UDutheronomi 11
1 Ngakho wothanda iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, ugcine umlayo wayo lezimiso zayo lezahlulelo zayo lemithetho yayo insuku zonke.
“[Because of all that] Yahweh your God [has done for you], you must love him and continually obey all his rules and regulations and commandments.
2 Yazini lamuhla, ngoba kangikhulumi ebantwaneni benu abangakwaziyo labangakubonanga ukulaya kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, ubukhulu bayo, isandla sayo esilamandla, lengalo yayo eyeluliweyo,
It was you and your ancestors, not your children, whom he disciplined [by causing all of you to have/experience difficulties]. So, starting today, continue to think about how very great and very powerful he is [DOU, MTY].
3 lezibonakaliso zayo lezenzo zayo eyazenza phakathi kweGibhithe kuFaro inkosi yeGibhithe, lelizweni lakhe lonke,
Think about the various miracles [DOU] that he performed in Egypt. Think about what he did to the king of Egypt and to his country.
4 lalokho eyakwenza ebuthweni leGibhithe, emabhizeni ayo lenqoleni zayo, lokuthi yenza amanzi oLwandle oluBomvu abakhukhule lapho bexotshana lani, lokuthi iNkosi yababhubhisa, kuze kube lamuhla,
Think about what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses and their chariots. Think about how he caused the Red Sea to flood/cover over them while they were pursuing your ancestors, and how the army of Egypt was completely (wiped out/destroyed).
5 lalokho eyakwenza kini enkangala laze lafika kulindawo,
Think about what Yahweh did for your ancestors in the desert before you arrived at this place.
6 lalokho eyakwenza kuDathani lakuAbiramu amadodana kaEliyabi indodana kaRubeni, ukuthi umhlaba wakhamisa umlomo wawo wabaginya bona labezindlu zabo, lamathente abo, lakho konke okwakungokwabo, phakathi kukaIsrayeli wonke.
Think about what he did to Dathan and Abiram, the two sons of Eliab from the tribe of Reuben. While all of your ancestors were watching, the earth split open, and they fell into the opening [and disappeared], along with their families and their tents, their servants, and their animals.
7 Kodwa amehlo enu abonile zonke izenzo ezinkulu zeNkosi eyazenzayo.
You [SYN] and your ancestors have seen all these miracles that Yahweh performed.
8 Ngakho lizagcina yonke imithetho engikulaya yona lamuhla, ukuze libe lamandla lingene lidle ilifa lelizwe, elichaphela kulo ukuyakudla ilifa lalo,
So, obey all the commandments that I am giving you today, in order that you will be strong and able to cross the river and occupy the land that you are about to enter,
9 lokuthi lelule izinsuku elizweni iNkosi eyalifungela oyihlo ukubanika lona lenzalo yabo, ilizwe eligeleza uchago loluju.
and in order that you will live for a long time in that land, the land that Yahweh solemnly promised your ancestors that he would give to them and to their descendants, a land that is very fertile [IDM].
10 Ngoba ilizwe ongena kilo ukudla ilifa lalo kalinjengelizwe leGibhithe eliphuma kilo, lapho owahlanyela khona inhlanyelo yakho, wayithelela ngonyawo lwakho, njengesivande semibhida;
The land that you are about to enter and occupy is not like the land of Egypt, where your ancestors lived. In Egypt, after they planted seeds, it was necessary for them to work hard [MTY] to water [the plants that grew].
11 kodwa ilizwe elichaphela kilo ukudla ilifa lalo liyilizwe lamaqaqa lezigodi, linatha amanzi ngezulu lamazulu;
But the land that you are about to enter is a land where there are many hills and valleys, where there is plenty of rain.
12 ilizwe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho elikhathalelayo; amehlo eNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho aphezu kwalo njalo, kusukela ekuqaleni komnyaka kuze kube sekupheleni komnyaka.
Yahweh takes care of that land. He [SYN] watches over it every day, from the beginning of each year to the end of each year.
13 Kuzakuthi-ke, uba lilalela lokulalela imithetho yami engililaya yona lamuhla, ukuthanda iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, lokuyikhonza ngenhliziyo yenu yonke langomphefumulo wenu wonke,
Today I am commanding you to love Yahweh our God and to serve him with your entire inner beings. If you do that,
14 ngizanika izulu lelizwe lenu ngesikhathi salo, izulu elokuqala lezulu lokucina, ukuze ubuthe amabele akho lewayini lakho elitsha lamafutha akho.
each year he will send rain on your land at the (right times/times when it is needed), (in the autumn/at the end of the dry season) and (in the spring/before the next dry season starts). As a result, you will have grain and [grapes to make] wine and [olives to make olive] oil.
15 Ngizanika izifuyo zakho utshani edlelweni lakho, njalo uzakudla, usuthe.
And he will cause grass to grow in your fields for your livestock [to eat]. You will have all the food that you want.
16 Ziqapheleni, hlezi inhliziyo yenu ikhohliseke, liphambuke, likhonze abanye onkulunkulu, libakhothamele,
“But I warn you, do not turn away from Yahweh our God and start to worship other gods,
17 ukuze ulaka lweNkosi lulivuthele, njalo ivale amazulu, ukuze kungabi khona izulu, lelizwe lingatheli isivuno salo, libhubhe masinyane lisuke elizweni elihle iNkosi elinika lona.
because if you do that, Yahweh will become very angry with you. He will prevent any rain from falling. As a result, the crops will not grow, and you will soon die [from hunger] in the good land that Yahweh is about to give to you.
18 Ngakho lizabeka lamazwi ami enhliziyweni yenu lemphefumulweni wenu, liwabophele esandleni senu abe luphawu, ukuze abe ngamafilakteriyu phakathi laphakathi kwamehlo enu.
So, keep thinking [IDM] about these commands. Write them [on tiny scrolls] and fasten them to your arms/wrists, and write them on bands that you fasten to your foreheads [to help you to remember them].
19 Lizawafundisa abantwana benu, ukhulume ngawo lapho uhlezi endlini yakho, lalapho uhamba endleleni, lalapho ulala, lalapho uvuka.
Teach them to your children again and again. Talk about them [all the time]: When you are in your houses and when you are walking outside; talk about them when you are lying down at night and when you are getting up in the morning.
20 Liwabhale emigubazini yendlu yakho lemasangweni akho,
Write them on the doorposts and on the gates of your houses.
21 ukuze zande insuku zenu lensuku zabantwana benu, elizweni iNkosi eyalifungela oyihlo ukubanika lona, njengensuku zamazulu phezu komhlaba.
Do that in order that you and your children will live for a long time in the land that Yahweh promised to our ancestors that he would give to them. That land will belong to you [and your descendants] as long as there is a sky above the earth.
22 Ngoba uba ligcina lokugcina yonke imithetho le engililaya ukuthi liyenze, ukuthanda iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, ukuhamba ngendlela zayo zonke, lokunamathela kuyo,
“Faithfully continue to obey what I am commanding you to do—to love Yahweh our God, and to conduct your lives as he wants you to do, and to (be faithful to/have a close relationship with) him.
23 khona iNkosi izaxotsha elifeni zonke lezizizwe zisuke phambi kwenu, lidle ilifa lezizwe ezinkulu lezilamandla kulani.
If you do that, Yahweh will expel all the people-groups in that land as you advance, people-groups that are more numerous and more powerful than you are.
24 Yonke indawo lapho ingaphansi yonyawo lwenu ezanyathela khona izakuba ngeyenu; kusukela enkangala, leLebhanoni, kusukela emfuleni, umfula iYufrathi, kuze kufike elwandle lokucina, kuzakuba ngumngcele wenu.
All the ground [in that land] on which you walk will be yours. Your territory will extend from the desert [in the south] to the Lebanon [Mountains in the north], and from the Euphrates River [in the east] to the [Mediterranean] Sea in the west.
25 Kakulamuntu ozakuma phambi kwenu; iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu izabeka ukwesabeka kwenu lokutshaywa luvalo ngani phezu kwalo lonke ilizwe elizanyathela kulo, njengalokhu etshilo kini.
Yahweh our God will cause all the people in that land to be afraid of you, which is what he promised, with the result that no people-group will be able to stop you.
26 Khangelani, lamuhla ngiyabeka phambi kwenu isibusiso lesiqalekiso;
“Listen carefully: Today I am telling you [that Yahweh will either] bless [you or he will] curse you.
27 isibusiso, uba lilalela imithetho yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu engililaya yona lamuhla;
If you obey the commandments of Yahweh our God that I am giving to you today, he will bless you.
28 lesiqalekiso, uba lingalaleli imithetho yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, kodwa liphambuka endleleni engililaya yona lamuhla, ukulandela abanye onkulunkulu elingabazanga.
If you do not obey them, and if you turn away from him to worship other gods that you have never known about before, he will curse you.
29 Kuzakuthi lapho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho esekungenisile elizweni oya kulo ukudla ilifa lalo, uzabeka isibusiso phezu kwentaba yeGerizimi, lesiqalekiso phezu kwentaba yeEbhali.
And when Yahweh brings you into the land that you are about to enter and occupy, [some of you must stand on top of] Gerizim Mountain and proclaim what will cause Yahweh to bless you, and [the others must stand on top of] Ebal Mountain and proclaim [what will cause Yahweh to] curse you.”
30 Angithi zona ziphetsheya kweJordani emva kwendlela yekutshoneni kwelanga, elizweni lamaKhanani ahlala emagcekeni maqondana leGiligali, eduze lezihlahla zama-okhi zeMore?
(Those two mountains are [RHQ] west of the Jordan [River], west of the Jordan Valley near the huge oak tree at Moreh [village] in the land where the Canaan people-group lives. They live close to the sacred trees near Gilgal.)
31 Ngoba lizachapha iJordani ukuze lingene lidle ilifa lelizwe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu elinika lona. Lizakudla ilifa lalo, lihlale kilo,
“You will soon cross the Jordan [River] to occupy the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you. When you enter that land and start to live there,
32 linanzelele ukwenza zonke izimiso lezahlulelo engizibeka phambi kwenu lamuhla.
be sure to obey all the rules and regulations that I am giving to you today.”
