< UDutheronomi 12 >

1 Lezi yizimiso lezahlulelo elizananzelela ukuzenza elizweni iNkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyihlo, ekunika lona ukuthi udle ilifa lalo, zonke izinsuku eliphila ngazo emhlabeni.
“(I will now tell you again/These, [again], are) the rules and regulations that you must faithfully obey in the land that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped], is giving to you to occupy. You must obey these laws all the time that you are alive.
2 Lizadiliza lokudiliza zonke indawo lapho izizwe elizazixotsha elifeni lazo ezazikhonzela khona onkulunkulu bazo, entabeni eziphakemeyo lemaqaqeni langaphansi kwaso sonke isihlahla esiluhlaza;
You must destroy all the places where the people-groups that you will expel worship their gods, on the tops of mountains and hills and under big green trees.
3 lizadiliza amalathi azo, libulale insika zazo eziyizithombe, litshise izixuku zazo ngomlilo, liqumele phansi izithombe ezibaziweyo zabonkulunkulu bazo, lichithe ibizo lazo kuleyondawo.
You must tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Completely burn the statues of their goddess Asherah in fires, and chop down their wooden idols, in order that no one will ever worship them [MTY] in those places again.
4 Lingenzi njalo eNkosini uNkulunkulu wenu.
“Do not worship Yahweh like [the people in Canaan worship their gods].
5 Kodwa endaweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu ezayikhetha phakathi kwazo zonke izizwe zenu ukubeka ibizo layo khona, lizadinga kundawo yayo yokuhlala; njalo uzakuya khona,
Instead, you must go to the place that Yahweh will choose. It will be in the area where one of your tribes will live. That is where you must go to worship Yahweh.
6 lilethe khona iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa, lemihlatshelo yenu, lokwetshumi kwenu, lomnikelo wokuphakanyiswa wesandla senu, lezithembiso zenu, leminikelo yenu yesihle, lamazibulo enkomo zenu lawezimvu zenu;
That is the place where you must bring your sacrifices that will be completely burned on the altar, and your other sacrifices, (your tithes/ten percent of all of your crops), other offerings that you decide to give, and the firstborn animals from your cattle and sheep.
7 lidle khona phambi kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, lithokoze ngakho konke elibeke isandla senu kukho, lina labendlu yenu, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekubusise ngakho.
There, in the presence of Yahweh our God, who has [greatly] blessed you, you and your families will eat the good things that you have worked to produce, and you will be happy.
8 Kaliyikwenza njengakho konke esikwenzayo lapha lamuhla, ngulowo lalowo loba yikuphi okulungileyo emehlweni akhe.
“[When you are in that land], you must not do some of the things that we have been doing. Until now, you have all been worshiping [Yahweh] the way you wanted to,
9 Ngoba kalikafiki ekuphumuleni lelifeni, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona.
because you have not yet arrived in the land which Yahweh is giving to you, where you will be able to live peacefully.
10 Lapho selichaphile iJordani, selihlezi elizweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu elinika lona libe yilifa lenu, isiliphumuzile ezitheni zenu zonke inhlangothi zonke, selihlezi livikelekile,
But when you cross the Jordan [River], you will start to live in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you. He will protect you from all your enemies that will surround you, and you will live peacefully/safely.
11 khona kuzakuba lendawo iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu ezayikhetha ukwenza ibizo layo lihlale lapho; lizaletha lapho konke engililaya khona, iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa, lemihlatshelo yenu, lokwetshumi kwenu, lomnikelo wokuphakanyiswa wesandla senu, lezithembiso zenu zonke ezikhethekileyo elizazithembisa eNkosini.
“Yahweh will choose one place where he wants you to worship him. That is the place to which you must bring all the offerings that I command you to bring: The sacrifices that must be completely burned [on the altar], your other sacrifices, other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, (your tithes/ten percent of all your crops), and all the special offerings that you will solemnly promise to give to Yahweh.
12 Njalo lizathaba phambi kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, lina lamadodana enu lamadodakazi enu, lenceku zenu lencekukazi zenu, lomLevi ophakathi kwamasango enu, ngoba engelasabelo lelifa lani.
Rejoice there in the presence of Yahweh, along with your children, your male and female servants, and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns. Do not forget that the descendants of Levi will not have their own land, like you will have.
13 Ziqaphele ukuthi unganikeli iminikelo yakho yokutshiswa kuyo yonke indawo oyibonayo;
Be sure that you do not offer sacrifices anywhere you want to.
14 kodwa endaweni iNkosi ezayikhetha kwesinye sezizwe zakho, lapho uzanikela iminikelo yakho yokutshiswa, lalapho uzakwenza konke engikulaya khona.
You must offer them only in the place that Yahweh will choose for you, in an area that belongs to one of your tribes. That is the only place where he wants you to offer sacrifices that will be completely burned [on the altar], and to do the other things that I am commanding you to do [when you worship him].
15 Kanti ungahlaba udle inyama, phakathi kwawo wonke amasango akho, njengaso sonke isifiso somphefumulo wakho, njengokwesibusiso seNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, ekunike sona; ongahlambulukanga lohlambulukileyo angakudla, njengomziki lanjengendluzele.
“However, you will be permitted to kill and eat the meat of your animals in the places where you live. As often as you want to, you may eat the meat of the animals that Yahweh our God will bless you by giving them to you. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done things like that may all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.
16 Kuphela lingadli igazi; lizalichithela emhlabathini njengamanzi.
But you must not eat the blood [of any animals]; you must let the blood drain onto the ground [before you cook the meat].
17 Awulakudlela emasangweni akho okwetshumi kwamabele akho leyewayini lakho elitsha, leyamafutha akho, loba amazibulo enkomo zakho lawezimvu zakho, loba yikuphi kwesithembiso sakho osithembisileyo, loba iminikelo yakho yesihle, loba umnikelo wokuphakanyiswa wesandla sakho.
In the places where you live, you must not eat the things that you are offering [to Yahweh]: You must not eat the (tithes/ten percent) of your grain or of your wine, or of your [olive] oil, or the firstborn of your cattle and sheep, or the offerings that you yourselves decide to give to Yahweh, or any other offerings.
18 Kodwa phambi kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho uzadlela lokho endaweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ezayikhetha, wena lendodana yakho lendodakazi yakho, lenceku yakho lencekukazi yakho, lomLevi ophakathi kwamasango akho; njalo uzathaba phambi kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho kukho konke obeka isandla sakho kukho.
Instead, you and your children and your male and female servants and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns must go to the place that he has chosen and eat those things there in the presence of Yahweh. And you should rejoice in the presence of Yahweh about everything that you do.
19 Ziqaphele ukuthi ungamkhohlwa umLevi zonke izinsuku zakho elizweni lakho.
Be sure that you take care of the descendants of Levi all during the time that you live in your land.
20 Lapho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho iqhelisa umngcele wakho, njengokukhuluma kwayo kuwe, njalo uzakuthi: Ngizakudla inyama, ngoba umphefumulo wakho ukhanuka ukudla inyama; njengokwesifiso sonke somphefumulo wakho uzakudla inyama.
“When Yahweh our God gives you much more land [than you will have when you first occupy it], which is what he has promised to do, and you say ‘I would like some meat to eat’ because you are craving/wanting some meat, you will be permitted to eat meat whenever you want to.
21 Uba indawo iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ezayikhetha ukubeka ibizo layo khona ikhatshana lawe, uzahlaba enkomeni zakho loba ezimvini zakho iNkosi ekunike zona, njengokukulaya kwami, uzakudlela phakathi kwamasango akho, njengokwesifiso sonke somphefumulo wakho.
If the place that Yahweh our God chooses to be the place for you to worship him is far [from where you live], you are permitted to kill some of your cattle or sheep that Yahweh has given to you, and you may eat that meat at the places where you live, just like I have told you to do.
22 Ngitsho, njengalokhu kudliwa umziki lendluzele, ngokunjalo uzazidla; ongahlambulukanga lohlambulukileyo angazidla ngokufananayo.
Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God, and those who have not done things like that, are all permitted to all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.
23 Kuphela qaphela ukuthi ungadli igazi, ngoba igazi liyimpilo; ngakho kawuyikudla impilo kanye lenyama.
But be sure that you do not eat the blood [of any animal], because it is the blood that sustains life in living beings, and so you must not eat the life along with the meat.
24 Ungalidli, uzalichithela emhlabathini njengamanzi.
Do not eat the blood; instead, let it drain onto the ground.
25 Ungalidli, ukuze kukulungele labantwana bakho emva kwakho, lapho usenza okulungileyo emehlweni eNkosi.
If you obey this command and do what Yahweh says is right [for you to do], things will go well for you and for your descendants.
26 Kuphela izinto ezingcwele olazo, lezithembiso zakho, uzazithatha, uye endaweni iNkosi ezayikhetha.
“But the sacred offerings that Yahweh has told you to give and the other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, you must take to the place that Yahweh will choose.
27 Ulungise iminikelo yakho yokutshiswa, inyama legazi, phezu kwelathi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho. Legazi lemihlatshelo yakho lizathululelwa phezu kwelathi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, lenyama ungayidla.
You must offer there the sacrifices that will be completely burned [on Yahweh’s altar]. You must also offer there the sacrifices from which you may eat some of meat after you [kill the animals and] drain out the blood and some of it is thrown on the [sides of the] altar.
28 Qaphela uzwe wonke amazwi la engikulaya wona, ukuze kukulungele labantwana bakho emva kwakho kuze kube nininini, lapho usenza okulungileyo lokuqondileyo emehlweni eNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho.
Faithfully obey all these things that I have commanded you. If you do that, things will go well forever for you and your descendants, because you will be doing what Yahweh our God says is right [for you to do] and what pleases him.
29 Lapho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho izaquma izizwe zisuke phambi kwakho lapho oya khona ukudla ilifa lazo, lapho usudle ilifa lazo wahlala elizweni lazo,
“When you enter the land that you will occupy, as you advance, Yahweh our God will get rid of the people-groups that live there.
30 ziqaphele ukuthi ungathiywa uzilandele, emva kokuchithwa kwazo phambi kwakho, lokuthi ungabuzi ngonkulunkulu bazo usithi: Izizwe lezi zazikhonza njani onkulunkulu bazo? Lami ngizakwenza njalo.
After he does that, be sure that you do not [worship the gods] that they have been worshiping, because if you do that, you will be caught in the same trap [that they were caught in] [MET]. Do not ask anyone about those gods, saying, ‘Tell me how they worshiped their gods, in order that I can [worship them] also.’
31 Kawuyikwenza njalo eNkosini uNkulunkulu wakho; ngoba konke okunengekayo eNkosini, ekuzondayo, zikwenzile kubonkulunkulu bazo; ngoba ngitsho amadodana azo lamadodakazi azo zibatshisile ngomlilo kubonkulunkulu bazo.
Do not try to worship Yahweh our God like they have worshiped their gods, because when they worship them, they do disgusting things, things that Yahweh hates. [The worst thing that they do is] that they sacrifice their own children and burn them [on their altars].
32 Yonke into engililaya ngayo, qaphelani ukuyenza; ungengezeleli kuyo, futhi ungaphunguli kuyo.
“Be sure to do everything that I have commanded you to do. Do not add anything to these commands, and do not take anything away from them.”

< UDutheronomi 12 >