ULevi 23
1 UThixo wathi kuMosi,
Yahweh said to Moses/me,
2 “Khuluma labako-Israyeli uthi kubo: ‘Le yimikhosi yami emisiweyo, imikhosi emisiweyo kaThixo okumele liyimemezele ukuba yimihlangano engcwele.’”
“Tell the Israeli people about the festivals that I have chosen, the days when you all must gather together [to worship me].”
3 “‘Kulensuku eziyisithupha elingasebenza ngazo, kodwa usuku lwesikhombisa liSabatha lokuphumula, usuku lomhlangano ongcwele. Lingenzi loba yiwuphi umsebenzi; kuzozonke izindawo elihlala kuzo, luliSabatha likaThixo.’”
“You may work for six days [each week], but on the seventh day you must not do any work. You must rest. It is a sacred/holy day when you must gather together [to worship me]. Wherever you live, you must rest on that day.”
4 “‘Le yiyo imikhosi kaThixo emisiweyo, imihlangano engcwele elizayimemezela ngezikhathi zayo ezimisiweyo:
“There are festivals that I have established for you. Those will also be sacred/holy days when you must gather together [to worship me].
5 IPhasika likaThixo liqalisa kusihlwa ngosuku lwetshumi lane lwenyanga yakuqala.
[The first festival is] (the Passover/when you remember that I spared your ancestors when I killed all the firstborn Egyptian sons). That festival will begin at twilight/dusk/sunset on the chosen day (each spring/in March or April each year), [and end on the following day].
6 Ngosuku lwetshumi lanhlanu lwaleyonyanga kuqaliswa uMkhosi kaThixo weSinkwa esingelaMvubelo; okwensuku eziyisikhombisa kumele lidle isinkwa esingelamvubelo.
The next day, the Festival of Eating Bread That Has No Yeast will begin. That festival will continue for seven days. During that time, the bread that you eat must be made without yeast.
7 Ngosuku lwakuqala lenze umbuthano ongcwele njalo lingenzi imisebenzi yenu yansuku zonke.
On the first day of that festival, you all must stop your regular work and you must gather together [to worship me].
8 Okwensuku eziyisikhombisa nikelani umnikelo wokutshiswa kuThixo. Kuthi ngosuku lwesikhombisa libe lenkonzo engcwele, lingenzi imisebenzi yenu yansuku zonke.’”
On each of the seven days, you must present to me [several animals to be] an offering/sacrifice to be completely burned [on the altar]. On the seventh day, you all must again stop your regular work and gather to worship me.”
9 UThixo wathi kuMosi,
Yahweh also told Moses/me
10 “Tshela abako-Israyeli uthi, ‘Nxa selingene elizweni engizalinika lona kalibokuthi lingavuna lilethe kumphristi ilixha lesivuno samabele akuqala.
to tell the Israeli people [about other festivals]. He said, “When you arrive in the land which I am giving to you, and you harvest your crops [for the first time] there, bring to the priest some of the first grain that you harvest.
11 Kumele azunguze ilixha lelo kuThixo ukuze lamukeleke. Umphristi kufanele alizunguze ngelanga elilandela iSabatha.
On the day after the [next] Sabbath/rest day, the priest will lift it up [high to dedicate it] to me, in order that I will accept it as your [gift].
12 Ngelanga lokuzunguza ilixha kumele enze umhlatshelo ube ngumnikelo wokutshiswa kuThixo, kube lizinyane lemvu eliduna eselilomnyaka, libe ngelingelasici,
That same day, you must sacrifice to me a one-year-old male lamb that has no defects. You must burn it [on the altar].
13 awunikele ndawonye lomnikelo wamabele oyingxenye yehefa ngokubili etshumini, kube yifulawa ecolekileyo evutshwe ngamafutha. Lo ngumhlatshelo wokudla onikelwa kuThixo olephunga elimnandi. Kawenziwe njalo lomnikelo wokunatha oba yingxenye yehini eyodwa kokune kuliwayini.
You must also burn an offering of grain. That offering must consist of (three quarts/3.5 liters) of good flour mixed with [olive] oil. The smell [of those things burning] will be very pleasing to me. Along with that, you must also offer one quart/liter of wine, which will be a liquid offering.
14 Lingadli sinkwa loba inhlamvu zamabele ezikhanzingiweyo kumbe ezintsha kuze kube yilelolanga eliletha ngalo umnikelo lo kuNkulunkulu wenu. Lokhu kakube yisimiso esingapheliyo kuzozonke izizukulwane ezizayo kungelani lokuthi lihlala ngaphi.’”
Do not eat any bread or any roasted grain or unroasted grain on that day until after you have brought those offerings to me, your God. You must always obey [LIT] those commands, wherever you live.”
15 “‘Kusukela ngelanga elilandela iSabatha, ilanga elaletha ngalo ilixha lomnikelo wokuzunguza, balani amaviki ayisikhombisa agcweleyo.
“Seven weeks after the priest offers that grain to me,
16 Balani insuku ezingamatshumi amahlanu kusiyafika ilanga elingemva kweSabatha lesikhombisa, beseliletha umnikelo wamabele amatsha kuThixo.
on the next/50th day after he offers it, [each family] must bring to me an offering from the new crop of grain.
17 Kungelani lokuthi lihlala ngaphi, lethani izinkwa ezimbili ezenziwe ngefulawa ecolekileyo, eyingxenye yehefa ngokubili etshumini, siphekwe ngemvubelo, kube ngumnikelo wokuzunguzwa, owezithelo zakuqala kuThixo.
From your homes, bring two loaves of bread [to the priest]. He will lift them up [high to dedicate them] as an offering to me. Those loaves must be baked from three quarts/liters of good flour that has yeast mixed with it. That bread will be an offering to me from the first wheat that you harvest [each year].
18 Lethani isinkwa lesi ndawonye lamawundlu amaduna ayisikhombisa, linye ngalinye lilomnyaka owodwa ubudala njalo lingelasici, ijongosi lenqama ezimbili. Kuzakuba ngumnikelo wokutshiswa kuThixo kanye lomnikelo wamabele lowokunathwayo, umnikelo otshisiweyo ngomlilo oletha iphunga elimnandi kuThixo.
Along with this bread, you must present to me seven one-year-old lambs with no defects, one young bull, and two rams. They must all be completely burned [on the altar]. All those offerings, with the grain offering and the wine offering, will be burned, and the smell [of all those things burning] will be very pleasing to me.
19 Beselinikela ngempongo umnikelo wesono, langamawundlu amabili alomnyaka owodwa abe ngumnikelo wobudlelwano.
Then you must also kill one male goat to be an offering/sacrifice for your sins, and two one-year-old male lambs to be an offering to enable you to maintain fellowship with me.
20 Umphristi kumele azunguze amawundlu lawo womabili kuThixo njengomnikelo wokuzunguzwa kanye lesinkwa sezithelo zakuqala. Zingumnikelo womphristi ongcwele kuThixo.
The priest will lift up these offerings [high to dedicate them] to me. He will also offer the loaves of bread that were baked from the first wheat that you harvest. Those offerings are sacred to me, but they are for the priests [to eat].
21 Ngosuku olufanayo kumele limemezele inkonzo engcwele, lingenzi msebenzi yansuku zonke. Lokhu kuzakuba yisimiso esingapheliyo ezizukulwaneni zenu ezizayo, lalapho elizabe lihlala khona.
On that day, you must stop your regular work and gather to worship me. You must always obey those instructions/commands, and you must obey them wherever you live.
22 Lapho livuna isivuno selizwe lakini, lingavuni lasemaphethelweni amasimu enu, futhi lingabuthi okukhithikayo lapho livuna. Lokhu kutshiyeleni abayanga lezihambi. Mina nginguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.’”
“When you harvest the grain in your fields, do not harvest the grain along the edges of the fields, and do not pick up the grain that the harvesters drop. Leave that grain for the poor people and for the foreigners who are living among you. [Do not forget that it is] I, Yahweh your God, [who am commanding those things]!”
23 UThixo wathi kuMosi,
Yahweh also told Moses/me
24 “Tshela abako-Israyeli ukuthi, ‘Ilanga lakuqala lenyanga yesikhombisa lusuku lwesabatha lokuphumula, umbuthano ongcwele wokukhonza ngokutshaya icilongo.
to give these instructions/commands to the Israeli people: “[Each year] in September, on the day that I have chosen, you all must celebrate it by completely resting. You must not do any work on that day. When [the priests] blow their trumpets loudly, you all must gather together to worship me.
25 Lingenzi msebenzi, kodwa nikelani umnikelo wokutshiswa kuThixo.’”
All of you must not do your regular work on that day. Instead, you must present offerings to me that will be burned [on the altar].”
26 UThixo wathi kuMosi,
Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
27 “Usuku lwetshumi lwenyanga yesikhombisa lilanga lokubuyisana. Wobani lenkonzo engcwele lizile ukudla, lilethe umnikelo wokutshiswa ngomlilo kuThixo.
“You must celebrate a day [on which you request that I] forgive you for the sins that you have committed. That day will be nine days after the festival [when the priests blow] the trumpets. On that day you must (fast/abstain from eating food). You must gather together to worship me and present offerings to me that will be burned [on the altar].
28 Lingasebenzi ngalelolanga, ngoba lilanga lokuBuyisana, lapho lihlawulelwa kuThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.
You must not do any work on that day, because it is the day when the priests will offer sacrifices to me to (atone for/ask me to forgive) your sins.
29 Lowo ongaziliyo ngalelolanga makasuswe ebantwini bakibo.
You must expel from your group anyone who does not (fast/abstain from eating food) on that day.
30 Lowo osebenzayo ngalelolanga ngizambhubhisa phakathi kwabakibo.
I will get rid of anyone who does any kind of work on that day.
31 Lulisabatha lenu lokuphumula njalo kumele lizile.
You must not work at all! You must always obey those instructions/commands, and you must obey them wherever you live.
32 Kusukela kusihlwa ngelanga lesificamunwemunye lwenyanga kuze kube kusihlwa ngelanga elilandelayo ligcine isabatha lenu.”
That day will be a day of complete rest for all of you, and on that day you must (fast/abstain from eating food) [to show that you are sorry for having sinned]. That day of rest and (fasting/abstaining from eating food) will begin on the evening before the day in which you ask me to forgive you for your sins, and it will end on the evening of the following day.”
33 UThixo wathi kuMosi,
Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
34 “Tshela abako-Israyeli ukuthi ngelanga letshumi lanhlanu ngenyanga yesikhombisa uMkhosi kaThixo weziHonqo kawuqalise njalo uqhubeke okwensuku eziyisikhombisa.
“Tell the Israeli people that [each year] they must also celebrate a festival of living in temporary shelters. That festival will begin five days after the day in which they request me to forgive them for their sins. It will last for seven days.
35 Ilanga lokuqala ngelenkonzo engcwele; lingenzi msebenzi wansuku zonke.
On the first day of that festival, the people must gather together to worship me, and they must not do any regular work on that day.
36 Okwensuku eziyisikhombisa lethani iminikelo yokutshiswa kuThixo, kuthi ngosuku lwesificaminwembili libe lenkonzo engcwele lilethe umnikelo wokutshiswa kuThixo. Yinkonzo yokuvala; lingenzi msebenzi wansuku zonke.
On each of the seven days of the festival, they must present to me an offering [of animals] that will be burned [on the altar]. On the next day, they must gather again to worship me and present to me another animal that will be burned [on the altar]. That also will be a sacred gathering, and they must not work on that day, either.
37 (Le yimikhosi kaThixo emisiweyo elizayimemezela njengezinkonzo ezingcwele, ezokuletha iminikelo yokutshiswa kuThixo, iminikelo yokutshiswa, leminikelo yamabele, imihlatshelo leminikelo enathwayo efunekayo insuku ngensuku.
“[To summarize], those are the festivals that I have appointed. Celebrate those sacred festivals by gathering together to present to me all the various offerings that will be burned [on the altar]—animals that will be burned completely, and offerings of grain, and offerings to enable the Israeli people to maintain fellowship with me, and offerings of wine. Each offering must be brought on the day that I have indicated.
38 Iminikelo le ngengaphezu kwaleyo eyamaSabatha kaThixo njalo ngaphezu kwezipho zenu lalokho eliyabe lifungele ukukupha langaphezulu kweminikelo yonke yokuzithandela eliyinika uThixo.)
(Those festivals must be celebrated/You must celebrate those festivals) in addition to [worshiping on] the (Sabbath days/days of rest). And all those offerings must be given in addition to the offerings that people personally decide to give, and in addition to the offerings that people make to accompany the solemn promises that they have made, or offerings that people make (voluntarily/because they themselves want to).
39 Ngakho-ke, kusukela ngosuku lwetshumi lanhlanu enyangeni yesikhombisa, ngemva kokuba selivunile amabele akulelolizwe, wobani lomkhosi wokuthokoza kuThixo okwensuku eziyisikhombisa. Elokuqala lilanga lokuphumula, kanye lelesificaminwembili lalo lilanga lokuphumula.
“[Returning to my instructions about] the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters, you must celebrate this festival after you have harvested all the crops. On the first day and on the last day of that festival, you must rest completely.
40 Ngelanga lokuqala libokukha izithelo ezinhle zezihlahla, ingatsha zamalala, ingatsha zezihlahla ezilamahlamvu amanengi, lemidubu, lijabule phambi kukaThixo uNkulunkulu wenu lonke okwensuku eziyisikhombisa.
But on the first day, you are permitted to pick fruit from trees. Cut palm fronds/branches and other leafy branches from trees or from bushes that grow by the streams, [and make shelters/huts to live in for that week]. Then rejoice in my presence for those seven days.
41 Thakazelelani umkhosi kaThixo lo minyaka yonke okwensuku eziyisikhombisa. Lesi kasibe yisimiso esingapheliyo ezizukulwaneni ezizayo; umkhosi liwenze ngenyanga yesikhombisa.
You must celebrate this festival for seven days every year. You must never stop obeying my commands/instructions for that festival. You must celebrate it in September.
42 Libohlala ezihonqweni okwensuku eziyisikhombisa.
During the seven days of that festival, all of you people who have been Israelis your entire lives must live in shelters/huts.
43 Bonke abako-Israyeli ngokuzalwa kumele bahlale ezihonqweni, ukuze izizukulwane zenu zazi ukuthi ngahlalisa abako-Israyeli emadumbeni mhla ngibakhipha eGibhithe. Mina nginguThixo uNkulunkulu wenu.”
That will remind your descendants that their ancestors lived in shelters [for many years] after I rescued them from Egypt. [Do not forget that] I, Yahweh your God, [am the one who is commanding this].”
44 Ngakho uMosi wasebabikela abako-Israyeli ngemikhosi emisiweyo kaThixo.
So Moses/I gave to the Israeli people all those instructions concerning the festivals that Yahweh [wanted them to celebrate] each year.
