U-Eksodusi 23
1 Ungawuphathi umbiko wamanga, ungafaki isandla sakho lomubi ukuze ube ngumfakazi wobubi.
“You shall not spread a false report. Don’t join your hand with the wicked to be a malicious witness.
2 Ungalandeli abanengi ngezinto ezimbi, ungafakazi ecaleni ukuze weyamele kwabanengi uliphambule.
“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. You shall not testify in court to side with a multitude to pervert justice.
3 Lomyanga ungamzweli ecaleni lakhe.
You shall not favour a poor man in his cause.
4 Uba uhlangana lenkabi yesitha sakho loba ubabhemi waso kuduha, uzakubuyisela lokukubuyisela kuso.
“If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again.
5 Uba ubona ubabhemi walowo okuzondayo elele ngaphansi komthwalo wakhe, uyekele ukumkhulula, uzamkhulula lokumkhulula laye.
If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him. You shall surely help him with it.
6 Kawuyikuphambula ukwahlulelwa komyanga wakho ecaleni lakhe.
“You shall not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.
7 Bana khatshana lendaba yamanga, ungabulali ongelacala lolungileyo, ngoba kangiyikumlungisisa okhohlakeleyo.
“Keep far from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked.
8 Njalo kawuyikwemukela isivalamlomo, ngoba isivalamlomo siphumputhekisa ababonayo, sonakalise amazwi abalungileyo.
“You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds those who have sight and perverts the words of the righteous.
9 Futhi kawuyikumcindezela owezizwe; ngoba lina liyayazi imizwa yowezizwe, ngoba lalingabezizwe elizweni leGibhithe.
“You shall not oppress an alien, for you know the heart of an alien, since you were aliens in the land of Egypt.
10 Njalo iminyaka eyisithupha uzahlanyela isiqinti sakho, ubuthe isivuno saso.
“For six years you shall sow your land, and shall gather in its increase,
11 Kodwa ngowesikhombisa uzasilalukisa sibe lifusi, ukuze abayanga besizwe sakho badle, lalokho okuseleyo inyamazana zeganga zikudle. Wenze njalo ngesivini sakho lemihlwathi yakho.
but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the animal of the field shall eat. In the same way, you shall deal with your vineyard and with your olive grove.
12 Insuku eziyisithupha uzakwenza umsebenzi wakho, njalo ngosuku lwesikhombisa uphumule, ukuze kuphumule inkabi yakho labobabhemi bakho, kuvuselele-ke indodana yencekukazi yakho lowezizweni.
“Six days you shall do your work, and on the seventh day you shall rest, that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant, and the alien may be refreshed.
13 Lezintweni zonke esengizitshilo kini qaphelani, lebizo labanye onkulunkulu lingaliphathi, kaliyikuzwakala emlonyeni wakho.
“Be careful to do all things that I have said to you; and don’t invoke the name of other gods or even let them be heard out of your mouth.
14 Kathathu ngomnyaka uzangigcinela umkhosi.
“You shall observe a feast to me three times a year.
15 Umkhosi wesinkwa esingelamvubelo uzawugcina, insuku eziyisikhombisa udle isinkwa esingelamvubelo njengokukulaya kwami, ngesikhathi esimisiweyo senyanga kaAbhibhi; ngoba kuyo waphuma eGibhithe; kabayikubonakala phambi kwami bengaphethe lutho.
You shall observe the feast of unleavened bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month Abib (for in it you came out of Egypt), and no one shall appear before me empty.
16 Lomkhosi wesivuno, izithelo zokuqala zomsebenzi wakho, owuhlanyeleyo ensimini; lomkhosi wokubutha ekupheleni komnyaka, lapho usubuthile umsebenzi wakho ensimini.
And the feast of harvest, the first fruits of your labours, which you sow in the field; and the feast of ingathering, at the end of the year, when you gather in your labours out of the field.
17 Kathathu ngomnyaka bonke abesilisa bakho bazabonakala phambi kweNkosi uJehova.
Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.
18 Kawuyikunikela igazi lomhlatshelo wami kanye lesinkwa esilemvubelo. Lamafutha omkhosi wami angalali kuze kuse.
“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning.
19 Ikhethelo lezithelo zokuqala zensimu yakho uzaliletha endlini yeNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho. Ungapheki izinyane echagweni lukanina.
You shall bring the first of the first fruits of your ground into the house of the LORD your God. “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
20 Khangela, ngithuma ingilosi phambi kwakho ukuze ikulondoloze endleleni, ikuse endaweni engiyilungisileyo.
“Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you by the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
21 Uqaphele phambi kwayo, ulalele ilizwi layo; ungayicunuli, ngoba kayiyikuthethelela iziphambeko zenu; ngoba ibizo lami liphakathi kwayo.
Pay attention to him, and listen to his voice. Don’t provoke him, for he will not pardon your disobedience, for my name is in him.
22 Kodwa uba ulalela lokulalela ilizwi layo, wenze konke engikutshoyo, sengizakuba yisitha sezitha zakho, ngiphambane labaphambana lawe.
But if you indeed listen to his voice, and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and an adversary to your adversaries.
23 Ngoba ingilosi yami izahamba phambi kwakho, ikungenise kumaAmori lamaHethi lamaPerizi lamaKhanani lamaHivi lamaJebusi. Njalo ngizababhubhisa.
For my angel shall go before you, and bring you in to the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite; and I will cut them off.
24 Ungakhothameli onkulunkulu babo, ungabakhonzi, ungenzi njengemisebenzi yabo; kodwa ubachithe lokubachitha, ubhidlize lokubhidliza izinsika zabo eziyizithombe.
You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor follow their practices, but you shall utterly overthrow them and demolish their pillars.
25 Lizakhonza-ke iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu; njalo izabusisa ukudla kwakho lamanzi akho, njalo ngisuse isifo phakathi kwakho.
You shall serve the LORD your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from amongst you.
26 Kakuyikuba khona okuphunzayo lokuyinyumba elizweni lakho. Ngizaphelelisa inani lensuku zakho.
No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfil the number of your days.
27 Ngizathumela ukwesabeka kwami phambi kwakho, ngiphambanise bonke abantu ozafika kubo, ngenze izitha zakho zonke zikunike isiphundu.
I will send my terror before you, and will confuse all the people to whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
28 Ngizathumela olonyovu phambi kwakho abazaxotsha amaHivi, amaKhanani lamaHethi phambi kwakho.
I will send the hornet before you, which will drive out the Hivite, the Canaanite, and the Hittite, from before you.
29 Kangiyikubaxotsha phambi kwakho ngomnyaka owodwa, hlezi ilizwe libe ngamanxiwa, lenyamazana zeganga zikwandele.
I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate, and the animals of the field multiply against you.
30 Ngizabaxotsha phambi kwakho kancinyane kancinyane, uze wande, udle ilifa lelizwe.
Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and inherit the land.
31 Njalo ngizamisa imingcele yakho kusukela eLwandle oluBomvu kuze kufike elwandle lwamaFilisti, njalo kusukela enkangala kuze kufike emfuleni; ngoba ngizanikela esandleni sakho abakhileyo belizwe; uzabaxotsha phambi kwakho.
I will set your border from the Red Sea even to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you shall drive them out before you.
32 Ungenzi isivumelwano labo labonkulunkulu babo.
You shall make no covenant with them, nor with their gods.
33 Kabayikuhlala elizweni lakho, hlezi bakwenze ukuthi wone kimi; uba ukhonza onkulunkulu babo, ngeqiniso kuzakuba yisifu kuwe.
They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me, for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”
