akoyebisa bino mpe soki bosaleli nyonso oyo nalobi, nakozala monguna ya banguna na bino mpe nakotelemela bato oyo bakotelemela bino.
But if you pay attention to what he says and if you do all that I tell you [to do], I will fight strongly [DOU] against all of your enemies.
23 Anjelu na Ngai akotambola liboso na bino mpe akokotisa bino na mokili ya bato ya Amori, ya bato ya Iti, ya bato ya Perizi, ya bato ya Kanana, ya bato ya Evi mpe ya bato ya Yebusi; bongo Ngai nakosilisa bango.
My angel will go ahead of you, and will take you to where the Amor and Heth and Periz and Canaan and Hiv and Jebus people-groups live, and I will completely get rid of them.
24 Bokogumbamela banzambe na bango te mpe bokosalela yango te to bokolanda te lolenge na bango ya kosalela. Bokokweyisa banzambe yango mpe bokobuka-buka bikeko na bango na biteni.
Do not bow down before their gods/idols or worship them. And do not do the things [that they think that their gods want] them to do. Completely destroy their gods/idols, and smash to pieces their sacred stones.
25 Soki bokosalela Yawe, Nzambe na bino, akopambola mapa mpe mayi na bino, mpe akolongola bokono kati na bino.
You must worship me, Yahweh God. [If you do that], I will bless your (OR, bless [you by giving you]) food and water, and I will protect you from becoming sick.
26 Na mboka na bino, ekozala na mwasi moko te oyo akosopa zemi to akozanga kobota. Nakobakisela bino mikolo ebele na bomoi na bino.
No women in your land will have (miscarriages/babies that will die after being born prematurely), and no women will be unable to become pregnant. And I will enable you to live a long time.
27 Nakotinda somo na Ngai liboso na bino mpe nakokotisa mobulu kati na bikolo nyonso oyo bokokota. Banguna na bino nyonso bakopesa bino mokongo mpe bakokima.
I will cause the people who oppose you to become very afraid of me. I will cause the people whom you fight against to become very confused. And then I will cause them to turn around and run away from you.
28 Nakotinda banzoyi ya minene liboso na bino mpo na kobengana bato ya Evi, ya Kanana mpe ya Iti na liboso na bino.
I will cause your enemies to become terrified. And I will expel the Hiv, Canaan, and Heth people-groups from your land.
29 Kasi nakobengana bango te na mbala moko mpo ete mboka ekoma te lokola ndako ezanga bato, mpe mpo ete banyama ya zamba ekoma mingi te mpo na kotungisa bino.
I will not expel [all of] them in less than one year. If I did that, your land would become deserted, and there would be very many wild animals ([that would attack you/you would not be able to control]).
30 Nakobengana bango moke-moke liboso na bino kino bokokoma ebele mpo na kozwa mboka.
I will expel those people-groups slowly, a few at a time, until the number of your people increases and you are able to live everywhere in the land.
31 Nakotia bandelo na bino kobanda na ebale monene ya barozo kino na ebale monene ya bato ya Filisitia mpe kobanda na esobe ya Sinai kino na ebale Efrate; pamba te nakopesa bato ya mboka na maboko na bino, bongo bino bokobengana bango liboso na bino.
I will cause the borders of your land to extend from the (Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba) [in the southeast] to the Mediterranean Sea [in the northwest], and from the [Sinai] Desert [in the southwest] to the [Euphrates] River [in the northeast of the country]. I will enable you [MTY] to expel the people who live there, so that you will expel them as you occupy more of the country.
32 Bokosala boyokani te elongo na bango mpe elongo na banzambe na bango.
You must not make any agreement/treaty with those people or with their gods.
33 Botika bango te ete bawumela na mokili na bino, noki te bakotinda bino kosala masumu liboso na Ngai mpe kosalela banzambe na bango; pamba te ekozala solo motambo mpo na bino. »
Do not allow [those people] to live in your land, in order that they do not cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, [you will not be able to escape from worshiping them and sinning against me, just like someone caught] in a trap [is unable to escape] [MET].”
