UDutheronomi 23
1 Olimele emasendeni, loba oqunywe amaphambili, angangeni ebandleni leNkosi.
“Any man whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall not be (included as one of/allowed to worship with) Yahweh’s people.
2 Ozelwe ngobufebe angangeni ebandleni leNkosi; ngitsho isizukulwana sakhe setshumi kasiyikungena ebandleni leNkosi.
“No (illegitimate person/person whose mother and father were not married), or descendant of that person, extending to the tenth generation, shall be included as one of Yahweh’s people.
3 UmAmoni lomMowabi kangangeni ebandleni leNkosi; ngitsho isizukulwana sabo setshumi kasiyikungena ebandleni leNkosi, kuze kube laphakade;
“No one from the Ammon or Moab people-groups shall be (included as one of/allowed to worship with) Yahweh’s people, extending to the tenth generation.
4 ngenxa yokuthi kabalihlangabezanga endleleni ngesinkwa langamanzi ekuphumeni kwenu eGibhithe; futhi ngoba baqhatsha ukumelana lawe uBalami indodana kaBeyori owePethori oweMesopotamiya ukuze akuqalekise.
One reason is that their [leaders] refused to give your ancestors food and water when they were traveling from Egypt [to Canaan]. Another reason is that they wanted to pay Balaam, the son of Beor from Pethor [town] in Mesopotamia, to curse you Israelis.
5 Kodwa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho kayifunanga ukuzwa uBalami; kodwa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho yaphendula isiqalekiso saba yisibusiso kuwe, ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho yakuthanda.
But Yahweh our God did not pay attention to Balaam; instead, he caused Balaam to bless your ancestors, because Yahweh loved them.
6 Kawuyikudinga ukuthula kwabo lokuhle kwabo zonke izinsuku zakho, kuze kube laphakade.
As long as Israel is a nation, you must not do anything to cause things to go well for those two people-groups or enable them to prosper.
7 Unganengwa ngumEdoma, ngoba ungumfowenu; unganengwa ngumGibhithe, ngoba wawungowemzini elizweni lakhe.
“But do not despise anyone from the Edom people-group, because they are [descendants of your ancestor Jacob], just like you are. And do not despise people from Egypt, because [they treated your ancestors well when] they first lived in Egypt.
8 Abantwana abazalwa yibo, besizukulwana sesithathu sabo, bangangena ebandleni leNkosi.
The children and grandchildren of people from Edom and Egypt [who live among you] may be (included among/allowed to worship with) Yahweh’s people.”
9 Lapho inkamba iphuma ukuyamelana lezitha zakho, uzazigcina kuyo yonke into embi.
“When your soldiers are living in tents at a time of fighting your enemies, they must avoid doing things that would make them unacceptable to God.
10 Uba ekhona phakathi kwenu umuntu ongahlambulukanga ngenxa yokungcola okwehla ebusuku, uzaphumela ngaphandle kwenkamba, angangeni phakathi kwenkamba.
If any soldier becomes unacceptable to God because semen comes out of his body during the night, [the next morning] he must go outside the camp and stay there during that day.
11 Kodwa kuzakuthi sekuzakuhlwa uzageza ngamanzi, lalapho ilanga selitshonile angene aye phakathi kwenkamba.
But in the evening of that day, he must bathe himself, and at sunset he is allowed to come back into the camp.
12 Njalo uzakuba lendawo ngaphandle kwenkamba lapho ozaphumela khona ukuya ngaphandle,
“Your soldiers must have a toilet area outside the camp where you can go [when you need to].
13 ube lesikhonkwane ezikhalini zakho; njalo kuzakuthi usuye ngaphandle, ugebhe ngaso, uphenduke ugqibele okuphume kuwe.
[When you go to fight against your enemies], carry a stick along with your weapons, in order that when you need to defecate [EUP], you can dig a hole with the stick, and then cover up the hole [when you have finished defecating].
14 Ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho iyahamba phakathi kwenkamba yakho, ukukukhulula, lokunikela izitha zakho phambi kwakho. Ngakho inkamba yakho izakuba ngcwele, ukuze ingaboni lutho oluyangisayo phakathi kwakho, ikufulathele.
You must keep the camp acceptable to Yahweh our God, because he is with you in your camp to protect you and to enable you to defeat your enemies. Do not do anything disgraceful/indecent that would cause Yahweh to abandon you.”
15 Unganikeli enkosini yaso isigqili esibalekele kuwe sisuka enkosini yaso;
“If slaves who escape from their masters come to you [and request you to protect them], do not send them back to their masters.
16 sizahlala lawe phakathi kwakho, endaweni esizayikhetha, kwelinye lamasango akho, lapho okusilungele khona; ungasicindezeli.
Allow them to stay/live among you, in whatever town they choose, and do not mistreat them.
17 Kakungabi khona iwule elethempeli phakathi kwamadodakazi akoIsrayeli, njalo kakungabi khona inkotshana phakathi kwamadodana akoIsrayeli.
“Do not [allow] any Israeli man or woman [to] become a prostitute at the temple.
18 Ungalethi iholo lewule lemali yenja endlini yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ngokwaloba yisiphi isithembiso; ngoba lokho kokubili kuyisinengiso eNkosini uNkulunkulu wakho.
Also, do not allow any people who earned money from being a prostitute to bring any of that money into the temple of Yahweh our God, even if they solemnly promised to pay that money to Yahweh. Yahweh hates those who are prostitutes.
19 Ungeboleki umfowenu ngenzalo, inzalo yemali, inzalo yokudla, inzalo yaloba yiyiphi into ebolekwa ngenzalo.
“When you lend money or food or anything else to a fellow Israeli, do not charge them interest.
20 Ungeboleka owezizweni ngenzalo, kodwa ungeboleki umfowenu ngenzalo, ukuze iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ikubusise kukho konke ofaka isandla sakho kukho elizweni oya kulo ukudla ilifa lalo.
You are allowed to charge interest when you lend money to foreigners [who live in your land], but not when you lend money to Israelis. Do this in order that Yahweh our God will bless you in everything that you do in the land that you are about to enter and occupy.
21 Nxa uthembisa isithembiso eNkosini uNkulunkulu wakho, ungaphuzi ukusikhokha; ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho izasibiza lokusibiza kuwe; njalo kuzakuba yisono kuwe.
“When you vow to give something to Yahweh your God [or to do something for him], do it as soon as you can. Yahweh expects you to do what you promised, and if you do not do it, you will be committing a sin.
22 Kodwa uba uyekela ukuthembisa, kakuyikuba yisono kuwe.
But if you [SYN] do not vow [to do something], that is not sinful.
23 Lokho okuphuma endebeni zakho uzakugcina ukwenze; njengokuthembisa kwakho eNkosini uNkulunkulu wakho, umnikelo wesihle owukhulume ngomlomo wakho.
But if you voluntarily promise to do something, you must do it.
24 Nxa ungena esivinini somakhelwane wakho, ungadla izithelo zevini njengokuthanda kwakho usuthe; kodwa ungafaki lutho esitsheni sakho.
“When you walk through someone else’s vineyard, you are allowed to [pick and] eat as many grapes as you want, but you must not [cut some from a vine and carry them away] in a container.
25 Nxa ungena emabeleni amileyo kamakhelwane wakho, ungakha izikhwebu ngesandla sakho; kodwa ungangenisi isikela emabeleni amileyo kamakhelwane wakho.
When you walk [along a path] in someone else’s field of grain, you are allowed to pluck/pick some of the grain and eat it, but you must not cut any grain with a sickle [and take it with you].”
