< 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 your God YHWH brings you into the land to where you are going in to possess it, and He has cast out many nations from your presence, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations more numerous and mighty than you,
2 kuthi lapho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu esezinikele ezandleni zenu lani selizinqobile kufanele lizitshabalalise ngokupheleleyo. Lingabi lesivumelwano lazo, njalo lingabi lesihawu kuzo.
and your God YHWH has given them before you, then you have struck them—you utterly devote them—you do not make a covenant with them, nor do you favor them.
3 Lingendiselani lazo. Lingendiseli amadodakazi enu emadodaneni azo, kumbe lithathele amadodana enu amadodakazi azo,
And you do not join in marriage with them; you do not give your daughter to his son, and you do not take his daughter to your son,
4 ngoba azaphambula amadodana enu ekungikhonzeni abesekhonza abanye onkulunkulu, kuthi ulaka lukaThixo luvuthe lulitshabalalise.
for he turns aside your son from after Me, and they have served other gods; and the anger of YHWH has burned against you and has destroyed you 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 you do to them: you break down their altars, and you shatter their standing pillars, and you cut down their Asherim, and you burn their carved 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 you [are] a holy people to your God YHWH; your God YHWH has fixed on you, to be to Him for a peculiar people, out of all the peoples who [are] on the face of the ground.
7 UThixo kazange ehlisele uthando lwakhe phezu kwenu ngoba libanengi kulezinye izizwe, phela lina livele liyisizwe sabantu abalutshwana.
YHWH has delighted in you and fixes on you, not because of your being more numerous than any of the peoples, for you [are] the least of all the peoples,
8 Kodwa kungenxa yokuthi uThixo walithanda wagcina isifungo asifunga kubokhokho benu walikhupha ngesandla esilamandla walihlenga ezweni lobugqili, emandleni kaFaro inkosi yaseGibhithe.
but because of YHWH’s loving you, and because of His keeping the oath which He has sworn to your fathers; YHWH has brought you out by a strong hand, and ransoms you from a house of servants, 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.
And you have known that He, your God YHWH, [is] God, the faithful God keeping the covenant and the kindness with those loving Him and with those keeping His commands, for one thousand generations,
10 Kodwa labo abamzondayo uzaphindisela kubo ngokubabhubhisa; kayikuphuza ukuphindisela kulabo abamzondayo.
and repaying to those hating Him to their face, to destroy them; He does not delay to him who is hating Him, He repays [it] to him to his face.
11 Kungakho, nanzelelani lilandele imilayo, izimiso kanye lemithetho engilinika yona lamuhla.
And you have kept the command, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I am commanding you today to do them.
12 Nxa linanzelela limithetho njalo liyilandela, uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzagcina isivumelwano sakhe sothando kini, njengoba wafunga kubokhokho benu.
And it has been, because you hear these judgments, and have kept and done them, that your God YHWH has kept the covenant and the kindness with you which He has sworn to your 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 has loved you, and blessed you, and multiplied you, and has blessed the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your ground, your grain, and your new wine, and your oil, the increase of your oxen, and the wealth of your flock, on the ground which He has sworn to your fathers to give to you.
14 Lina lizabusiswa okungaphezu kwabanye abantu; kakho phakathi kwamadoda labafazi kini ozaswela umntwana, njalo lezifuyo zenu ngeke ziswele amankonyane.
Blessed are you above all the peoples; there is not a barren man or a barren woman in you—nor among your livestock;
15 UThixo uzaliphephisa emikhuhlaneni yonke. Kayikulehlisela imikhuhlane yonke eyesabekayo elaliyibona eGibhithe, kodwa uzayehlisela kulabo abalizondayo.
and YHWH has turned aside every sickness from you, and none of the evil diseases of Egypt (which you have known) does He put on you, and He has put them on all hating you.
16 Libobhubhisa bonke abantu uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu abanikela ezandleni zenu. Lingabazweli usizi, lingakhonzi onkulunkulu babo, ngoba lokho kuzakuba yisifu kini.
And you have consumed all the peoples whom your God YHWH is giving to you; your eye has no pity on them, and you do not serve their gods, for it [is] a snare to you.
17 Mhlawumbe lizakuthi: ‘Lezizizwe zilamandla kulathi. Sizazixotsha njani lapha?’
When you say in your heart, These nations [are] more numerous than I, how am I able to dispossess them?
18 Kodwa lingazesabi; khumbulani ukuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu wenzani kuFaro kanye lakulo lonke elaseGibhithe.
You are not afraid of them; you surely remember that which your God YHWH has done to Pharaoh and to all of 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 your eyes have seen, and the signs, and the wonders, and the strong hand, and the outstretched arm, with which your God YHWH has brought you out; so does your God YHWH do to all the peoples of whose presence you are afraid.
20 Phezu kwalokho uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzathumela olonyovu phakathi kwabo kuze kuthi labasilileyo balicatshela babhujiswe.
And your God YHWH also sends the locust among them, until the destruction of those who are left, even those who are hidden from your presence;
21 Lingabesabi, ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ophakathi kwenu, nguThixo omkhulu njalo owesabekayo.
you are not terrified by their presence, for your God YHWH [is] in your midst, a God great and fearful.
22 UThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzazidudula lezozizwe phambi kwenu kancanekancane. Aliyikuvunyelwa ukuzibhubhisa ngasikhathi sinye ngoba izinyamazana zeganga zinganda zilihanqe.
And your God YHWH has cast out these nations from your presence little [by] little (you are not able to consume them quickly, lest the beast of the field multiplies against you),
23 Kodwa uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu uzabanikela kini, abaphazamise baze babhujiswe.
and your God YHWH has given them before you, and confused them [with] a great destruction until their being destroyed;
24 Amakhosi azo uzawanikela ezandleni zenu, njalo lizakwesula amabizo awo ngaphansi komkhathi. Kakho ozakwenelisa ukumelana lani, lizababhubhisa.
and He has given their kings into your hand, and you have destroyed their name from under the heavens; no man stations himself in your presence until you 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.
You burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you do not desire the silver and gold on them, nor have you taken [it] for yourself, lest you are snared by it, for it [is] an abomination [to] your God YHWH;
26 Lingalethi okunengisayo ezindlini zenu, ngoba lani njengakho lokho lizakhethelwa ukubhujiswa. Kwenyanyeni linengeke ngakho, ngoba kumiselwe ukutshabalaliswa.”
and you do not bring in an abomination to your house, or you have been devoted like it—you utterly detest it and you utterly abhor it; for it [is] devoted.”