< ULevi 21 >
1 INkosi yasisithi kuMozisi: Tshono kubapristi, amadodana kaAroni, uthi kubo: Kakungabi khona ozingcolisayo ngofileyo phakathi kwabantu bakibo,
Yahweh also said to Moses/me, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them,
2 ngaphandle kwesihlobo sakhe, esiseduze laye, ngonina, langoyise, langendodana yakhe, langendodakazi yakhe, langomfowabo,
‘You priests must not cause yourselves to become unfit to do my work by [touching] corpses. Priests are permitted to touch only the corpses of close relatives, such as the priest’s mother or father or his son or daughter or his brother.
3 langodadewabo intombi emsulwa, eseduze laye, engazange ibe ngeyendoda; angazingcolisa ngayo.
Priests are also permitted to touch the corpse of a sister if she is not married, because she has no husband [to bury her body].
4 Kayikuzingcolisa, eyisikhulu phakathi kwabantu bakibo, ukuzingcolisa.
Priests must not cause themselves to become unfit to do my work [DOU] by [touching corpses of] people who were married to one of their close relatives.
5 Kabayikwenza impabanga ekhanda labo, bangageli igumbi lodevu lwabo, bangacabi inhlanga enyameni yabo.
You priests must not shave your heads or shave the edges of your beards or cut your bodies [to show that you are mourning for someone who has died].
6 Bazakuba ngcwele kuNkulunkulu wabo, bangeyisi ibizo likaNkulunkulu wabo. Ngoba banikela iminikelo yeNkosi eyenziwe ngomlilo, ukudla kukaNkulunkulu wabo. Ngakho bazakuba ngcwele.
You must act in ways that I, your God, consider to be holy, and not disgrace my name/reputation. You are the ones who present to me the offerings that are burned. [It is as though] those offerings are food for me, your God; so you must act in ways that are holy.
7 Kabayikuthatha owesifazana oyisifebe kumbe ongcolileyo, njalo kabayikuthatha owesifazana olahlwe yindoda yakhe; ngoba ungcwele kuNkulunkulu wakhe.
You priests must not marry women who have been prostitutes or who have been divorced from their husbands, because you priests are (set apart for me/holy).
8 Ngakho uzamngcwelisa, ngoba unikela ukudla kukaNkulunkulu wakho. Uzakuba ngcwele kuwe, ngoba mina Nkosi elingcwelisayo ngingcwele.
You must consider that you are holy, because you offer food to me, your God. Consider yourselves to be holy because I, Yahweh, [the one who caused you to be priests and] the one who enables you to be holy, am holy.
9 Lendodakazi yaloba nguwuphi umpristi, uba izingcolisa ngokuphinga, iyamngcolisa uyise; izatshiswa ngomlilo.
If a priest’s daughter disgraces herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; and she must be killed by being burned in a fire.
10 Lompristi omkhulu phakathi kwabafowabo, okuthelwe ekhanda lakhe amafutha okugcoba, lowehlukaniselwa ukuthi embathe izembatho, kayikuvumela ukuthi ikhanda lakhe lembulwe, angadabuli izembatho zakhe;
The Supreme Priest is the one among his relatives who has been [appointed for that work] by having his head anointed with olive oil. He is also the one who has been appointed to wear the special garments that priests wear. He must not allow the hair on his [head] to remain uncombed, and he must not tear his clothes [when he is mourning for someone].
11 angayi lakusiphi isidumbu, angazingcolisi ngoyise loba ngonina;
He must not enter some place where there is a corpse. He must not do that and cause himself to become unfit for his work, even if it is his father or his mother who has died.
12 angaphumi endlini engcwele, angangcolisi indlu engcwele kaNkulunkulu wakhe, ngoba umqhele wamafutha okugcoba kaNkulunkulu wakhe uphezu kwakhe. NgiyiNkosi.
He must not leave the Sacred Tent [to join those who are mourning], because he would cause himself to become unfit for his work and would also defile/desecrate the Sacred Tent. He must not leave the Sacred Tent [at that time], because by being anointed with olive oil he has been (appointed/set apart) to serve his God [in the Sacred Tent]. I, Yahweh, [am the one who am commanding this].
13 Njalo yena uzathatha umfazi ebuntombini bakhe.
Women whom you priests marry must be virgins.
14 Umfelokazi, kumbe olahliweyo, loba isifebe esingcolisiweyo, laba kangabathathi. Kodwa uzathatha intombi emsulwa ebantwini bakibo ibe ngumkakhe,
You priests must not marry widows or prostitutes or divorced women, because if you did that, [if you later have] sons, they would not be acceptable to be priests among your people. You must marry only virgins from among your own people. I am Yahweh, who sets priests apart to be holy.’”
15 njalo angangcolisi inzalo yakhe phakathi kwabantu bakibo. Ngoba ngiyiNkosi emngcwelisayo.
16 INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi isithi:
Yahweh also said to Moses/me,
17 Khuluma kuAroni usithi: Loba ngubani owenzalo yakho ezizukulwaneni zabo okulesici kuye kangasondeli ukunikela ukudla kukaNkulunkulu wakhe.
“Say this to Aaron: 'For all future time, none of your descendants who has any defects [on his body] will be allowed to come near [the altar] to offer [sacrifices to me which will be like] [MET] my food:
18 Ngoba loba nguwuphi umuntu okulesici kuye angasondeli, umuntu oyisiphofu, kumbe oyisiqhuli, kumbe olimele ebusweni, kumbe olesitho eselulekileyo,
No one who is blind or lame or deformed, or whose [face is] disfigured,
19 kumbe umuntu okulokwephuka konyawo kuye, kumbe ukwephuka kwesandla,
no man with a crippled foot or a crippled hand,
20 kumbe olesifumbu, kumbe ongumuthwa, kumbe olomntwana elihlweni lakhe, kumbe olentembuzane, kumbe oloqweqwe olulumayo, loba olimele emasendeni.
no man who is a hunchback or a dwarf, no man whose eyes are defective, no man who has a skin disease [DOU] or whose testicles have been damaged is allowed to brings sacrifices.
21 Kakulamuntu owenzalo kaAroni umpristi okukuye isici ozasondela ukunikela iminikelo yeNkosi eyenziwe ngomlilo; kulesici kuye, angasondeli ukunikela ukudla kukaNkulunkulu wakhe.
No descendant of Aaron, the [first Supreme] Priest, who has any defect is allowed to come to the altar to offer to me, his God, sacrifices that will be burned.
22 Angadla ukudla kukaNkulunkulu wakhe, ezintweni ezingcwelengcwele lezintweni ezingcwele,
Priests who have defects are permitted to eat the various kinds of holy food offered to me.
23 kodwa angezi kulo iveyili, angasondeli elathini, ngoba kulesici kuye, ukuze angangcolisi izindlu zami ezingcwele. Ngoba ngiyiNkosi ebangcwelisayo.
But because of their defects, they must not go near the curtain [in the Sacred Tent] or near the altar, because if they did that, they would desecrate my Sacred Tent. I am Yahweh, the one who sets those places apart as being holy.'”
24 UMozisi wasekhuluma lokho kuAroni, lakumadodana akhe, lakubo bonke abantwana bakoIsrayeli.
So Moses/I told this to Aaron and to his sons and to all the Israeli people.