UDutheronomi 12
1 “Lezi yizo izimiso lemilayo okumele likugcine ngonanzelelo elizweni uThixo uNkulunkulu wabokhokho benu alinika lona ukuba libe ngelenu nxa lilokhu lisahlala kulelolizwe.
“These are the precepts and judgments which you must do in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, will give to you, so that you may possess it during all the days that you shall walk upon the soil.
2 Dilizani ngokupheleleyo zonke izindawo izizwe elizinqobayo ezazikhonzela onkulunkulu bazo khona, ezintabeni eziphakemeyo lasemaqaqeni kanye langaphansi kwezihlahla ezinabileyo.
Overturn all the places where the nations, which you will possess, worshipped their gods on lofty mountains, and on hills, and under every leafy tree.
3 Dilizani ama-alithare ezizwe, libhidlize amatshe abawakhonzayo litshise izinsika zika-Ashera emlilweni, dilizelani phansi izithombe zabo lihle lichithe licitshe amabizo abo kulezondawo.
Scatter their altars and break their statues. Burn their sacred groves with fire and crush their idols. Abolish their names from those places.
4 Lingalandeli izindlela zabo zokukhonza uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
But you shall not do the same to the Lord your God.
5 Kodwa lizadinga indawo uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu azayikhetha phakathi kwazo zonke izizwana zenu, ukuze abeke iBizo lakhe lapho, ahlale khona. Kumele liye kuleyondawo;
Instead, you shall approach the place which the Lord your God will choose among all your tribes, so that he may set his name there, and may dwell in that place.
6 khonapho lilethe iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa lemihlatshelo, lokwetshumi kwenu lezipho zenu eziqakathekileyo, lokho elifunge ukukunikela kanye leminikelo yenu yokuzithandela, amazibulo emihlambi yenu yenkomo leyezimvu.
And you shall offer, in that place, your holocausts and victims, the tithes and first-fruits of your hands, and your vows and gifts, the firstborn of the cattle and of the sheep.
7 Khonapho, phambi kukaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu, lina kanye labantwabenu lizakudla njalo lijabule ngakho konke elike labeka izandla zenu kukho, ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ulibusisile.
And you shall eat it there, in the sight of the Lord your God. And you shall rejoice in all the things to which you shall set your hand: you and your household, which the Lord your God has blessed for you.
8 Lingabokwenza njengalokhu esikwenza lamuhla, ngamunye esenza njengokuthanda kwakhe,
You shall not do there the things that we are doing here today: each one doing what seems good to himself.
9 ngoba alikangeni endaweni yokuphumula kanye lelifeni uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika lona.
For even until the present time, you did not arrive at the rest and the possession, which the Lord your God will give to you.
10 Kodwa lizachapha uJodani liyekwakha lihlale elizweni uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika lona ukuba libe yilifa lenu, njalo uzaliphumuza ezitheni zenu elakhelene lazo ukuze lihlale livikelekile.
You shall cross over the Jordan, and you shall live in the land which the Lord your God will give to you, so that you may have rest from all the surrounding enemies, and so that you may live without any fear,
11 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.
in the place which the Lord your God will choose, so that his name may be in it. To that place, you shall bring all the things that I instruct you: holocausts, and victims, and tithes, and the first-fruits of your hands, and whatever is best among the gifts that you shall vow to the Lord.
12 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.
In that place, you shall feast before the Lord your God: you, and your sons and daughters, your men and women servants, as well as the Levite who dwells in your cities. For he has no other portion or possession among you.
13 Limukani linganikeleli iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa ingqe kungaphi elithanda khona.
Take care that you do not offer your holocausts in any place that you see.
14 Nikelelani kuphela endaweni uThixo azayikhetha phakathi kwezizwana zenu kuthi selilapho linanzelele konke engililaya ngakho.
Instead, you shall offer sacrifices in the place which the Lord will choose within one of your tribes, and you shall do whatsoever I instruct you.
15 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.
So, if you wish to eat, and if the eating of flesh pleases you, then kill and eat according to the blessing of the Lord your God, which he has given to you, in your cities: you may eat it whether it is unclean, that is, having blemish or defect, or whether it is clean, that is, whole and without blemish, of the kind which is permitted to be offered, such as the roe deer and the stag.
16 Kodwa lingadli igazi lazo; lilahleni kungathi lichitha amanzi phansi.
Only the blood you shall not eat. Instead, you shall pour it upon the ground like water.
17 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.
You may not eat in your towns the tithes of your crops, and your wine and oil, the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, nor anything which you will vow, or which you will offer spontaneously, nor the first-fruits of your hands.
18 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.
But you shall eat these before the Lord your God, in the place which the Lord your God will choose: you, and your son, and your daughter, and your man servant and woman servant, and the Levite who dwells in your cities. And you shall rejoice and be refreshed in the sight of the Lord your God by all the things to which you will extend your hand.
19 Linanzelele lingalibali beselikhohlwa abaLevi nxa lilokhu lisahlala elizweni lenu.
Be careful, lest you abandon the Levite, at any time while you are living in the land.
20 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.
When the Lord your God will have enlarged your borders, just as he has spoken to you, and when you would eat the flesh that your soul desires,
21 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.
but if the place which the Lord your God will choose, so that his name may be there, is far away, you may kill, from your herds and your flocks which you will have, in the manner I have instructed to you, and you may eat in your towns, as it pleases you.
22 Lidle kungathi lidla ithaka lembabala. Bonke abangahlanzekanga ngokomkhuba labahlanzekileyo bangadla.
Just as the roe deer and the stag may be eaten, so also may you eat these: you may eat both the clean and the unclean alike.
23 Kodwa linanzelele lingadli igazi, ngoba igazi yiyo impilo ngakho akufanelanga ukuthi lidle impilo lenyama.
Only beware of this: you may not eat the blood. For their blood is for the soul. And because of this, you must not eat the soul with the flesh.
24 Lingabokudla igazi; lichitheleni emhlabathini kungathi lilahla amanzi.
Instead, you shall pour it upon the ground like water,
25 Lingadli, ukuze kulihambele kuhle lina kanye labantwabenu abezayo, ngoba lizabe lenze okuhle emehlweni kaThixo.
so that it may be well with you, and with your sons after you, when you will do what is pleasing in the sight of the Lord.
26 Kodwa thathani lokho okugcotshiweyo lalokho elifunge ukukunikela lisuke liye endaweni ezakhethwa nguThixo.
But the things that you have sanctified and vowed to the Lord, you shall take up and bring to the place which the Lord will choose.
27 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.
And you shall offer your oblations of flesh and of blood upon the altar of the Lord your God. You shall poor out the blood of your victims upon the altar. And you yourself shall eat the flesh.
28 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.
Observe and heed all the things that I instruct to you, so that it may be well with you, and with your sons after you, continually, when you will do what is good and pleasing in the sight of the Lord your God.
29 UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzazichitha phambi kwenu zonke izizwe okufanele lizihlasele libe selizemuka okungokwazo. Kodwa nxa selizinqobile lazichitha selihlezi elizweni lazo,
When the Lord your God will have abolished before your face the nations, which you shall enter so as to possess them, and when you will possess them and live in their land,
30 njalo nxa sezichithiwe phambi kwenu, liqaphele lingahugeki ngokubuza ngabonkulunkulu bazo lisithi, ‘Kanti zona lezizizwe zibakhonza njani onkulunkulu bazo? Lathi sizakwenza okufananayo.’
be careful that you do not imitate them, after they have been overturned at your arrival, and that you do not seek their ceremonies, saying: ‘Just as these nations have worshipped their gods, so also will I worship.’
31 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.
You shall not act in like manner toward the Lord your God. For they have done to their gods all the abominations that the Lord spurns, offering their sons and daughters, and burning them with fire.
32 Nanzelelani ukuthi lenza lokho engililaya ngakho, lingengezeleli loba liphungule kulokho.”
What I command to you, this only shall you do, for the Lord. You may neither add nor subtract anything.”
