UDutheronomi 17
1 “Lingenzi umhlatshelo kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ngenkabi loba imvu elesici lesolekayo, ngoba lokho kuyisinengiso kuye.
“You do not sacrifice to your God YHWH ox or sheep in which there is a blemish—any bad thing; for it [is] an abomination [to] your God YHWH.
2 Nxa kulendoda loba owesifazane ohlala phakathi kwenu kwelinye lamadolobho eliwaphiwa nguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu limfumana esona emehlweni kaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu esephula isivumelwano,
When there is found in your midst, in one of your cities which your God YHWH is giving to you, a man or a woman who does evil in the eyes of your God YHWH by transgressing His covenant,
3 njalo ngokwephula imilayo yami esezikhonzela abanye onkulunkulu, ebakhothamela loba ekhonza ilanga loba inyanga loba izinkanyezi zezulu,
and he goes and serves other gods, and bows himself to them, and to the sun, or to the moon, or to any of the host of the heavens, which I have not commanded,
4 kube kanti lokhu sekubikiwe kini, kutsho ukuthi kuzamele likuchwayisise ngokupheleleyo. Nxa kuliqiniso njalo sekubonakele ukuthi kuliqiniso lokhu okuyisinengiso okwenzakele ko-Israyeli,
and it has been declared to you, and you have heard, and have searched diligently, and behold, [if] truth, the thing is established; 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 you have brought out that man or that woman who has done this evil thing, to your gates—the man or the woman—and you have stoned them with stones, and they have died.
6 Ngobufakazi bababili loba abathathu indoda izabulawa, kodwa kakho ozabulawa ngobufakazi bomuntu oyedwa kuphela.
By the mouth of two witnesses or three witnesses is he who is being put to death put to death; he is not put to death by the mouth of one witness;
7 Akuthi ofakazi labo kube yibo abaqalisayo ukumkhanda, besekulandela bonke abanye abantu. Kumele lisuse ububi phakathi kwenu.”
the hand of the witnesses is on him in the first place to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last; and you have put away evil out of your midst.
8 “Nxa amacala eza phambi kwemithethwandaba yenu enzima ukuwahlulela, loba awokuchitha igazi, ukwephula imithetho loba awokuhlaselwa, athatheni liye lawo endaweni uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu azayikhetha.
When anything is too hard for you for judgment, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke—matters of strife within your gates—then you have risen and gone up to the place on which your God YHWH fixes,
9 Hambani kubaphristi, abangabaLevi, kanye lakumahluleli osesikhundleni okwalesosikhathi. Buzani kibo bona bazalinika isigwebo esifaneleyo.
and have come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge who is in those days, and have inquired, and they have declared the word of judgment to you,
10 Lina-ke kumele lenze njengokucebisa kwabo endaweni uThixo azayikhetha. Linanzelele ukuthi lenza lokho kanye abaliqondisa ukuba likwenze.
and you have done according to the tenor of the word which they declare to you ([they] of that place which YHWH chooses); and you have observed to do according to all that they direct you.
11 Yenzani ngokomthetho njengalokho abalifundisa ngakho lezinqumo abalipha zona. Lingaphambuki kulokho abalitshela khona, liye kwesokudla loba kwesenxele.
According to the tenor of the law which they direct you, and according to the judgment which they say to you, you do; you do not turn aside from the word which they declare to you [to] the right or left.
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 who acts with presumption, so as not to listen to the priest (who is standing to serve your God YHWH there), or to the judge, even that man has died, and you have put away evil from Israel,
13 Bonke abantu bazakuzwa besabe, bangabe besadelela futhi.”
and all the people hear and fear, and do not presume anymore.
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,’
When you come into the land which your God YHWH is giving to you, and have possessed it, and dwelt in it, and you have said, Let me set a king over me like all the nations which [are] around 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 certainly set a king over you on whom YHWH fixes; you set a king over you from the midst of your brothers; you are not able to set a stranger over you, who 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.’
Only, he does not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, so as to multiply horses, seeing YHWH has said to you, You do not add to return in this way anymore.
17 Kayingathathi abafazi abanengi funa inhliziyo yayo idukiswe. Kayingazinothisi ngesiliva langegolide elinengi kakhulu.
And he does not multiply wives for himself, and his heart does not turn aside, and he does not exceedingly multiply silver and gold for himself.
18 Nxa isithatha isihlalo sobukhosi bombuso wayo kayithathe umqulu izilobele kulo umthetho lo iwuthatha encwadini yabaphristi abangabaLevi.
And it has been, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he has written a copy of this law for himself, on a scroll, from [that] before 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 has been with him, and he has read in it all [the] days of his life, so that he learns to fear his God YHWH, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes—to do them,
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.”
so that his heart is not high above his brothers, and so as not to turn aside from the command [to] the right or left, so that he prolongs days over his kingdom, he and his sons in the midst of Israel.”
