UDutheronomi 21
1 Uba kutholakala obuleweyo elizweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona ukudla ilifa lalo, elele egangeni, kungaziwa ukuthi ngubani omtshayileyo,
“Suppose someone has been murdered in a field in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you do not know who killed that person.
2 abadala bakho labahluleli bakho bazaphuma, balinganise ukuya emizini ezingelezele obuleweyo.
[If that happens], your elders and judges must go out to where that person’s corpse was found and measure the distance from there to each of the nearby towns.
3 Kuzakuthi-ke umuzi oseduze lobuleweyo, abadala balowomuzi bazathatha ithokazi enkomeni, okungasetshenzwanga ngalo, elingadonsanga ejogweni.
Then the elders in the town that is closest to where the corpse was found must select a young cow that has never been used for doing work.
4 Labadala balowomuzi balehlisele ithokazi esigodini esilamanzi angacitshiyo, esingalinywanga lesingahlanyelwanga, bephule intamo yethokazi lapho esigodini.
They must take it to a place near a stream where the ground has never been plowed or planted. They must break its neck there in that valley.
5 Abapristi, amadodana kaLevi, bazasondela-ke; ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ibakhethile ukuyikhonza lokubusisa ebizweni leNkosi, langomlomo wabo kuzaqunywa konke ukuxabana lakho konke ukutshaya.
The priests must go there also, because Yahweh our God has chosen them from the tribe of Levi to serve him and to be his representatives [MTY] when they bless people. And he has also chosen them to settle disputes in which someone has been injured.
6 Labo bonke abadala balowomuzi oseduze lobuleweyo bazagezela izandla zabo phezu kwethokazi elephulwe intamo esigodini,
The elders from the closest town must wash their hands over the young cow whose neck was broken,
7 baphendule bathi: Izandla zethu kazichithanga leligazi, lamehlo ethu kawakubonanga.
and they must say, ‘We did not murder this person [MTY], and we did not see who did it.
8 Benzele inhlawulo yokuthula abantu bakho uIsrayeli owamhlengayo, Nkosi, ungabeki igazi elingelacala phakathi kwesizwe sakho uIsrayeli. Legazi bazalithethelelwa.
Yahweh, forgive us, your Israeli people whom you rescued [from Egypt]. Do not consider (us to be guilty/that we should be punished because) of murdering someone who (is innocent/had not done something that is wrong). Instead, forgive us.’
9 Ngalokhu wena uzakhupha igazi elingelacala phakathi kwakho nxa usenza okulungileyo emehlweni eNkosi.
By doing that, you will be doing what Yahweh considers to be right, and you will not be considered to be guilty for murdering that person.”
10 Lapho uphuma impi ukumelana lezitha zakho, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho isizinikele esandleni sakho, usuthumbe abathunjwa bazo,
“When you [soldiers] go to fight against your enemies, and Yahweh our God enables you to defeat them [IDM], and (they become your prisoners/you capture them),
11 ubusubona phakathi kwabathunjiweyo owesifazana omuhle, umfise, ukuthi ungamthatha abe ngumkakho,
one of you may see among them a beautiful woman that he likes, and he may want to marry her.
12 uzamngenisa phakathi komuzi wakho, njalo aphuce ikhanda lakhe, aqume inzipho zakhe,
He should take her to his home, and there she must shave [all the hair off] her head and cut her fingernails [to signify that now she does not belong to her people-group any more, but instead she is becoming an Israeli].
13 akhulule izembatho zokuthunjwa kwakhe, ahlale emzini wakho abeselilela uyise lonina inyanga yonke. Emva kwalokho ubusungena kuye, ube yindoda yakhe, laye abe ngumkakho.
She must take off the clothes that she was wearing when she was captured, [and put on Israeli clothes]. She must stay in that man’s house and mourn for a month because of [leaving] her parents. After that, he will be allowed to marry her.
14 Kuzakuthi-ke, uba ungathokozi ngaye, uzamyekela ahambe njengokuthanda kwakhe; kodwa ungamthengisi lokumthengisa ngemali, ungamphathi njengesigqili, ngoba usumthobisile.
Later, if he no longer is pleased with her, he will be permitted to allow her to leave him. But because she was forced to have sex with him, he will not be allowed to treat her like a slave [and sell her to someone else].”
15 Uba indoda ilabafazi ababili, omunye eyintandokazi lomunye eyisaliwakazi, njalo bamzalele abantwana, intandokazi lesaliwakazi, uba izibulo libe yindodana yesaliwakazi,
“Suppose that a man has two wives, but he likes one of them and dislikes the other one. And suppose that they both give birth to sons, and the oldest son is the child of the woman that he does not like.
16 kuzakuthi, mhla esenza amadodana akhe ukuthi adle ilifa lalokho alakho, kangayenzi indodana yentandokazi ibe lizibulo phambi kwendodana yesaliwakazi, elizibulo.
On the day when that man decides how he will divide his possessions for his sons to possess [after he dies], he must not favor the son of the wife that he loves by giving him [a bigger share, ] the share that the older son should receive.
17 Kodwa izibulo indodana yesaliwakazi uzalivuma ngokulinika isabelo esiphindwe kabili sakho konke okuficwayo kuye, ngoba liyikuqala kwamandla akhe; ilungelo lobuzibulo ngelalo.
He must give to the older son, the son of the wife whom he does not like, twice as much of his possessions. That son is his firstborn son, and he must be given the share that he should receive because of his being that man’s firstborn son.”
18 Uba indoda ilendodana elenkani lengezwayo, engalaleli ilizwi likayise kumbe ilizwi likanina, sebeyijezisile, njalo ingabalaleli,
“Suppose there is a boy who is very stubborn and always (rebelling against/disobeying) [his parents], and who will not heed what they say to him. And suppose that they punish him but he still does not pay attention to what they tell him [MTY].
19 khona uyise lonina bazayibamba, bayikhuphele ebadaleni bomuzi wayo, lesangweni lendawo yayo,
If that happens, his parents must take him to the (gate of/central meeting place in) the city where he lives and have him stand in front of the elders of the city.
20 bathi ebadaleni bomuzi wayo: Lindodana yethu ilenkani, kayizwa, kayilaleli ilizwi lethu; iyisiminzi lesidakwa.
Then the parents must say to the elders of that city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and always rebelling against us. He will not pay attention to what we tell him [MTY]. He wastes a lot of money (OR, eats too much food) and gets drunk.’
21 Khona wonke amadoda omuzi wayo azayikhanda ngamatshe ize ife; ngalokho uzakhupha ububi phakathi kwakho; njalo uIsrayeli wonke uzakuzwa, esabe.
Then all the elders of that city must execute him by throwing stones at him. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you. And everyone in Israel will hear [about what happened] and they will be afraid [to do what he did].”
22 Njalo uba kuzakuba lesono emuntwini esifanele ukufa, abulawe, uzamphanyeka esihlahleni.
“If someone is executed for having committed a crime for which he deserves to die, and you hang his corpse on a post,
23 Isidumbu sakhe singahlali esihlahleni ubusuku bonke, kodwa lizamngcwaba lokumngcwaba ngalolosuku (ngoba ophanyekiweyo uqalekisiwe nguNkulunkulu), ukuze lingangcoliswa ilizwe lakho, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona ukuba yilifa.
you must not allow his corpse to remain there all night. You must bury it on the day that he died, because [God] has cursed anyone whose corpse is allowed to remain on a post. [You must bury the corpse that day], in order that you do not defile the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you.”
