UDutheronomi 15
1 Ekupheleni kweminyaka yonke eyisikhombisa uzakwenza inkululeko.
“At the end of every seven years, you must (cancel all debts/tell people who owe you money that they do not need to pay it back).
2 Njalo le yindlela yenkululeko: Wonke umkweledisi oweboleka umakhelwane wakhe uzakhulula isikwelede; kayikusibamba ngamandla kumakhelwane wakhe kumbe kumfowabo, ngoba kumenyezelwe inkululeko eNkosini.
Do it like this: Each of you who has lent money to a fellow Israeli must cancel that debt. You must not insist that he pay it back. You must do that because Yahweh has declared that the debts must be canceled [every seven years].
3 Kowezizweni uzasibamba ngamandla; kodwa lokho okwakho okukumfowenu isandla sakho sizakukhulula;
[During that year] you may require foreigners [who live among you] to pay what they owe you, but you must not try to require that any fellow Israeli pay you what he owes you.
4 ukuze kungabi lomyanga phakathi kwakho; ngoba iNkosi izakubusisa lokukubusisa elizweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona ukuthi libe yilifa ukudla ilifa lalo,
Yahweh our God will bless you in the land that he is giving to you. If you obey Yahweh our God and obey all the commandments that I am giving to you today, there will not be any poor people among you.
5 kuphela uba ulalela lokulalela ilizwi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, ugcine ukuyenza limithetho yonke engikulaya yona lamuhla.
6 Ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho izakubusisa njengokuthembisa kwayo kuwe. Njalo uzakweboleka izizwe ezinengi, kodwa wena kawuyikweboleka kuzo; uzabusa izizwe ezinengi, kodwa wena kaziyikukubusa.
Yahweh our God will bless you like he has promised to do, and you will [be able to] lend money to people of other people-groups, but you will not [need to] borrow from any of them. You will control [the finances of] many people-groups, but they will not control your [finances].
7 Uba kukhona phakathi kwakho umyanga ongomunye wabafowenu, kwelinye lamasango akho, elizweni lakho, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona, ungenzi lukhuni inhliziyo yakho, ungamvaleli umfowenu ongumyanga isandla sakho,
“In the towns that Yahweh our God is giving to you, if there are any Israelis who are poor, do not be selfish [IDM] and refuse [IDM] to help them.
8 kodwa uzamvulela lokumvulela isandla sakho, umeboleke lokumeboleka okwanela ukuswela kwakhe, lokho akuswelayo.
Instead, be generous [IDM] and lend to them the money that they need.
9 Ziqaphele hlezi kube khona ilizwi enhliziyweni yakho embi lisithi: Umnyaka wesikhombisa, umnyaka wenkululeko useduze; lelihlo lakho libe libi limelane lomfowenu ongumyanga, ukuze ungamniki, abesekhala ngawe eNkosini, njalo kube yisono kuwe.
Be sure that you do not say to yourself, ‘The year when debts will be canceled is near, [so I do not want to lend anyone any money now, because he will not need to pay it back when that year comes].’ It would be evil to even think that. If you act in an unfriendly way toward a needy fellow Israeli, and give him nothing, he will cry out to Yahweh about you, and [Yahweh will say that] you have sinned [by not helping that person].
10 Umnike lokumnika, lenhliziyo yakho ingadani nxa umnika; ngoba ngenxa yalinto iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho izakubusisa emsebenzini wonke wakho lakukho konke obeka kukho isandla sakho.
Give freely to poor people and give generously [IDM].
11 Ngoba umyanga kayikuphela phakathi kwelizwe. Ngakho ngiyakulaya ngithi: Uzamvulela kakhulu isandla sakho umfowenu, umyanga wakho, loswelayo wakho, elizweni lakho.
If you do that, Yahweh will bless you in everything that you do. There will always be some poor people in your land, so I command you to give generously to poor [DOU] people.”
12 Uba umfowenu, umHebheru loba umHebherukazi, ethengiswa kuwe, akusebenzele iminyaka eyisithupha, ngakho ngomnyaka wesikhombisa uzamyekela ukuthi ahambe ekhululekile asuke kuwe.
“If any of your fellow Israeli men or women sell themselves to one of you [to become your slave], you must free them after they have worked for you for six years. When the seventh year comes, you must free them.
13 Lalapho umyekela ukuthi ahambe ekhululekile esuka kuwe, ungamyekeli ukuthi ahambe engaphathanga lutho;
When you free them, do not allow them to go (empty-handed/without giving them anything).
14 uzamnakekela lokumnakekela ezimvini zakho, lokwebala lokubhulela lakho, lokwesikhamelo sakho sewayini; kulokho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekubusise ngakho uzamupha.
Give to them generously from the things with which Yahweh has blessed you—sheep, grain, and wine.
15 Njalo uzakhumbula ukuthi wawuyisigqili elizweni leGibhithe, lokuthi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho yakuhlenga. Ngalokho ngiyakulaya linto lamuhla.
Do not forget that your ancestors were once slaves in Egypt, and Yahweh our God freed them. That is the reason that I am now commanding you to do this.
16 Kodwa kuzakuthi, uba esithi kuwe: Kangiyikusuka kuwe, ngoba ethanda wena lendlu yakho, ngoba kulungile kuye elawe,
“But one of your slaves may say, ‘I do not want to leave you.’ He loves you and your family, because you have treated him well.
17 uzathatha usungulo, ubhobozele indlebe yakhe ngalo esivalweni, ukuze abe yisigqili sakho laphakade. Lakuso isigqilikazi sakho wenze njalo.
If he says that, take him to the door of your house and, [while he stands against the doorway], pierce one of his earlobes with (an awl/a sharp pointed tool). That will indicate that he will be your slave for the rest of his life. Do the same thing to any female slave [who does not want to leave you].
18 Kakungabi lukhuni emehlweni akho nxa umyekela ehamba ekhululekile kuwe; ngoba ngokuphindwe kabili kweholo lesiqatshwa ukusebenzele iminyaka eyisithupha. Ngakho iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho izakubusisa kukho konke okwenzayo.
“Do not complain when you are required to free your slaves. [Keep in mind that] they served you for six years, and you paid them only half as much as you pay the servants that you hire. [If you free them, ] Yahweh our God will bless you in everything that you do.”
19 Wonke amazibulo azazalwa enkomeni zakho lezimvini zakho, amaduna, uzawangcwelisela iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho; kawuyikusebenza ngezibulo lejongosi lakho, futhi kawuyikugunda izibulo lezimvu zakho.
“(Set aside for/Dedicate to) Yahweh our God the firstborn male animals from your cattle and sheep. Do not force them to do any work for you, and do not (shear/cut off) the wool [of the firstborn animals to sell the wool].
20 Phambi kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho uzalidla, umnyaka ngomnyaka, endaweni iNkosi ezayikhetha, wena lendlu yakho.
You and your family may [kill them and] eat their meat in the presence of Yahweh at the place that Yahweh chooses [for you to worship him].
21 Kodwa uba kulesici kulo, liqhula, loba liyisiphofu, loba lilasiphi isici esibi, ungalihlabeli iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho.
But if the animals have any defects, if they are lame or blind, or if they have any other serious defect, you must not sacrifice them to Yahweh our God.
22 Uzalidla phakathi kwamasango akho, ongahlambulukanga lohlambulukileyo bazalidla bendawonye, njengomziki lanjengendluzele.
You may [kill and] eat [the meat of those animals] at your homes. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done such things are permitted to eat that meat, just like anyone is permitted to eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.
23 Kuphela igazi lalo ungalidli; ulichithele emhlabathini njengamanzi.
But you must not eat any of the blood; you must drain all the blood on the ground [when you kill those animals].”
