UDutheronomi 17

1 “Lingenzi umhlatshelo kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ngenkabi loba imvu elesici lesolekayo, ngoba lokho kuyisinengiso kuye.

You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God a calf or a sheep, in which there is a blemish, [or] any evil thing; for it is an abomination to the Lord your God.

2 Nxa kulendoda loba owesifazane ohlala phakathi kwenu kwelinye lamadolobho eliwaphiwa nguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu limfumana esona emehlweni kaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu esephula isivumelwano,

And if there should be found in any one of your cities, which the Lord your God gives you, a man or a woman who shall do that which is evil before the Lord your God, so as to transgress his covenant,

3 njalo ngokwephula imilayo yami esezikhonzela abanye onkulunkulu, ebakhothamela loba ekhonza ilanga loba inyanga loba izinkanyezi zezulu,

and they should go and serve other gods, and worship them, the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, which he commanded you not to do,

4 kube kanti lokhu sekubikiwe kini, kutsho ukuthi kuzamele likuchwayisise ngokupheleleyo. Nxa kuliqiniso njalo sekubonakele ukuthi kuliqiniso lokhu okuyisinengiso okwenzakele ko-Israyeli,

and it be told you, and you shall have enquired diligently, and, behold, the thing really took place, this abomination has been done in Israel;

5 thathani leyondoda loba owesifazane lowo owenze lesi senzo esibi limuse esangweni ledolobho lenu limkhande ngamatshe aze afe.

then shall you bring out that man, or that woman, and you shall stone them with stones, and they shall die.

6 Ngobufakazi bababili loba abathathu indoda izabulawa, kodwa kakho ozabulawa ngobufakazi bomuntu oyedwa kuphela.

He shall die on the testimony of two or three witnesses; a man who is put to death shall not be put to death for one witness.

7 Akuthi ofakazi labo kube yibo abaqalisayo ukumkhanda, besekulandela bonke abanye abantu. Kumele lisuse ububi phakathi kwenu.”

And the hand of the witnesses shall be upon him amongst the first to put him to death, and the hand of the people at the last; so shall you remove the evil one from amongst yourselves.

8 “Nxa amacala eza phambi kwemithethwandaba yenu enzima ukuwahlulela, loba awokuchitha igazi, ukwephula imithetho loba awokuhlaselwa, athatheni liye lawo endaweni uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu azayikhetha.

And if a matter shall be too hard for you in judgement, between blood and blood, and between cause and cause, and between stroke and stroke, and between contradiction and contradiction, matters of judgement in your cities;

9 Hambani kubaphristi, abangabaLevi, kanye lakumahluleli osesikhundleni okwalesosikhathi. Buzani kibo bona bazalinika isigwebo esifaneleyo.

then you shall arise and go up to the place which the Lord your God shall choose, and you shall come to the priests the Levites, and to the judge who shall be in those days, and they shall search out [the matter] and report the judgement to you.

10 Lina-ke kumele lenze njengokucebisa kwabo endaweni uThixo azayikhetha. Linanzelele ukuthi lenza lokho kanye abaliqondisa ukuba likwenze.

And you shall act according to the thing which they shall report to you out of the place which the Lord your God shall choose, and you shall observe to do all whatever shall have been by law appointed to you.

11 Yenzani ngokomthetho njengalokho abalifundisa ngakho lezinqumo abalipha zona. Lingaphambuki kulokho abalitshela khona, liye kwesokudla loba kwesenxele.

You shall do according to the law and to the judgement which they shall declare to you: you shall not swerve to the right hand or to the left from any sentence which they shall report to you.

12 Indoda etshengisela ukudelela iseyisa umahluleli loba umphristi owenza umsebenzi wokukhonza khonapho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu kumele ibulawe. Kumele lisuse bonke ububi phakathi kuka-Israyeli.

And the man whoever shall act in haughtiness, so as not to listen to the priest who stands to minister in the name of the Lord your God, or the judge who shall preside in those days, that man shall die, and you shall remove the evil one out of Israel.

13 Bonke abantu bazakuzwa besabe, bangabe besadelela futhi.”

And all the people shall hear and fear, and shall no more commit impiety.

14 “Ekungeneni kwenu elizweni uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika lona selilithethe laba ngelenu njalo selihlezi kulo, njalo selisithi, ‘Asibekeni inkosi isibuse ukuze sifanane lezinye izizwe esakhelene lazo,’

And when you shall enter into the land which the Lord your God gives you, and shall inherit it and dwell in it, and shall say, I will set a ruler over me, as also the other nations round about me;

15 wobani leqiniso lokuthi libeka inkosi ekhethwe nguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu. Kumele abe ngomunye wabafowenu. Lingafaki umuntu wezizweni ukuba alibuse, ongasiye wakini ko-Israyeli.

you shall surely set over you the ruler whom the Lord God shall choose: of your brethren you shall set over you a ruler; you shall not have power to set over you a stranger, because he is not your brother.

16 Inkosi njalo akumelanga izifuyele amabhiza amanengi loba ithume abantu babuyele eGibhithe ukuyazuza amanye khona ngoba uThixo ulitshelile wathi, ‘Lingaphindi liyihambe njalo leyondlela.’

For he shall not multiply to himself horses, and he shall by no means turn the people back to Egypt, lest he should multiply to himself horses; for the Lord said, You shall not any more turn back by that way.

17 Kayingathathi abafazi abanengi funa inhliziyo yayo idukiswe. Kayingazinothisi ngesiliva langegolide elinengi kakhulu.

And he shall not multiply to himself wives, lest his heart turn away; and he shall not greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

18 Nxa isithatha isihlalo sobukhosi bombuso wayo kayithathe umqulu izilobele kulo umthetho lo iwuthatha encwadini yabaphristi abangabaLevi.

And when he shall be established in his government, then shall he write for himself this repetition of the law into a book by the hands of the priests the Levites;

19 Umqulu lowo kawuhlale ukuyo, ihlale iwubala zonke insuku zokuphila kwayo ukuze ifunde ukwesaba uThixo uNkulunkulu wayo, ilandele ngokunanzelela wonke amazwi omthetho lo lalezi izimiso,

and it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord your God, and to keep all these commandments, and to observe these ordinances:

20 njalo ukuze ingazenzi ongcono kulabanye abakibo, ingaphambuki emthethweni iye ngakwesokunene loba ngakwesokhohlo. Ngakho yona kanye lezizukulwane zayo bazabusa isikhathi eside embusweni wayo ko-Israyeli.”

that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, that he depart not from the commandments on the right hand or on the left; that he and his sons may reign long in his dominion amongst the children of Israel.