UDutheronomi 31
1 UMozisi wasehamba wakhuluma lamazwi kuIsrayeli wonke,
Once Moses had finished giving these instructions to all the Israelites,
2 wathi kubo: Ngileminyaka elikhulu lamatshumi amabili lamuhla; kangiselamandla okuphuma lokungena. LeNkosi yathi kimi: Kawuyikuyichapha le iJordani.
he told them, I'm now a hundred and twenty years old. I can't get around like I used to, and the Lord has told me, “You are not to cross the Jordan.”
3 INkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, yona izachapha phambi kwakho, yona izachitha lezizizwe zisuke phambi kwakho, ukuze udle ilifa lazo. UJoshuwa, yena uzachapha phambi kwakho, njengokutsho kweNkosi.
The Lord your God himself is going to lead you across. He will destroy these nations as you advance, and you will take over their land. Joshua will cross ahead of you, as the Lord said.
4 LeNkosi izakwenza kuzo njengokwenza kwayo kuSihoni lakuOgi, amakhosi amaAmori, lelizweni lawo, ewachithileyo.
The Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and their land when he destroyed them.
5 INkosi izazinikela-ke phambi kwenu, ukuze lenze kuzo njengokwemilayo yonke engililaye yona.
The Lord will hand them over to you, and you will deal with them exactly as I've told you.
6 Qinani, lime isibindi, lingesabi, lingatshaywa luvalo ngenxa yazo; ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, yiyo ehamba lawe; kayiyikukulahla, kayiyikukudela.
Be strong! Be brave! Don't be frightened or terrified of them, because the Lord your God will go with you. He won't ever leave you or abandon you.
7 UMozisi wasembiza uJoshuwa, wathi kuye phambi kwamehlo kaIsrayeli wonke: Qina, ume isibindi; ngoba wena uzangena lalababantu elizweni iNkosi eyalifungela oyise ukubanika lona; uzabenza badle ilifa lalo.
Moses called for Joshua and told him in front of all the Israelites, “Be strong! Be brave! You will accompany this people into the country that the Lord promised to give their forefathers, and you are to allocate it for them to own.
8 Njalo iNkosi, yiyo ehamba phambi kwakho; yona izakuba lawe, ingakulahli, ingakudeli; ungesabi, ungakhathazeki.
The Lord himself goes ahead of you. He will be with you. He won't ever leave you or abandon you. Don't be afraid and don't be discouraged.”
9 UMozisi wasewubhala lumlayo, wawunika abapristi, amadodana kaLevi, ababethwala umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi, lakubo bonke abadala bakoIsrayeli.
Moses wrote this law down and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the Ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the Israelite elders.
10 UMozisi wasebalaya esithi: Ekupheleni kweminyaka eyisikhombisa, ngesikhathi esimisiweyo somnyaka wenkululeko, emkhosini wamadumba,
Moses gave them these orders, At the end of every seven years, the year when debts are canceled during the Festival of Shelters,
11 lapho uIsrayeli wonke esefike ukubonakala phambi kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho endaweni ezayikhetha, uwubale lumlayo phambi kukaIsrayeli wonke endlebeni zabo.
and when all the Israelites comes before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you must read this law in the for everyone to hear.
12 Buthanisa abantu, abesilisa labesifazana labantwana, lowemzini wakho ophakathi kwamasango akho, ukuze bezwe, lokuze bafunde, bayesabe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, bagcine ukwenza wonke amazwi alumlayo.
Have the people gather together—the men, women, children, and the foreigners living with you—so that they can listen and learn to respect the Lord your God and to carefully observe all the instructions of this law.
13 Labantwana babo abangaziyo bezwe, bafunde ukuyesaba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, zonke izinsuku zokuphila kwenu, elizweni elichapha iJordani lisiya kulo ukudla ilifa lalo.
Then their children who don't know the law will listen and learn to respect the Lord your God as the whole time you live in the country that you are going to take over after you cross the Jordan.
14 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Khangela, insuku zakho zokufa sezisondele; biza uJoshuwa, zimiseni ethenteni lenhlangano ukuze ngimlaye. UMozisi loJoshuwa bahamba-ke, bazimisa ethenteni lenhlangano.
Then the Lord told Moses, “Listen, you are soon going to die. Tell Joshua to meet you, and then both of you are to come and stand before me at the Tent of Meeting, so that I may appoint him as leader.” Moses and Joshua went to stand before the Lord at the Tent of Meeting.
15 INkosi yasibonakala ethenteni ensikeni yeyezi; lensika yeyezi yema phezu komnyango wethente.
The Lord appeared there at the tent in a pillar of cloud. The cloud stood at the entrance to the tent.
16 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Khangela, uzalala laboyihlo; lalababantu bazasukuma baphinge ngokulandela onkulunkulu bezizweni belizwe, lapho abaya khona phakathi kwabo, bangitshiye, bephule isivumelwano sami engisenze labo.
The Lord told Moses, “You will join your ancestors in death, and these people are going to prostitute themselves by worshiping the foreign gods of the country they are entering. They will abandon me and break the agreement I've made with them.
17 Lentukuthelo yami izabavuthela ngalolosuku, ngibatshiye, ngibafihlele ubuso bami, ukuze babe yikudla, behlelwe ngokubi okunengi lezinhlupheko, baze bathi ngalolosuku: Angithi lobububi busehlele ngoba uNkulunkulu wethu kakho phakathi kwethu?
Then I will abandon them and turn away from them, so they will be destroyed, and they will experience many disasters and problems. At that time they'll say, ‘We're suffering these disasters because our God has abandoned us!’
18 Lami ngizafihla lokufihla ubuso bami ngalolosuku ngenxa yobubi bonke ababenzileyo, ngoba bephendukele kwabanye onkulunkulu.
Then I will definitely ignore them because of all the evil they have done by worshiping other gods.
19 Ngakho-ke zibhaleleni lingoma, uyifundise abantwana bakoIsrayeli; uyifake emlonyeni wabo ukuze lingoma ibe yibufakazi kimi obumelene labantwana bakoIsrayeli.
So write down this song and teach it to the Israelites. Help them learn to sing it, so it will provide evidence for me against them.
20 Lapho sengibangenisile elizweni engalifungela oyise, eligeleza uchago loluju, sebedlile basutha, bazimuka, bazaphendukela kwabanye onkulunkulu, babakhonze, bangidelele, bephule isivumelwano sami.
Once I've led them into the country that I promised to give their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey, they will have plenty to eat and will do well. Then they will go and worship other gods, and they will abandon me and break my agreement.
21 Kuzakuthi-ke, nxa sebehlelwe ngokubi okunengi lezinhlupheko, lingoma izaphendula phambi kobuso babo ibe yibufakazi; ngoba kayiyikukhohlakala emlonyeni wenzalo yabo. Ngoba ngiyawazi amacebo abo abawenzayo lamuhla, ngingakabangenisi elizweni engifunge ngalo.
Once they've experienced plenty of trouble and suffering, this song will testify against them, because their descendants won't forget the words. I know what they're like, even before I lead them into the country that I promised to give them.”
22 UMozisi wasebhala lingoma ngalolosuku, wayifundisa abantwana bakoIsrayeli.
Right then Moses wrote down this song and taught it to the Israelites.
23 Yasilaya uJoshuwa indodana kaNuni yathi: Qina, ume isibindi, ngoba wena uzabangenisa abantwana bakoIsrayeli elizweni engabafungela lona; lami ngizakuba lawe.
Then the Lord appointed Joshua son of Nun as leader, and told him, “Be strong! Be brave! For you are going to lead the Israelites into the country that I promised to give them, and I will be with you.”
24 Kwasekusithi uMozisi eseqedile ukubhala amazwi alumlayo egwalweni, aze aphela,
After Moses had finished writing down this Law in a book from start to finish,
25 uMozisi walaya amaLevi ayethwala umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi esithi:
he ordered the Levites who carried the Ark of the Lord's Agreement:
26 Thathani lolugwalo lomlayo, lilubeke eceleni komtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, ukuze lube khona, kube yibufakazi obumelene lawe.
“Place this book of the Law beside the Ark of the Lord your God's Agreement, so that it will be kept there as a evidence against you.
27 Ngoba mina ngiyazi umvukela wakho, lentamo yakho elukhuni; khangelani, ngisaphila lani lamuhla, belingabavukeli beNkosi; pho, kangakanani emva kokufa kwami?
I know how stubborn and rebellious you are. If you've already started rebelling against the Lord while I'm still alive, how much worse will you get after I die?
28 Buthanisani kimi bonke abadala bezizwe zenu lenduna zenu ukuze ngikhulume lamazwi endlebeni zabo, ngibize amazulu lomhlaba ukuba ngabafakazi bamelane labo.
Summon all the elders of your tribes and all your officers to gather here before me so that I can tell them this directly and call on heaven and earth as witnesses against them.
29 Ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi emva kokufa kwami lizakona lokona, liphambuke endleleni engililaye yona; lizakwehlelwa ngokubi ngensuku ezizayo, ngoba lizakwenza okubi emehlweni eNkosi, liyithukuthelise ngomsebenzi wezandla zenu.
I know that after my death you will become completely immoral, leaving the path I have ordered you to follow. In the future, evil things will happen to you because of the evil sins you commit in the sight of the Lord, making him angry by what you do.”
30 UMozisi wasekhuluma amazwi alingoma endlebeni zebandla lonke lakoIsrayeli, aze aphela.
Then Moses recited all the words of this song as the Israelites listened.
