UDutheronomi 1
1 La ngamazwi uMozisi awakhuluma kuIsrayeli wonke nganeno kweJordani enkangala, egcekeni eliqondene leSufi, phakathi kweParani leTofeli leLabani leHazerothi leDizahabi.
This is the record of what Moses told all the Israelites during their time in the desert to the east of the Jordan. They were in the Arabah near Suph, between Paran on the one side and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab on the other.
2 Kulensuku ezilitshumi lanye kusukela eHorebe ngendlela yentaba yeSeyiri kusiya eKadeshi-Bhaneya.
(It takes eleven days to go from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea by the road that passes Mount Seir.)
3 Kwasekusithi ngomnyaka wamatshumi amane, ngenyanga yetshumi lanye, ngolokuqala lwenyanga, uMozisi wakhuluma kubantwana bakoIsrayeli njengakho konke iNkosi eyamlaya ngakho kubo,
On the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year, Moses recounted to the Israelites everything that the Lord had instructed him to tell them.
4 esemtshayile uSihoni inkosi yamaAmori owayehlala eHeshiboni, loOgi inkosi yeBashani owayehlala eAshitarothi eEdreyi.
This happened after he defeated Sihon king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and then at Edrei after he defeated Og king of Bashan, who ruled in Ashtaroth.
5 Nganeno kweJordani, elizweni lakoMowabi, uMozisi waqala ukuchasisa lumlayo esithi:
Speaking on the east side of the Jordan in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain these instructions, saying:
6 INkosi uNkulunkulu wethu yakhuluma kithi eHorebe isithi: Selihlale isikhathi eseneleyo kulintaba.
The Lord our God told us at Horeb: “You have remained here beside this mountain for long enough.
7 Phendukani lisuke, liye entabeni yamaAmori, lendaweni ezakhelene lawo, egcekeni, entabeni, lesihotsheni, leningizimu, lekhunjini lolwandle, ilizwe lamaKhanani, leLebhanoni, kuze kube semfuleni omkhulu, umfula iYufrathi.
Continue your journey and go to the hill country of the Amorites and all their neighbors, into the Jordan Valley, into the hill country, into the foothills, into the Negev, and along the coast to the country of the Canaanites up to Lebanon, as far as the great River Euphrates.
8 Bonani, ngibeke ilizwe phambi kwenu. Ngenani, lidle ilifa lelizwe iNkosi eyalifungela oyihlo, oAbrahama, uIsaka, loJakobe, ukubanika lona lenzalo yabo emva kwabo.
Look, I'm giving this land to you. Go and take ownership of the land that the Lord promised he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to their descendants who would follow them.”
9 Njalo ngakhuluma kini ngalesosikhathi ngisithi: Kangilakulithwala ngingedwa.
That's when I told you, “I can't take responsibility for all of you by myself.
10 INkosi uNkulunkulu wenu ilandisile, khangelani-ke, lamuhla linjengenkanyezi zamazulu ngobunengi.
The Lord your God has increased your numbers so much that today there are as many of you as there are stars in the sky.
11 INkosi, uNkulunkulu waboyihlo, kayandise kini, njengoba linjalo, ngokuphindwe kankulungwane, ilibusise, njengokukhuluma kwayo kini.
May the Lord, the God of your forefathers, multiply you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised.
12 Ngingedwa ngingathwala njani ubunzima benu lomthwalo wenu lenkani yenu?
But how can I take on all your troubles, burdens, and arguments just by myself?
13 Zithatheleni amadoda ahlakaniphileyo, azwisisayo, laziwayo ezizweni zenu, ngiwabeke-ke abe zinhloko zenu.
You must choose for yourselves wise, experienced men with good judgment from each of your tribes, and I will put them in charge as your leaders.”
14 Laselingiphendula lisithi: Ilizwi olikhulumileyo lilungile ukulenza.
You replied to me, saying, “Your proposal is a good one.”
15 Ngasengithatha inhloko zezizwe zenu, amadoda ahlakaniphileyo, aziwayo, ngawabeka aba zinhloko phezu kwenu, induna zezinkulungwane, lenduna zamakhulu, lenduna zamatshumi amahlanu, lenduna zamatshumi, leziphathamandla zezizwe zenu.
So I summoned your tribal leaders, men with good judgment, and put them in charge of you, as commanders and officials for your tribes. Some were responsible for thousands, some for hundreds, some for fifties, and some for tens.
16 Ngasengilaya abahluleli benu ngalesosikhathi ngisithi: Zwanini okuphakathi kwabafowenu, lahlulele ngokulunga phakathi komuntu lomfowabo lowezizweni okuye.
At the same time I gave strict instructions to your judges: “Hear the cases brought between your brothers, and make sure you are fair when you judge between a man and his brother or a foreigner living among you.
17 Lingakhangeli ubuso ekwahluleleni, zwanini omncinyane njengomkhulu; lingesabi ubuso bomuntu, ngoba ukwahlulela kungokukaNkulunkulu. Lendaba elukhuni kini lizayiletha kimi, besengiyizwa.
Don't show any favoritism when you judge—treat the powerful and the common people just the same. Don't let anyone intimidate you, because judgment is done on God's behalf. Bring me any case that is too hard for you, and I will hear it.”
18 Langalesosikhathi ngalilaya zonke izinto elifanele ukuzenza.
This was also the time I instructed you about everything you had to do.
19 Sasesisuka eHorebe, sahamba kuyo yonke leyonkangala enkulu leyesabekayo elayibonayo ngendlela yentaba yamaAmori, njengokusilaya kweNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu, saze safika eKadeshi-Bhaneya.
Following the orders of the Lord our God, we left Horeb and set off towards the hill country of the Amorites, passing through the whole of the large and terrifying desert that you yourselves have experienced. When we reached Kadesh-barnea,
20 Ngasengisithi kini: Selifikile entabeni yamaAmori iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu ezasinika yona.
I explained to you, “You have reached the hill country of the Amorites, which the Lord our God is giving to us.
21 Bona, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ilinikile ilizwe phambi kwakho; yenyuka udle ilifa lalo, njengokutsho kweNkosi uNkulunkulu waboyihlo kuwe; ungesabi, ungadideki.
Look, the Lord your God has given you the land! Go and take ownership of the land as the Lord, the God of your forefathers, has told you. Don't be frightened or terrified.”
22 Laselisondela kimi lonke lathi: Asithume amadoda phambi kwethu ukuze asihlolele ilizwe, abuyise ilizwi kithi, indlela esizakwenyuka ngayo, lemizi esizangena kuyo.
Then you all came to me and suggested, “Let's send men on ahead to explore the land and report back to us about what route to take and which towns we'll come across.”
23 Lendaba yayinhle emehlweni ami; ngakho ngathatha kini amadoda alitshumi lambili, indodanye ngesizwe.
It seemed like a good plan to me, so I chose twelve of your men, one from each tribe.
24 Wona aphenduka, enyukela entabeni aze afika esihotsheni seEshikoli, asihlola.
They set off and went up into the hill country as far as the Valley of Eshcol, exploring the land.
25 Asethatha okwezithelo zelizwe esandleni sabo, azehlisela kithi; abuyisa ilizwi kithi athi: Ilizwe lihle iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu esinika lona.
They brought back some of the country's fruit, carrying it down to us, and gave us the report: “The Lord our God is giving us good land.”
26 Kanti kalifunanga ukwenyuka, kodwa lavukela umlomo weNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu,
But you didn't want to go. You rebelled against the instructions of the Lord your God.
27 langunguna emathenteni enu lathi: Ngoba iNkosi yayisizonda, yasikhupha elizweni leGibhithe ukusinikela esandleni samaAmori ukusibhubhisa.
You complained while you were in your tents and said, “It's because the Lord hates us that he led us out of Egypt in order to hand us over to the Amorites to be wiped out.
28 Sizakwenyukela ngaphi? Abafowethu benze inhliziyo yethu iphele amandla besithi: Abantu bakhulu bade kulathi; imizi mikhulu, ibiyelwe ngemithangala efika emazulwini; futhi-ke sibonile khona amadodana amaAnaki.
Where are we going? Our brothers terrified us because they told us: ‘The people are bigger and taller than us; the towns are large, with high walls that reach the sky. We even saw the descendants of the giant Anak there!’”
29 Ngasengisithi kini: Lingatshaywa luvalo, libesabe.
So I told you, “Don't be frightened or scared of them!
30 INkosi uNkulunkulu wenu ehamba phambi kwenu, yona izalilwela njengakho konke eyalenzela khona eGibhithe phambi kwamehlo enu,
The Lord your God who leads your way will fight for you in the same way you saw him do for you in Egypt.
31 lenkangala, lapho obone khona ukuthi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho yakuthwala njengendoda ithwala indodana yayo, endleleni yonke elahamba ngayo laze lafika kulindawo.
He did the same in the desert—you saw how the Lord your God carried you like a father carries his son during your whole journey until you arrived here.”
32 Kodwa ngalelilizwi kalikholwanga iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu
Despite all this, you didn't trust the Lord your God,
33 eyahamba phambi kwenu endleleni, ukulidingela indawo ukuze limise inkamba, ngomlilo ebusuku, ukulitshengisa indlela elizahamba ngayo, langeyezi emini.
who led you on the journey, present in the fire by night and in the cloud by day, looking to find a place for you to camp and to show you the way to go.
34 Kwathi iNkosi isizwile ilizwi lamazwi enu, yathukuthela yafunga yathi:
When the Lord heard what you were saying, he got angry and swore an oath:
35 Isibili kakho kulamadoda alesisizukulwana esibi ozabona ilizwe elihle engafunga ukulinika oyihlo,
“Not a single one of this evil generation will see the good land I promised to give your forefathers,
36 ngaphandle kukaKalebi indodana kaJefune; yena uzalibona. Njalo ngizanika kuye ilizwe anyathela kulo, lakubantwana bakhe, ngoba ulandele iNkosi ngokupheleleyo.
except Caleb, son of Jephunneh. He will see it, and I will give him and his descendants the land he explored, because he was completely committed to the Lord.”
37 Lami iNkosi yangithukuthelela ngenxa yenu, isithi: Lawe kawuyikungena khona.
The Lord also got angry with me because of you. He told me, “Even you won't enter the country.
38 UJoshuwa indodana kaNuni oma phambi kwakho, yena uzangena khona; mqinise, ngoba yena uzakwenza uIsrayeli adle ilifa lalo.
However, Joshua, son of Nun, your assistant, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will help Israel to occupy the land.
39 Labantwanyana benu elalisithi bazakuba yimpango, labantwana benu, abangaziyo lamuhla okuhle lokubi, bona bazangena khona; lakubo ngizalinika, bona-ke bazakudla ilifa lalo.
Your small children that you claimed would become prisoners, your children who at the time didn't know good from evil, they will be the ones to enter the land that I will give them, and they will occupy it.
40 Kodwa lina ziphendukeleni, lisuke liye enkangala, indlela yoLwandle oluBomvu.
But now turn around and head back into the desert on the road that leads to the Red Sea.”
41 Laseliphendula lisithi kimi: Sonile eNkosini; thina sizakwenyuka siyekulwa, njengakho konke iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu eyasilaya khona. Selihlomile, ngulowo lalowo isikhali sakhe sempi, lacabanga ukuthi kulula ukwenyukela entabeni.
But you answered and told me, “We have sinned against the Lord! We will go and we will fight and we will do everything the Lord our God has ordered us to do.” Then you all picked up your weapons and prepared for battle thinking it would be easy to go and fight in the hill country.
42 INkosi yasisithi kimi: Tshono kubo: Lingenyuki, lingalwi, ngoba kangikho phakathi kwenu, hlezi litshaywe phambi kwezitha zenu.
But the Lord instructed me, “Order them not to go and fight because I won't be with you to prevent you from being defeated by your enemies.”
43 Ngasengikhuluma kini, kodwa kalilalelanga, lavukela umlomo weNkosi, laqholoza lenyukela entabeni.
I told you this, but you refused to listen. You defied the instructions of the Lord and arrogantly went to fight in the hill country.
44 Kwathi amaAmori ayehlala entabeni leyo aphuma ukumelana lani, alixotsha njengokwenziwa zinyosi, alihlakaza eSeyiri, kwaze kwaba seHorma.
Then the Amorites living there in the hills came and attacked you. They chased after you like a swarm of bees, killing you all the way from Seir to Hormah.
45 Laselibuya, lakhala inyembezi phambi kweNkosi, kodwa iNkosi kayilizwanga ilizwi lenu, kayibekanga indlebe kini.
You came back to camp and wept before the Lord, but he refused to listen to what you said or to pay attention to you.
46 Laselihlala eKadeshi insuku ezinengi, njengensuku elahlala ngazo.
You stayed there in Kadesh for a long time.
