UDutheronomi 8
1 Yonke imithetho engikulaya yona lamuhla lizananzelela ukuyenza, ukuze liphile, lande, lingene lidle ilifa lelizwe, iNkosi eyalifungela oyihlo.
“You must faithfully obey all the commandments that I am giving you today. If you do that, you will live [a long time], you will become very numerous, and you will occupy the land that Yahweh solemnly promised your ancestors that he would give [to you].
2 Njalo uzakhumbula indlela yonke iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekukhokhele ngayo liminyaka engamatshumi amane enkangala, ukuze ikuthobise, ikuhlole, ukwazi okusenhliziyweni yakho, uba uzagcina imithetho yayo, loba hatshi.
And do not forget how Yahweh our God led us as we traveled through the desert during these past 40 years. He [caused you to have many problems/difficulties], because he wanted to cause you to realize that you needed to trust him and not yourselves. And he wanted to test you, to find out what you intended to do [IDM], whether you would obey his commandments or not.
3 Yasikuthobisa, yakulambisa, yakudlisa imana owawungayazi, laboyihlo babengayazi, ukuze ikwazise ukuthi umuntu kaphili ngesinkwa sodwa, kodwa ngakho konke okuphuma emlonyeni weNkosi umuntu uyaphila.
So he caused you to have/experience difficulties. He allowed you to become hungry. Then he gave you manna [food from heaven], food that you and your ancestors had never eaten before. He did that to teach you that people need food [for their bodies]; but [they also need food for their spirits, which comes from paying attention to] everything that Yahweh says [MTY].
4 Izembatho zakho kaziguganga phezu kwakho, lonyawo lwakho kaluvuvukanga, le iminyaka engamatshumi amane.
During those 40 years [of walking through the desert], our clothes did not wear out and our feet did not swell [from walking a very long way through the desert].
5 Ngakho yazi enhliziyweni yakho ukuthi njengendoda ilaya indodana yayo, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho iyakulaya.
Do not forget that Yahweh our God disciplines us, like parents discipline their children.
6 Ngakho uzagcina imithetho yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, ukuhamba endleleni zayo, lokuyesaba.
“Do obey the commandments of Yahweh our God, and conduct your lives as he wants you to do, and revere him.
7 Ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ikungenisa elizweni elihle, ilizwe lezifula zamanzi, lemithombo lokujula okugobhoza ezihotsheni lezintabeni;
He is about to bring you into a good/fertile land, which has streams which flow down from the hills and pour/flow out of springs in the valleys.
8 ilizwe lengqoloyi, lebhali, lezivini, lemikhiwa, lezithelo zepomegranati, ilizwe lezihlahla zemihlwathi zamafutha, loluju,
It is a land on which wheat and barley grow, a land where there are fig trees and pomegranates, and a land where there are olive trees and honey.
9 ilizwe ozakudla kulo isinkwa kungekho ukusilela, ongayikuswela lutho kulo; ilizwe elilamatshe ayinsimbi, lelilezintaba elingagebha kuzo ithusi.
It is a land where there will be plenty of food for you, where you will (not lack anything/have everything that you need) [LIT], a land which has iron [ore] in its rocks and from which you can dig copper [ore] from its hills.
10 Usudlile wasutha, uzabusisa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ngelizwe elihle ekunike lona.
[Every day] you will eat until your stomachs are full, and you will thank Yahweh our God for the fertile/good land that he has given you.
11 Ziqaphele hlezi ukhohlwe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ngokungagcini imilayo yayo lezahlulelo zayo lezimiso zayo, engikulaya zona lamuhla.
But, [when that happens], be sure not to forget Yahweh our God by disobeying his commandments and rules and regulations that I am giving to you today.
12 Hlezi lapho usudlile wasutha, usuwakhe izindlu ezinhle wahlala kuzo,
When your stomachs are full [every day], and when you have built good houses and are living in them,
13 sekwandile inkomo zakho lezimvu zakho, lesiliva legolide kwakho sekwandile, lakho konke olakho sekwandile,
and when the number of your cattle and sheep has greatly increased, and when you have accumulated a large amount of silver and gold, and the amount of all your other possessions has greatly increased,
14 inhliziyo yakho ibisiziphakamisa, ubusukhohlwa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho eyakukhupha elizweni leGibhithe, endlini yobugqili,
be sure that you do not become proud [IDM] and forget Yahweh our God, who rescued your ancestors from being slaves in Egypt and brought them out from there.
15 eyakukhokhela enkangala enkulu leyesabekayo, okwakulenyoka ezilokutshisa lezinkume lomhlabathi owomileyo, lapho okwakungelamanzi khona, eyakuvezela amanzi edwaleni lelitshe elilukhuni,
Do not forget that he led them [while they traveled] through that huge and terrible desert, where there were poisonous snakes and scorpions. And do not forget that where the ground was very dry and there was no water, he caused water to flow for them out of (solid/very hard) rock.
16 eyakudlisa imana enkangala, oyihlo ababengayazi, ukuze ikuthobise, lokuze ikuhlole, ikwenzele okuhle ekucineni kwakho,
Do not forget that in that desert he gave your ancestors manna to eat, food that they had never eaten before. He [caused them to have/experience many problems/difficulties], because he wanted them to realize that they needed to trust him and not themselves. And he wanted to test them, to find out whether they intended to obey him, in order that when [those difficulties] ended, he would do many good things for them.
17 ubususithi enhliziyweni yakho: Amandla ami lokuqina kwesandla sami kungizuzele linotho.
Be sure that you do not think to yourselves, ‘I have acquired all these things by my own power [MTY] and ability.’
18 Kodwa uzakhumbula iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, ngoba yiyo ekunika amandla okuzuza inotho, ukuze iqinise isivumelwano sayo eyasifungela oyihlo njengalamuhla.
Do not forget that it is Yahweh our God who has enabled you to become rich. He does this because he faithfully does what he solemnly promised our ancestors that he would do.
19 Kuzakuthi-ke, nxa ukhohlwa lokukhohlwa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, ulandele abanye onkulunkulu, ubakhonze, ubakhothamele, ngiyalifakazela lamuhla ukuthi lizabhubha lokubhubha.
“solemnly warn you that if you forget Yahweh our God and turn to other gods and start to serve them and worship them, you will certainly be destroyed.
20 Njengezizwe iNkosi ezichithileyo phambi kwenu, ngokunjalo lizabhubha, ngoba lingalilalelanga ilizwi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu.
If you do not obey Yahweh our God, he will certainly destroy you just like he will destroy the people-groups that you will fight against.”
