< U-Eksodusi 21 >
1 Lezi yizahlulelo ozazibeka-ke phambi kwabo.
“Here are some [other] instructions to give to [the Israeli people]:
2 Uba uthenga isigqili esingumHebheru, sizasebenza iminyaka eyisithupha, kodwa ngowesikhombisa sizaphuma sikhululekile ngesihle.
When/If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve you for [only] six years. In the seventh year you must free him [from being your slave], and he is not required to pay you anything [for setting him free].
3 Uba safika sisodwa, sizaphuma sisodwa; uba sithethe, umkaso uzaphuma laso.
If he was not married before he became your slave, and if he marries [someone while he is your slave], his wife is not to be set free [with him]. But if he was married before he became your slave, you must free both him and his wife.
4 Uba inkosi yaso yasinika umfazi, asizalele amadodana kumbe amadodakazi, umfazi labantwana bakhe bazakuba ngabenkosi yakhe, njalo sizaphuma sisodwa.
If a slave’s master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters [while her husband is a slave], only the man is to be freed. His wife and children will continue to be slaves of their master.
5 Kodwa uba isigqili sisitsho lokutsho ukuthi: Ngiyayithanda inkosi yami, umkami labantwana bami, kangiyikuphuma ngikhululekile;
But when it is time for the slave to be set free, if the slave says, ‘I love my master and my wife and my children, and I do not want to be set free,’
6 inkosi yaso izasiletha kubahluleli, ibisisiletha emnyango loba emgubazini, njalo inkosi yaso izabhoboza indlebe yaso ngosungulo, siyisebenzele-ke kuze kube nininini.
then his master must take him to [the place where they worship] God (OR, to [the owner’s] house). There he must make the slave stand against the door or the doorpost. Then the master will use an (awl/pointed metal rod) to make a hole in the slave’s ear. Then [he will fasten a tag to the slave’s ear to indicate that] (he will own that slave for the rest of his life/he will own the slave as long as the slave lives).
7 Njalo uba umuntu ethengisa indodakazi yakhe ukuze ibe yisigqilikazi, kayiyikuphuma njengalokhu izigqili ziphuma.
If a man sells his daughter to become a slave, she should not be set free [after six years], as the male slaves are.
8 Uba singayithokozisi inkosi yaso ezimisele sona, izasenza sihlengwe; kayiyikuba lamandla okusithengisa esizweni semzini, njengoba esiphethe ngenkohliso.
If the man who bought her wanted her to be his wife, but if [later] he is not pleased with her, he must sell her back to her father. He must not sell her to a foreigner, because that would be breaking the contract/agreement [he made with the girl’s father].
9 Kodwa uba esimisela indodana yayo, izakwenza kuso njengelungelo lamadodakazi.
If the man who buys her wants her to be a wife for his son, he must then treat her as though she were his own daughter.
10 Uba ezithathela omunye, ukudla kwaso, isigubuzelo saso lokuhlala kwaso ndawonye kayiyikukunciphisa.
If the master takes another slave girl to be another wife for himself, he must continue to give the first slave wife the same amount of food and clothing that he gave to her before, and he must continue to have sex [EUP] with her as before.
11 Kodwa uba ingasenzeli lezizinto ezintathu, sizaphuma ngesihle ngaphandle kwemali.
If he does not do all these three things for her, he must free her [from being a slave], and she is not required to pay anything [for being set free].
12 Otshaya umuntu aze afe, uzabulawa lokubulawa.
You must execute anyone who strikes another person with the result that the person who is struck dies.
13 Kodwa uba ebengamcathamelanga, kodwa uNkulunkulu ekwenze wahlangana lesandla sakhe, ngizakumisela indawo ukuthi abalekele kuyo.
But if the one who struck the other did not intend to kill that person, the one who struck him can escape to a place that I will choose for you, [and he will be safe there].
14 Kodwa uba umuntu esukela umakhelwane wakhe ambulale ngobuqili, uzamsusa elathini lami ukuze afe.
But if someone gets angry with another person and kills him, even if the murderer runs to the altar, [a place that God designated as a place to be safe], you must execute him.
15 Otshaya uyise kumbe unina, uzabulawa lokubulawa.
Anyone who strikes his father or mother must surely be executed.
16 Loweba umuntu, amthengise, loba eficwa esandleni sakhe, uzabulawa lokubulawa.
Anyone who kidnaps another person, either in order to sell that person or to keep him as a slave, must be executed.
17 Othuka uyise kumbe unina, uzabulawa lokubulawa.
Anyone who reviles/curses his father or his mother must be executed.
18 Njalo nxa amadoda esilwa, enye itshaye enye ngelitshe kumbe ngenqindi, kodwa ingafi kodwa ilale embhedeni,
Suppose two people fight, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist. And suppose the person he strikes does not die but is injured and has to stay in bed [for a while],
19 uba ilulama itotobe phandle ngodondolo lwayo, leyo eyitshayileyo izakhululwa. Kodwa izahlawulela isikhathi sokungasebenzi kwayo, izayelaphisa lokuyelaphisa.
and later he is able to walk outside using a cane. Then the person who struck him does not have to be punished. However, he must pay the injured person the money he could not earn [while he was recovering], and he must also pay the injured person’s medical expenses until that person is well.
20 Uba-ke umuntu etshaya isigqili sakhe kumbe isigqilikazi sakhe ngenduku size sife ngaphansi kwesandla sakhe, sizaphindiselwa lokuphindiselwa.
If someone strikes his male or female slave with a stick, if the slave dies (immediately/as a result) [IDM], the one who struck him must be punished.
21 Kanti nxa silulama usuku kumbe insuku ezimbili, kayikuphindiselwa, ngoba siyimali yakhe.
But if the slave lives for a day or two after he is struck [and then dies], you must not punish the one who struck him. Not having that slave to be able to work for him any longer is enough punishment.
22 Njalo nxa amadoda esilwa, atshaye owesifazana okhulelweyo aze aphume umntwana wakhe, kodwa kungelangozi yokufa, izahlawuliswa lokuhlawuliswa, njengokubeka kwendoda yomfazi phezu kwayo, izahlawulanjengokumiswe ngabahluleli.
Suppose two people are fighting and they hurt a pregnant woman with the result that (she has a miscarriage/her baby is born prematurely and dies). If the woman is not harmed in any other way, the one who injured her must pay a fine. He must pay whatever the woman’s husband demands, after a judge approves of the fine.
23 Kodwa uba kulengozi yokufa, uzanika umphefumulo ngomphefumulo,
But if the woman is injured in some additional way, the one who injured her must be caused to suffer in exactly the same way [that he caused her to suffer]. If she dies, he must be executed.
24 ilihlo ngelihlo, izinyo ngezinyo, isandla ngesandla, unyawo ngonyawo,
If her eye is injured or destroyed, or if he knocks out one of her teeth, or her hand or foot is injured, or if she is burned or bruised, the one who injured her must be injured in the same way.
25 ukutshiswa ngokutshiswa, inxeba ngenxeba, umvimvinya ngomvimvinya.
26 Uba-ke umuntu etshaya ilihlo lesigqili sakhe kumbe ilihlo lesigqilikazi sakhe alibulale, uzasiyekela sihambe sikhululekile ngenxa yelihlo laso.
If the owner of a slave strikes the eye of his male or female slave and ruins it, he must free that slave because of [what he did to] the slave’s eye.
27 Uba-ke etshaya izinyo lesigqili kumbe izinyo lesigqilikazi likhumuke, uzasiyekela sihambe sikhululekile ngenxa yezinyo laso.
If someone knocks out one of his slave’s teeth, he must free the slave because of [what he did to] the slave’s tooth.
28 Njalo uba inkabi ihlaba owesilisa kumbe owesifazana abesesifa, inkabi izakhandwa lokukhandwa ngamatshe, lenyama yayo ingadliwa; kodwa umnininkabi uzayekelwa.
If a bull gores a man or woman with the result that the person dies, you [must kill the bull by] throwing stones at it, but you must not punish the owner of the bull.
29 Kodwa uba inkabi ibijwayele ukuhlaba mandulo, njalo kufakaziwe kumniniyo, kodwa engayilondolozanga, ibisibulala owesilisa kumbe owesifazana, leyonkabi izakhandwa ngamatshe, lomniniyo laye abulawe.
But suppose the bull had attacked people several times before, and its owner had been warned, but he did not keep the bull inside a fence. Then you [must kill the bull by] throwing stones at it, but you must also execute its owner.
30 Uba inhlawulo ibekwa phezu kwakhe, uzanika imbadalo yokuhlengwa komphefumulo wakhe, njengakho konke okubekwe phezu kwakhe.
However, if the owner of the bull is allowed to pay a fine (to save his own life/in order not to be executed), he must pay the full amount that the judges say that he must pay.
31 Loba ihlaba indodana kumbe ihlaba indodakazi, kuzakwenziwa kuye njengomthetho lo.
If someone’s bull attacks and gores another person’s son or daughter, you must treat the bull’s owner according to that same rule.
32 Nxa inkabi ihlaba inceku kumbe incekukazi, uzanika amashekeli esiliva angamatshumi amathathu enkosini yayo, lenkabi ikhandwe ngamatshe.
If a bull attacks and gores a male or female slave, its owner must pay to the slave’s owner 30 pieces of silver. Then you must [kill the bull by] throwing stones at it.
33 Njalo uba umuntu evula umgodi, loba uba umuntu egebha umgodi angawusibekeli, kuwele kuwo inkabi kumbe ubabhemi,
Suppose someone has a pit/cistern and does not keep it covered, and someone’s bull or donkey falls into it [and dies].
34 umninimgodi uzahlawula, abuyisele imali kumniniyo, kodwa efileyo izakuba ngeyakhe.
Then the owner of the pit/cistern must pay for the animal that died. He must give the money to the animal’s owner, but then he can take away the animal that died and [do whatever he wants to with it].
35 Njalo uba inkabi yomuntu ilimaza inkabi kamakhelwane wakhe ize ife, bazathengisa inkabi ephilayo, behlukaniselane imali yayo, behlukaniselane efileyo futhi.
If someone’s bull hurts another person’s bull with the result that it dies, the owners of both bulls must sell the bull that is living, and they must divide [between them] the money [that they receive] for it. They must also divide [between them the meat of] the animal that died.
36 Kumbe uba kusaziwa ukuthi inkabi ibijwayele ukuhlaba mandulo, kodwa umniniyo engayilondolozanga, uzabhadala lokubhadala inkabi ngenkabi, kodwa efileyo izakuba ngeyakhe.
However, if people know that the bull often attacked other animals previously, and its owner did not keep it inside a fence, then the owner of that bull must give the owner of the bull that died one of his own bulls, but he can take away the animal that died [and do with it whatever he wants to do].”