U-Eksodusi 21
1 “Nansi imithetho ozayethula phambi kwabo.”
“Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them:
2 “Nxa ungathenga isisebenzi esingumHebheru kumele sikusebenzele okweminyaka eyisithupha. Kodwa emnyakeni wesikhombisa kuzamele usikhulule kungelanhlawulo.
“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything.
3 Nxa sifike sodwa, kumele sikhululwe sihambe sodwa kodwa nxa silomfazi ekufikeni kwasokumele sihambe laye.
If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife shall go out with him.
4 Nxa umqhatshi waso angasipha umfazi asizalele amadodana lamadodakazi, owesifazane labantwabakhe bazakuba ngabomqhatshi, njalo indoda izazihambela yodwa ikhululekile.
If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.
5 Kodwa nxa isisebenzi singathi, ‘Ngiyayithanda inkosi yami lomkami labantwabami, njalo kangifuni kukhululwa,’
But if the servant shall plainly say, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;’
6 ngakho inkosi yaso kumele isihambise kubahluleli. Izasisa emnyango kumbe emgubazini abesesibhoboza indlebe yaso ngosungulo. Ngakho-ke sizakuba yisisebenzi sayo okwempilo yaso yonke.
then his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.
7 Nxa indoda ingathengisa indodakazi yayo njengesigqili, indodakazi kayingakhululeki njengalokho okwenza ezinye inceku.
“If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do.
8 Nxa singathokozisi umnini waso oyabe esikhethile ukuze sibe ngesakhe kumele asiyekele sihlengwe. Akalamvumo yokusithengisa kwabezizwe, ngoba esikhohlisile.
If she doesn’t please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.
9 Angasikhethela indodana yakhe kumele asinike amalungelo alingana lawendodakazi yakhe.
If he marries her to his son, he shall deal with her as a daughter.
10 Angathatha omunye umfazi akumelanga asincitshe ukudla, izigqoko lamalungelo okwenda.
If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marital rights.
11 Angayekela ukusipha izinto lezi ezintathu sikhululekile ukuthi sizihambele kungahlawulwanga mali.”
If he doesn’t do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.
12 “Wonke umuntu otshaya omunye ambulale laye kumele abulawe.
“One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,
13 Kodwa nxa engakwenzanga ngabomo, uNkulunkulu evumele ukuba kwenzakale, kumele abalekele endaweni engizayiphawula.
but not if it is unintentional, but God allows it to happen; then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee.
14 Kodwa umuntu angaceba ukubulala omunye ngabomo, msuseni e-alithareni lami liyembulala.
If a man schemes and comes presumptuously on his neighbour to kill him, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
15 Wonke umuntu ohlasela uyise kumbe unina kumele abulawe.
“Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.
16 Wonke umuntu othumba omunye abesemthengisa kumbe aficwe elaye kumele abulawe.
“Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
17 Wonke umuntu othuka uyise kumbe unina kumele abulawe.
“Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
18 Nxa amadoda angaxabana omunye abesetshaya omunye ngelitshe kumbe ngenqindi, angafi kodwa agule alale phansi,
“If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he doesn’t die, but is confined to bed;
19 lowo ophose inqindi kasoze anikwe umlandu nxa omunye angavuka abesehambahamba ephethe intonga yakhe; lanxa kunjalo kumele ahlawule indoda elimeleyo ngokulahlekelwa yisikhathi njalo ayelaphise.
if he rises again and walks around with his staff, then he who struck him shall be cleared; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for his healing until he is thoroughly healed.
20 Nxa umuntu angatshaya isigqili sakhe sesilisa kumbe esesifazane ngomqwayi, isigqili besesisifa ngenxa yalesisenzo, kumele ajeziswe,
“If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, the man shall surely be punished.
21 kodwa kasoze ajeziswe nxa isigqili singasila ngemva kwelanga elilodwa kumbe insuku ezimbili, ngoba isigqili siyimpahla yakhe.
Notwithstanding, if his servant gets up after a day or two, he shall not be punished, for the servant is his property.
22 Nxa amadoda alwayo angatshaya umfazi ozithweleyo abesebeletha isikhathi sakhe singakafiki, kodwa engalimalanga kakubi, owonileyo kumele ahlawuliswe lokho okuyabe kubizelwe yindoda yomfazi kwasekuvunywa ngumthethwandaba.
“If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, and yet no harm follows, he shall be surely fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges allow.
23 Kodwa kungangabi lokulimala okubi, kumele impilo ibhadalwe ngempilo,
But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life,
24 ilihlo ngelihlo, izinyo ngezinyo, isandla ngesandla, unyawo ngonyawo.
eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 Ukutshiswa ngokutshiswa, isilonda ngesilonda, ukulimala ngokulimala.
burning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.
26 Nxa umuntu angatshaya isigqili sakhe sesilisa kumbe esesifazane elihlweni alipatshaze, kumele asiyekele isisebenzi sizihambele kube yinhlawulo yelihlo.
“If a man strikes his servant’s eye, or his maid’s eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.
27 Angatshaya akhumule izinyo lesigqili sesilisa kumbe esesifazane, kumele asiyekele isisebenzi sizihambele kube yinhlawulo yezinyo.
If he strikes out his male servant’s tooth, or his female servant’s tooth, he shall let the servant go free for his tooth’s sake.
28 Nxa inkunzi ingahlaba indoda kumbe umfazi afe, leyonkunzi kumele itshaywe ngamatshe ize ife njalo inyama yayo kayingadliwa. Kodwa umnikazi wenkunzi akumelanga etheswe umlandu.
“If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull shall surely be stoned, and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall not be held responsible.
29 Kodwa nxa inkunzi ivele ilomkhuba wokuhlaba abantu, njalo umnikazi eseke wakhuzwa kodwa wekela ukuyivalela ibisibulala indoda kumbe umfazi, inkunzi kumele ibulawe ngamatshe lomnikazi abulawe.
But if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and this has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death.
30 Kodwa kungathiwa kahlawule, angahlenga impilo yakhe ngokuhlawula lokho okuyabe kubiziwe.
If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed.
31 Umthetho lo uyasebenza njalo nxa inkunzi ingahlaba indodana kumbe indodakazi.
Whether it has gored a son or has gored a daughter, according to this judgement it shall be done to him.
32 Nxa inkunzi ingahlaba isigqili sesilisa kumbe esesifazane, umnikazi kumele ahlawule amashekeli angamatshumi amathathu esiliva kumnini wesigqili, njalo inkunzi kumele ibulawe ngamatshe.
If the bull gores a male servant or a female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.
33 Nxa umuntu etshiya umgodi ukhamisile, loba esimba umgodi angawusibekeli kuwele kuwo inkabi ingabe ubabhemi,
“If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and doesn’t cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it,
34 umninimgodi kahlawule; kahlawule umnikazi, isifuyo esifileyo besesisiba ngesakhe.
the owner of the pit shall make it good. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.
35 Nxa inkunzi yomuntu ingalimaza eyomunye kuzamele ukuthi bathengise leyo ephilayo, babelane imali lesidumbu saleyo efileyo ngokulinganayo.
“If one man’s bull injures another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live bull, and divide its price; and they shall also divide the dead animal.
36 Kodwa nxa kusaziwa ukuthi inkunzi ivele ilomkhuba wokuhlaba ezinye, kodwa umnikazi engayivaleli esibayeni, umnikazi kumele ahlawule isifuyo ngesinye isifuyo, njalo isifuyo esifileyo sizakuba ngesakhe.”
Or if it is known that the bull was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall surely pay bull for bull, and the dead animal shall be his own.
