ULevi 18
1 UThixo wathi kuMosi,
Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
2 “Tshela abako-Israyeli ukuthi: ‘NginguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
“Speak to the Israeli people and tell them [that I, Yahweh, say this] this: I am Yahweh, your God.
3 Lingabokwenza lokhu okwenziwa eGibhithe, lapho elalikhona, njalo lingabokwenza abakwenzayo ezweni laseKhenani, lapho engilisa khona. Lingalandeli abakwenzayo.
[So you must do what I want you to do]; you must not do the things that the people in Egypt, where you lived previously, do; and you must not do what is done by the people in Canaan, the land to which I am taking you. Do not imitate their behavior.
4 Lalelani imithetho yami njalo linanzelele, lilandele izimiso zami. Mina nginguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
You must obey all of my laws [DOU], because it is I, Yahweh your God, [who am commanding those laws].
5 Gcinani izimiso zami lemithetho yami, ngoba umuntu oyilalelayo uzaphila ngayo. Mina nginguThixo.
If you obey all my laws and decrees, you will continue to remain alive [for a long time]. I, Yahweh, [am the one who is promising that to you]. [These are some of my laws]:
6 Akungabi lamuntu osondela esihlotsheni sakhe esiseduze ukuthi alale laso. Mina nginguThixo.
“Do not have sex with any of your close relatives. It is I, Yahweh, [who am commanding that].
7 Ungatheleli uyihlo ihlazo ngokulala lonyoko. Ngunyoko; ungalali laye.
“Do not disgrace your father by having sex with your mother [DOU].
8 Ungalali lomfazi kayihlo; lokho kuthelela uyihlo ihlazo.
“Do not have sex with any of your father’s [other] wives, because that would disgrace your father.
9 Ungalali lodadewenu, loba indodakazi kayihlo loba indodakazi kanyoko, kungakhathalekile ukuthi wazalelwa ekhaya loba kwenye indawo.
“Do not have sex with your sister or your stepsister; it does not matter whether she was born in your house or somewhere else.
10 Ungalali lendodakazi yendodana yakho loba indodakazi yendodakazi yakho; lokhu kuzakuthelela ihlazo.
“Do not have sex with your granddaughter, because that would disgrace you.
11 Ungalali lendodakazi yomfazi kayihlo, eyazalwa nguyihlo, ingudadewenu.
“Do not have sex with your half-sister, because she is your sister.
12 Ungalali lodadewabo kayihlo; uyisihlobo sikayihlo esiseduze kakhulu.
“Do not have sex with your father’s sister, because she is your father’s close relative.
13 Ungalali lodadewabo kanyoko, uyisihlobo sikanyoko esiseduzane kakhulu.
“Do not have sex with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.
14 Ungatheleli umfowabo kayihlo ihlazo ngokusondela kumkakhe ukuthi ulale laye, ngoba ungunyoko.
“Do not disgrace your (uncle/father’s brother) by having sex with his wife, because she is your aunt.
15 Ungalali lomalokazana wakho, ngumfazi wendodana yakho; ungalali laye.
“Do not have sex with [DOU] your daughter-in-law, because she is your son’s wife.
16 Ungalali lomfazi womfowenu; kuzathelela umfowenu ihlazo.
“Do not have sex with your brother’s wife, because that would disgrace your brother.
17 Ungalali lowesifazane kanye lendodakazi yakhe. Ungalali lendodakazi yendodana yakhe loba indodakazi yendodakazi yakhe; bayizihlobo zakho eziseduzane. Lokhu kuyikuxhwala.
“Do not have sex with the daughter or granddaughter of any woman whom you have previously had sex with; they are [her] (OR, [your]) close relatives. Having sex with any of them would be a wicked thing to do.
18 Ungathathi udadewabo womkakho ukuthi ulale laye nxa umkakho esaphila.
“While your wife is still living, do not marry your wife’s sister and have sex with her.
19 Ungasondeli kowesifazane ukuthi ulale laye ngesikhathi esemfuleni ngoba ungcolile.
“Do not have sex with any woman while she is having her monthly menstrual period.
20 Ungalali lomfazi kamakhelwane wakho ngoba uyazingcolisa ngaye.
“Do not (defile yourself/make yourself unacceptable to me) by having sex with someone else’s wife.
21 Unganikeli loba nguphi wabantwabakho ukuthi abe ngumhlatshelo kunkulunkulu uMoleki, ngoba akufanelanga ukuthi ungcolise ibizo likaNkulunkulu wakho. Mina nginguThixo.
“Do not give any of your children to be burned to be a sacrifice to the god Molech, because that would show that you do not revere me [MTY], Yahweh, your God.
22 Ungalali lendoda njengendoda ilala lomfazi; lokhu kuyisinengiso.
“No man should have sex with another man; that is detestable.
23 Ungafebi lenyamazana, ngoba uyazingcolisa ngalokho. Owesifazane angafebi lenyamazana, lokhu kuyisinengiso.
“No one, man or woman, should (defile himself/cause himself to become unacceptable to me) by having sex with an animal; that is a perverse act.
24 Lingazingcolisi noma kungayiphi yalezizindlela, ngoba yizo izindlela izizwe engizazidudula phambi kwenu ezazingcolisa ngazo.
“Do not (defile yourselves/cause yourselves to become unacceptable to me) in any of those ways, because doing those things is how the people of the nations that I expelled as you advanced became (unacceptable to me/defiled).
25 Kwaze kwangcola lelizwe; kungakho ngalijezisa ngesono salo, ilizwe ababehlala kulo labakhafula.
They even caused the land to become defiled, so I punished them for their sins, and [it was as though] the land vomited out the people who lived there.
26 Kodwa kumele ligcine izimiso zami lemilayo yami. Lina banikazi belizwe labezizwe abaphakathi kwenu, akufanelanga benze lezizinto ezenyanyekayo,
You must all obey my laws and decrees. That includes you people who were born here and the foreigners who live among you.
27 ngoba zonke lezizinto zenziwa ngabantu ababehlala kulelilizwe lina lingakafiki, ngakho ilizwe langcola.
All those detestable things were done by the people who lived in this land before you came here, and they caused the land to become defiled.
28 Nxa lingenza amanyala kulelilizwe, lizalikhafula njengendlela elakhafula ngayo izizwe ezalandulelayo.
So if you defile the land, I will get rid of [MET] you like I got rid of the people of those nations that were here before you came.
29 Loba ngubani owenza lezizinto ezenyanyekayo, kumele axotshwe ebantwini bakibo.
“You must not allow people who do any of those detestable things to associate with you who are my people.
30 Gcinani iziqondiso zami, lingalandeli izindlela zamanyala lemikhuba eyayilandelwa ngabantu abalandulelayo, njalo lingazingcolisi ngayo. Mina nginguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.’”
Obey everything that I command you to do, and do not defile yourselves by practicing any of the detestable customs that were practiced [by the people who were there] before you came. I, Yahweh your God, [am the one who is commanding these things].”
