< 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 the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land, which thou art going in to possess, and shall have destroyed many nations before thee, the Hethite, and the Gergezite, and the Amorrhite, and the Chanaanite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite, seven nations much more numerous than thou art, and stronger than thou:
2 kuthi lapho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu esezinikele ezandleni zenu lani selizinqobile kufanele lizitshabalalise ngokupheleleyo. Lingabi lesivumelwano lazo, njalo lingabi lesihawu kuzo.
And the Lord thy God shall have delivered them to thee, thou shalt utterly destroy them. Thou shalt make no league with them, nor shew mercy to them:
3 Lingendiselani lazo. Lingendiseli amadodakazi enu emadodaneni azo, kumbe lithathele amadodana enu amadodakazi azo,
Neither shalt thou make marriages with them. Thou shalt not give thy daughter to his son, nor take his daughter for thy son:
4 ngoba azaphambula amadodana enu ekungikhonzeni abesekhonza abanye onkulunkulu, kuthi ulaka lukaThixo luvuthe lulitshabalalise.
For she will turn away thy son from following me, that he may rather serve strange gods, and the wrath of the Lord will be kindled, and will quickly destroy thee.
5 Nanku okumele likwenze kulezi zizwe: Dilizani ama-alithare azo, libhidlize amatshe eziwakhonzayo, ligamule izinsika zika-Ashera njalo litshise izithombe zazo ngomlilo.
But thus rather shall you deal with them: Destroy their altars, and break their statues, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven things.
6 Phela lina lingabantu abangcwele kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu. UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ulikhethile phakathi kwabantu bonke emhlabeni ukuthi libe ngabantu bakhe, isipho sakhe esiligugu.
Because thou art a holy people to the Lord thy God. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee, to be his peculiar people of all peoples that are upon the earth.
7 UThixo kazange ehlisele uthando lwakhe phezu kwenu ngoba libanengi kulezinye izizwe, phela lina livele liyisizwe sabantu abalutshwana.
Not because you surpass all nations in number, is the Lord joined unto you, and hath chosen you, for you are the fewest of any people:
8 Kodwa kungenxa yokuthi uThixo walithanda wagcina isifungo asifunga kubokhokho benu walikhupha ngesandla esilamandla walihlenga ezweni lobugqili, emandleni kaFaro inkosi yaseGibhithe.
But because the Lord hath loved you, and hath kept his oath, which he swore to your fathers: and hath brought you out with a strong hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, out of the hand of Pharao the 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.
And thou shalt know that the Lord thy God, he is a strong and faithful God, keeping his covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments, unto a thousand generations:
10 Kodwa labo abamzondayo uzaphindisela kubo ngokubabhubhisa; kayikuphuza ukuphindisela kulabo abamzondayo.
And repaying forthwith them that hate him, so as to destroy them, without further delay immediately rendering to them what they deserve.
11 Kungakho, nanzelelani lilandele imilayo, izimiso kanye lemithetho engilinika yona lamuhla.
Keep therefore the precepts and ceremonies and judgments, which I command thee this day to do.
12 Nxa linanzelela limithetho njalo liyilandela, uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzagcina isivumelwano sakhe sothando kini, njengoba wafunga kubokhokho benu.
If after thou hast heard these judgments, thou keep and do them, the Lord thy God will also keep his covenant to thee, and the mercy 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 multiply thee, and will bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy vintage, thy oil, and thy herds, and the flocks of thy sheep upon the land, for which he swore to thy fathers that he would give it thee.
14 Lina lizabusiswa okungaphezu kwabanye abantu; kakho phakathi kwamadoda labafazi kini ozaswela umntwana, njalo lezifuyo zenu ngeke ziswele amankonyane.
Blessed shalt thou be among all people. No one shall be barren among you of either sex, neither of men nor cattle.
15 UThixo uzaliphephisa emikhuhlaneni yonke. Kayikulehlisela imikhuhlane yonke eyesabekayo elaliyibona eGibhithe, kodwa uzayehlisela kulabo abalizondayo.
The Lord will take away from thee all sickness: and the grievous infirmities of Egypt, which thou knowest, he will not bring upon thee, but upon thy enemies.
16 Libobhubhisa bonke abantu uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu abanikela ezandleni zenu. Lingabazweli usizi, lingakhonzi onkulunkulu babo, ngoba lokho kuzakuba yisifu kini.
Thou shalt consume all the people, which the Lord thy God will deliver to thee. Thy eye shall not spare them, neither shalt thou serve their gods, lest they be thy ruin.
17 Mhlawumbe lizakuthi: ‘Lezizizwe zilamandla kulathi. Sizazixotsha njani lapha?’
If thou say in thy heart: These nations are more than I, how shall I be able to destroy them?
18 Kodwa lingazesabi; khumbulani ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu wenzani kuFaro kanye lakulo lonke elaseGibhithe.
Fear not, but remember what the Lord thy God did to Pharao and to all the Egyptians,
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 exceeding great plagues, which thy eyes saw, and the signs and wonders, and the strong hand, and the stretched out arm, with which the Lord thy God brought thee out: so will he do to all the people, whom thou fearest.
20 Phezu kwalokho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzathumela olonyovu phakathi kwabo kuze kuthi labasilileyo balicatshela babhujiswe.
Moreover the Lord thy God will send also hornets among them, until he destroy and consume all that have escaped thee, and could hide themselves.
21 Lingabesabi, ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ophakathi kwenu, nguThixo omkhulu njalo owesabekayo.
Thou shalt not fear them, because the Lord thy God is in the midst of thee, a God mighty and terrible:
22 UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzazidudula lezozizwe phambi kwenu kancanekancane. Aliyikuvunyelwa ukuzibhubhisa ngasikhathi sinye ngoba izinyamazana zeganga zinganda zilihanqe.
He will consume these nations in thy sight by little and little and by degrees. Thou wilt not be able to destroy them altogether: lest perhaps the beasts of the earth should increase upon thee.
23 Kodwa uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzabanikela kini, abaphazamise baze babhujiswe.
But the Lord thy God shall deliver them in thy sight: and shall slay them until they be utterly destroyed.
24 Amakhosi azo uzawanikela ezandleni zenu, njalo lizakwesula amabizo awo ngaphansi komkhathi. Kakho ozakwenelisa ukumelana lani, lizababhubhisa.
And he shall deliver their kings into thy hands, and thou shalt destroy their names from under Heaven: no man shall be able to resist thee, until thou destroy them.
25 Izithombe zabonkulunkulu bazo lizazitshisa ngomlilo. Lingahawukeli isiliva legolide eliphezu kwezithombe, lingazigcineli lona, ngoba lizabe selizibambisile emjibileni ngalo, ngoba liyisinengiso kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
Their graven things thou shalt burn with fire: thou shalt not covet the silver and gold of which they are made, neither shalt thou take to thee any thing thereof, lest thou offend, because it is an abomination to the Lord thy God.
26 Lingalethi okunengisayo ezindlini zenu, ngoba lani njengakho lokho lizakhethelwa ukubhujiswa. Kwenyanyeni linengeke ngakho, ngoba kumiselwe ukutshabalaliswa.”
Neither shalt thou bring any thing of the idol into thy house, lest thou become an anathema, like it. Thou shalt detest it as dung, and shalt utterly abhor it as uncleanness and filth, because it is an anathema.

< UDutheronomi 7 >