< UDutheronomi 7 >
1 “Lapho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu elingenisa elizweni alinika lona ukuba libe ngelenu uxotsha izizwe ezinengi phambi kwenu, amaHithi, amaGigashi, ama-Amori, amaKhenani, amaPherizi, amaHivi lamaJebusi, izizwe eziyisikhombisa ezinkulu njalo ezilamandla kulani,
When Jehovah thy God shall bring thee into the land where thou go to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou,
2 kuthi lapho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu esezinikele ezandleni zenu lani selizinqobile kufanele lizitshabalalise ngokupheleleyo. Lingabi lesivumelwano lazo, njalo lingabi lesihawu kuzo.
and when Jehovah thy God shall deliver them up before thee, and thou shall smite them, then thou shall utterly destroy them. Thou shall make no covenant with them, nor show mercy to them.
3 Lingendiselani lazo. Lingendiseli amadodakazi enu emadodaneni azo, kumbe lithathele amadodana enu amadodakazi azo,
Neither shall thou make marriages with them. Thy daughter thou shall not give to his son, nor his daughter shall thou take to thy son.
4 ngoba azaphambula amadodana enu ekungikhonzeni abesekhonza abanye onkulunkulu, kuthi ulaka lukaThixo luvuthe lulitshabalalise.
For he will turn away thy son from following me, that they may serve other gods, so the anger of Jehovah will be kindled against you, and he will destroy thee quickly.
5 Nanku okumele likwenze kulezi zizwe: Dilizani ama-alithare azo, libhidlize amatshe eziwakhonzayo, ligamule izinsika zika-Ashera njalo litshise izithombe zazo ngomlilo.
But thus shall ye deal with them: Ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.
6 Phela lina lingabantu abangcwele kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu. UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ulikhethile phakathi kwabantu bonke emhlabeni ukuthi libe ngabantu bakhe, isipho sakhe esiligugu.
For thou are a holy people to Jehovah thy God. Jehovah thy God has chosen thee to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples that are upon the face of the earth.
7 UThixo kazange ehlisele uthando lwakhe phezu kwenu ngoba libanengi kulezinye izizwe, phela lina livele liyisizwe sabantu abalutshwana.
Jehovah did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people, for ye were the fewest of all peoples,
8 Kodwa kungenxa yokuthi uThixo walithanda wagcina isifungo asifunga kubokhokho benu walikhupha ngesandla esilamandla walihlenga ezweni lobugqili, emandleni kaFaro inkosi yaseGibhithe.
but because Jehovah loves you. And because he would keep the oath which he swore to your fathers, Jehovah has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 Yazini-ke ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu unguNkulunkulu; unguNkulunkulu othembekileyo, ogcina isivumelwano sothando kuze kufike esizukulwaneni senkulungwane salabo abamthandayo njalo begcina imilayo yakhe.
Know therefore that Jehovah thy God, he is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations,
10 Kodwa labo abamzondayo uzaphindisela kubo ngokubabhubhisa; kayikuphuza ukuphindisela kulabo abamzondayo.
and repays those who hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him who hates him. He will repay him to his face.
11 Kungakho, nanzelelani lilandele imilayo, izimiso kanye lemithetho engilinika yona lamuhla.
Thou shall therefore keep the commandment, and the statutes, and the ordinances, which I command thee this day, to do them.
12 Nxa linanzelela limithetho njalo liyilandela, uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzagcina isivumelwano sakhe sothando kini, njengoba wafunga kubokhokho benu.
And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep and do them, that Jehovah thy God will keep with thee the covenant and the loving kindness which he swore to thy fathers.
13 Uzalithanda alibusise andise ubunengi benu. Uzabusisa izithelo zenzalo yezisu zenu, izilimo zamasimu enu, amabele enu, iwayini elitsha kanye lamafutha, amathole emihlambi yenkomo zenu kanye lamazinyane emihlambi yezimvu zenu elizweni afunga ukuthi uzalinika okhokho benu ukuba balinike lona.
And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee. He will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy ground, thy grain and thy new wine and thine oil, the increase of thy cattle and the young of thy flock, in the land which he swore to thy fathers to give thee.
14 Lina lizabusiswa okungaphezu kwabanye abantu; kakho phakathi kwamadoda labafazi kini ozaswela umntwana, njalo lezifuyo zenu ngeke ziswele amankonyane.
Thou shall be blessed above all peoples. There shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle.
15 UThixo uzaliphephisa emikhuhlaneni yonke. Kayikulehlisela imikhuhlane yonke eyesabekayo elaliyibona eGibhithe, kodwa uzayehlisela kulabo abalizondayo.
And Jehovah will take away from thee all sickness. And none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou know, will he put upon thee, but will lay them upon all those who hate thee.
16 Libobhubhisa bonke abantu uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu abanikela ezandleni zenu. Lingabazweli usizi, lingakhonzi onkulunkulu babo, ngoba lokho kuzakuba yisifu kini.
And thou shall consume all the peoples that Jehovah thy God shall deliver to thee. Thine eye shall not pity them. Neither shall thou serve their gods, for that will be a snare to thee.
17 Mhlawumbe lizakuthi: ‘Lezizizwe zilamandla kulathi. Sizazixotsha njani lapha?’
If thou shall say in thy heart, These nations are more than I. How can I dispossess them?
18 Kodwa lingazesabi; khumbulani ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu wenzani kuFaro kanye lakulo lonke elaseGibhithe.
Thou shall not be afraid of them. Thou shall remember well what Jehovah thy God did to Pharaoh, and to all Egypt:
19 Lazibonela ngawenu amehlo imilingo emikhulu, izibonakaliso zemilingo lezimanga, isandla esilamandla lokwelulwa kwengalo, khona okwasetshenziswa nguThixo wenu ukulikhupha. UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzakuphinda khonokho kubo laba abantu elibesabayo.
the great trials which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm by which Jehovah thy God brought thee out. So shall Jehovah thy God do to all the peoples of whom thou are afraid.
20 Phezu kwalokho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzathumela olonyovu phakathi kwabo kuze kuthi labasilileyo balicatshela babhujiswe.
Moreover Jehovah thy God will send the hornet among them until those who are left and hide themselves perish from before thee.
21 Lingabesabi, ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ophakathi kwenu, nguThixo omkhulu njalo owesabekayo.
Thou shall not be frightened at them, for Jehovah thy God is in the midst of thee, a great God and awesome.
22 UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzazidudula lezozizwe phambi kwenu kancanekancane. Aliyikuvunyelwa ukuzibhubhisa ngasikhathi sinye ngoba izinyamazana zeganga zinganda zilihanqe.
And Jehovah thy God will cast out those nations before thee little by little. Thou may not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.
23 Kodwa uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzabanikela kini, abaphazamise baze babhujiswe.
But Jehovah thy God will deliver them up before thee, and will discomfit them with a great confusion until they be destroyed.
24 Amakhosi azo uzawanikela ezandleni zenu, njalo lizakwesula amabizo awo ngaphansi komkhathi. Kakho ozakwenelisa ukumelana lani, lizababhubhisa.
And he will deliver their kings into thy hand, and thou shall make their name to perish from under heaven. There shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them.
25 Izithombe zabonkulunkulu bazo lizazitshisa ngomlilo. Lingahawukeli isiliva legolide eliphezu kwezithombe, lingazigcineli lona, ngoba lizabe selizibambisile emjibileni ngalo, ngoba liyisinengiso kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
Ye shall burn the graven images of their gods with fire. Thou shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it to thee, lest thou be snared by it, for it is an abomination to Jehovah thy God.
26 Lingalethi okunengisayo ezindlini zenu, ngoba lani njengakho lokho lizakhethelwa ukubhujiswa. Kwenyanyeni linengeke ngakho, ngoba kumiselwe ukutshabalaliswa.”
And thou shall not bring an abomination into thy house, and become a devoted thing like it. Thou shall utterly detest it, and thou shall utterly abhor it, for it is a cursed thing.