UDutheronomi 17
1 Ungahlabeli iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho inkabi kumbe imvu okukuyo isici, loba yiyiphi into embi, ngoba kuyisinengiso eNkosini uNkulunkulu wakho.
“Do not sacrifice to Yahweh our God any cattle or sheep or goats that have any defects, because Yahweh hates that kind of gift.”
2 Uba kutholakala phakathi kwakho, loba phakathi kwaliphi lamasango akho, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika wona, owesilisa loba owesifazana owenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, ngokweqa isivumelwano sayo,
“When you are living in any of the towns [in the land] that Yahweh our God is giving to you, suppose you hear that there is some man or woman who sins by disobeying the agreement that Yahweh has made with you.
3 abesesiyakhonza abanye onkulunkulu, abakhothamele, loba ilanga kumbe inyanga, kumbe enye yebutho lamazulu, engingakulayanga,
Suppose someone tells you that that person has worshiped and served other gods, or the sun, or the moon, or the stars.
4 ube usukubikelwa, ukuzwe, uzakubuzisisa, khangela-ke, kuliqiniso, indaba iqinisekile, lesosinengiso senziwe koIsrayeli,
If you hear that some person has been doing that, you must investigate it thoroughly. If [you find out that] it is true that this detestable thing has happened in Israel,
5 uzayikhupha leyondoda kumbe lowo owesifazana, abenze leyonto embi, emasangweni akho, leyondoda kumbe lowo owesifazana, ubakhande ngamatshe baze bafe.
you must take outside the town the man or woman who has done it. Then you must kill that person by throwing stones at him or her.
6 Ngomlomo wabafakazi ababili loba wabafakazi abathathu ofanele ukufa uzabulawa; kayikubulawa ngomlomo womfakazi oyedwa.
But you are allowed to execute such people only if at least two witnesses testify that they saw them [doing that]. They must not be executed if there is only one witness.
7 Isandla sabafakazi sizakuba ngesokuqala phezu kwakhe ukumbulala, lemva kwalokho isandla sabo bonke abantu. Ngalokhu uzakhupha ububi phakathi kwakho.
The (witnesses/ones who saw them doing it) must be the first ones to throw stones at them. Then the other people [MTY] [should throw stones at them]. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you.”
8 Uba kulodaba olulukhuni kakhulu kuwe ekwahluleleni, phakathi kwegazi legazi, phakathi kwesahlulelo lesahlulelo, laphakathi kokutshaya lokutshaya, indaba zokuphikisana emasangweni akho, khona uzasukuma uye endaweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ezayikhetha,
“Sometimes it will be very difficult for a judge to decide what really happened. He might be trying to decide whether, when someone injured or killed another person, he did it accidentally or deliberately. Or he might be trying to decide if some person is suing another person unfairly. If in some town it is very difficult to know what really happened, with the result that the judge cannot decide it, you should go to the place that Yahweh our God has chosen for you [to worship him].
9 uze kubapristi abangamaLevi lakumahluleli ozakuba ekhona ngalezonsuku, uzabuza; babesebekutshela isinqumo sesahlulelo.
There you should present the case to the descendants of Levi who are the priests, and to the judge who is serving at that time, and they should decide what should be done.
10 Njalo uzakwenza njengokwesinqumo abazakutshela sona kuleyondawo iNkosi ezayikhetha; njalo unanzelele ukwenza njengakho konke abazakufundisa khona.
After they make their decision, you must do what they tell you to do.
11 Njengokomthetho abazakufundisa wona, lanjengokwesahlulelo abazakutshela sona, uzakwenza. Kawuyikuphambuka kusinqumo abazakutshela sona, uye ngakwesokunene kumbe ngakwesokhohlo.
Accept what they have decided, and do what they say that you should do. Do not try to change in any way what they have decided [IDM].
12 Lendoda eyenza ngokuziqhenya ukuze ingalaleli umpristi omi ukukhonza khona iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, kumbe umahluleli, leyondoda izakufa. Ngalokhu uzakhupha ububi koIsrayeli.
You must execute anyone who proudly/arrogantly disobeys the judge or the priest who stands there in the presence of Yahweh [and decides what should be done]. By doing that, you will get rid of evil practices among you.
13 Njalo bonke abantu bazakuzwa, besabe, bangaphindi ukuziqhenya.
Then [after that person is executed], all the people will hear about it, and they will be afraid, and none of them will act that way any more.”
14 Lapho usufikile elizweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona ukuthi udle ilifa lalo, uhlale kilo, ubususithi: Ngizazimisela inkosi njengazo zonke izizwe ezingizingelezeleyo;
“[I know that] after you have occupied the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you are living there, you will say, ‘We should have a king to rule over us, like the kings that other nations around us have.’
15 umbeke lokumbeka abe yinkosi phezu kwakho, yena iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ezamkhetha. Evela phakathi kwabafowenu umbeke abe yinkosi phezu kwakho; kawulakumbeka owezizweni phezu kwakho ongesumfowenu.
Yahweh our God will permit you to have a king, but be sure that you appoint someone whom he has chosen. That man must be an Israeli; you must not appoint someone who is a foreigner to be your king.
16 Kodwa angazandiseli amabhiza, njalo angababuyiseli abantu eGibhithe ukuze andise amabhiza, ngoba iNkosi ithe kini: Kalisayikubuyela futhi ngaleyondlela.
[After he becomes the king], he should not acquire a large number of horses for himself. He should not send people to Egypt to buy horses for him, because Yahweh said to you, ‘Never return to Egypt [for anything’]!
17 Futhi angazandiseli abafazi, ukuze inhliziyo yakhe ingaphambuki; njalo angazandiseli kakhulu isiliva legolide.
And he must not have a lot of wives, because if he did that, they would turn him [SYN] away from [worshiping only] Yahweh. And he must not acquire a lot of silver and gold.
18 Kuzakuthi esehlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sombuso wakhe, uzazibhalela impinda yalumlayo egwalweni, okuvela kulokho okuphambi kwabapristi abangamaLevi.
“When he becomes your king, he must [appoint someone to] copy these laws. He must copy them from the scroll that is kept by the priests who are descended from Levi.
19 Njalo luzakuba laye, njalo abale kulo insuku zonke zempilo yakhe, ukuze afunde ukuyesaba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakhe, agcine wonke amazwi alumlayo lezimiso lezi, akwenze,
He must keep this new scroll near him and read from it every day of his life, in order that he may learn to revere Yahweh, and to faithfully obey [DOU] all the rules and regulations [that are written] in these laws.
20 ukuze inhliziyo yakhe ingaziphakamisi phezu kwabafowabo, lokuze angaphambuki emthethweni aye ngakwesokunene loba ngakwesokhohlo, ukuze elule izinsuku embusweni wakhe, yena labantwana bakhe, phakathi kukaIsrayeli.
If he does that, he [SYN] will not think that he is (better/more important) than [IDM] his fellow Israelis, and he will completely obey [LIT] Yahweh’s commands. As a result, he and his descendants will rule as kings in Israel for many years.”
