< UDutheronomi 16 >
1 Gcina inyanga kaAbhibhi, wenzele iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho iphasika, ngoba ngenyanga kaAbhibhi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho yakukhupha eGibhithe ebusuku.
“[Each year] honor Yahweh our God by celebrating the Passover [Festival] in the month of Abib [in early spring]. It was on a night in that month that Yahweh rescued your ancestors from Egypt.
2 Ngakho uzahlabela iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho iphasika, lezimvu lenkomo, endaweni iNkosi ezayikhetha ukuthi ibeke ibizo layo khona.
[In order to celebrate that festival], go to the place that Yahweh will choose [for you to worship him], and offer [there one young animal] from your cattle or your sheep to be the Passover sacrifice, to honor Yahweh [MTY].
3 Ungadli lalo isinkwa esilemvubelo. Insuku eziyisikhombisa uzakudla lalo isinkwa esingelamvubelo, isinkwa senhlupheko, ngoba waphuma elizweni leGibhithe ngokuphangisa, ukuze ukhumbule usuku lokuphuma kwakho elizweni leGibhithe zonke izinsuku zempilo yakho.
[When you eat the Passover meal], the bread that you eat must not have yeast in it. You must eat this kind of bread, which will be called the bread of suffering/misery, for seven days. This is to help you to remember all during the time that you are alive that when your ancestors left Egypt, [where they were suffering because they were slaves], they left very quickly. [They did not put in yeast and wait for the dough to swell up].
4 Njalo kakungabonwa kuwe imvubelo emingceleni yonke yakho insuku eziyisikhombisa; futhi okwenyama oyihlaba kusihlwa ngosuku lokuqala kakungalali ubusuku bonke kuze kuse.
[During that festival], you must not have any yeast in any house in your land for seven days. Furthermore, the meat [of the animals] that you sacrifice on the evening of the first day [of the Passover Festival must be eaten during that night]; do not allow any of it to remain until the next day.
5 Awulakuhlaba iphasika phakathi kwaloba yiliphi lamasango akho, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika wona,
“To honor Yahweh our God, you must offer the Passover sacrifice only at the place that he chooses for you [to worship him]; do not offer that sacrifice in any other town in the land that Yahweh is giving to you. Offer that sacrifice when the sun is setting, at the same time of day that your ancestors [started to] leave Egypt.
6 kodwa endaweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ezayikhetha ukuhlalisa ibizo layo khona, lapho uzahlabela iphasika kusihlwa, ekutshoneni kwelanga, ngesikhathi esimisiweyo sokuphuma kwakho eGibhithe.
7 Njalo uzalipheka, ulidlele endaweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ezayikhetha. Lekuseni uzaphenduka uye emathenteni akho.
Boil [the meat] and eat it at the place [of worship] that Yahweh our God chooses. The next morning, you may return to your tents.
8 Insuku eziyisithupha uzakudla isinkwa esingelamvubelo; langosuku lwesikhombisa kube lomhlangano onzulu eNkosini uNkulunkulu wakho; ungenzi umsebenzi.
Each day for six days the bread that you eat must have no yeast in it. On the seventh day, you must all gather to worship Yahweh our God. [It will be a day of rest]; you must not do any work on that day.”
9 Uzazibalela amaviki ayisikhombisa. Kusukela beqalisa ngesikela emabeleni amileyo uzaqala ukubala amaviki ayisikhombisa.
“[Each year], from the day that you start to harvest your grain, count seven weeks.
10 Khona uzagcinela iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho umkhosi wamaviki, umnikelo wesihle wesandla sakho, ozawunikela, njengalokhu iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ikubusisile.
Then, to honor Yahweh our God, celebrate the Harvest Festival. Do that by bringing to him an offering [of grain]. Yahweh has blessed you [by causing it to grow in your fields during that year]. If you had a big harvest, bring a big offering. If you had a small harvest, bring a small offering.
11 Njalo uzathokoza phambi kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, wena lendodana yakho lendodakazi yakho, lenceku yakho lencekukazi yakho, lomLevi ophakathi kwamasango akho, lowezizweni, lentandane, lomfelokazi, abaphakathi kwakho, endaweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ezayikhetha ukuhlalisa ibizo layo khona.
[Each married couple] should be joyful in the presence of Yahweh. Their children, their servants, the descendants of Levi [who are in that town], and the foreigners, orphans, and widows [who are living among you], should also be joyful. Bring those offerings to the place of worship that Yahweh will choose.
12 Uzakhumbula-ke ukuthi wawuyisigqili eGibhithe. Njalo uzagcina njalo wenze lezizimiso.
[“When you celebrate these festivals] by obeying these commands, remember that your ancestors were previously slaves in Egypt.”
13 Umkhosi wamadumba uzazigcinela wona insuku eziyisikhombisa, ekubutheleni kwakho ebaleni lakho lokubhulela lesikhamelweni sakho sewayini.
“[Each year], after you have threshed all your grain and pressed [the juice from] all your grapes, you must celebrate the Festival of [Living in Temporary] Shelters for seven days.
14 Njalo uzathaba emkhosini wakho, wena lendodana yakho lendodakazi yakho, lenceku yakho lencekukazi yakho, lomLevi, lowezizweni, lentandane, lomfelokazi, abaphakathi kwamasango akho.
[Each married couple] along with their children, their servants, the descendants of Levi [who are in that town], and the foreigners, orphans, and widows [who are living among you], should be joyful in the presence of Yahweh.
15 Insuku eziyisikhombisa uzayigcinela iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho umkhosi, endaweni iNkosi ezayikhetha; ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho izakubusisa kuzo zonke izithelo zakho lemsebenzini wonke wezandla zakho. Ngakho uzathokoza ngoqotho.
Honor Yahweh our God by celebrating this festival for seven days in the place that Yahweh chooses [for you to worship him]. You should all be joyful, because Yahweh will have blessed your harvest and all the other work that you have done.
16 Kathathu ngomnyaka wonke owesilisa wakho uzabonakala phambi kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho endaweni ezayikhetha, ngomkhosi wesinkwa esingelamvubelo, langomkhosi wamaviki, langomkhosi wamadumba. Njalo kayikubonakala phambi kweNkosi engaphathanga lutho;
“So, each year all of you Israeli men must gather [with your families] to worship Yahweh our God at the place that he will choose, [to celebrate three festivals]: The Passover Festival, the Harvest Festival, and the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters. Each of you men must bring [LIT] an offering [for Yahweh to these festivals]
17 ngulowo lalowo ngokwesipho sesandla sakhe, njengesibusiso seNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, ekunike sona.
in proportion to the blessings that Yahweh has given you [during that year].”
18 Abahluleli lezinduna uzazibekela bona emasangweni akho wonke, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika wona, phakathi kwezizwe zakho, ukuthi bahlulele abantu ngesahlulelo esilungileyo.
“Appoint judges and other officials throughout your tribes, in all the towns [in the land] that Yahweh our God is giving to you. They must judge people fairly/justly.
19 Ungaphambuli isahlulelo, ungakhangeli ubuso, ungemukeli isipho, ngoba isipho siphumputhekisa amehlo abahlakaniphileyo, siphambula amazwi abalungileyo.
They must not judge unjustly. They must not favor one person more than another. The judges must not accept bribes, because if a judge accepts a bribe, even if he is wise and honest, it will be very difficult for him to judge fairly [IDM]; [he will do what the person who gave him the bribe wants him to do and declare that] the righteous/innocent people [must be punished].
20 Ukulunga, ukulunga uzakunxwanela, ukuze uphile, udle ilifa lelizwe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona.
You must be completely fair and just [DOU], in order that you will enter and occupy the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you.”
21 Ungazihlanyeleli isixuku saloba yisiphi isihlahla eduze kwelathi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, ozazenzela lona.
“When you make an altar to worship Yahweh our God, do not put next to it any wooden statue [that represents] the goddess Asherah.
22 Njalo ungazimiseli insika eyisithombe, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho eyizondayo.
And do not set up any [stone] pillar [to worship any idol, because] Yahweh hates them.”