Amanani 18
1 INkosi yasisithi kuAroni: Wena lamadodana akho lendlu kayihlo kanye lawe lizathwala ububi bendlu engcwele; futhi wena lamadodana akho kanye lawe lizathwala ububi bobupristi benu.
The Lord told Aaron, “You and your sons and the other Levites bear the responsibility for sins relating to the sanctuary. You and your sons alone bear the responsibility for sins relating to your priesthood.
2 Labafowenu, isizwe sakoLevi, isizwe sikayihlo, basondeze-ke lawe ukuze bahlanganiswe lawe, bakusize. Kodwa wena lamadodana akho kanye lawe lizakuba phambi kwethente lobufakazi.
Have your brothers from the tribe of Levi, your father's tribe, join you to help you and your sons with your service in the Tent of the Testimony.
3 Bazagcina umlayo wakho, lemfanelo zethente lonke; kodwa kabayikusondela ezitsheni zendlu engcwele lelathini, ukuze bangafi, labo lani.
They will take care of your responsibilities and those relating to the Tent, but they must not come too close to the sacred objects of the sanctuary or the altar, otherwise they will die, and you will too.
4 Bazahlanganiswa lawe, bagcine imfanelo zethente lenhlangano kuyo yonke inkonzo yethente; kodwa owemzini kayikusondela kini.
They are to help you and take care of the responsibilities of the Tent of Meeting, doing all the work at the Tent, but they are not allowed to be with you during your priestly ministry.
5 Njalo lizagcina imfanelo zendlu engcwele lemfanelo zelathi, ukuze kungabi kusaba khona ulaka phezu kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
You are to carry out the responsibilities relating to the sanctuary and the altar, so that my anger will not fall on the Israelites again.
6 Mina-ke, khangelani, ngithethe abafowenu amaLevi bevela phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli. Bayisipho kini, baphiwe iNkosi ukwenza inkonzo yethente lenhlangano.
Look, I myself have chosen your brothers the Levites from the Israelites as my gift to you, dedicated to the Lord to do the work that relates the Tent of Meeting.
7 Ngakho wena lamadodana akho kanye lawe lizagcina ubupristi benu kuzo zonke izinto zelathi laphakathi kweveyili, likhonze. Nginike ubupristi benu bube ngumsebenzi wesipho; kodwa owemzini osondelayo uzabulawa.
But only you and your sons are responsible for your priesthood, doing all that concerns the altar and is behind the veil. Only you are to perform that service. I am giving you the gift of your priesthood, but anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be executed.”
8 INkosi yasisithi kuAroni: Mina-ke, khangela, ngikunike ukuphathwa kweminikelo yami yokuphakanyiswa yazo zonke izinto ezingcwele zabantwana bakoIsrayeli; ngiziphe wena, ngenxa yokugcotshwa, lamadodana akho, ngesimiso esilaphakade.
The Lord told Aaron, “Listen, I have put you in charge of officiating at my offerings. All the holy contributions of the Israelites that they bring are reserved for you, and this is a permanent rule.
9 Lokhu kuzakuba ngokwakho okuvela ezintweni ezingcwelengcwele, zivela emlilweni; yonke iminikelo yabo, yonke iminikelo yabo yokudla, layo yonke iminikelo yabo yesono, layo yonke iminikelo yabo yecala, abazayibuyisela kimi; izakuba ngengcwelengcwele ibe ngeyakho leyamadodana akho.
Part of the most holy offerings taken from the burnt offerings are yours. Part of all the offerings they give me as most holy offerings, whether it's grain offerings or sin offerings or guilt offerings, that part belongs to you and your sons.
10 Lizakudlela engcweleni yezingcwele; wonke owesilisa uzakudla; kuzakuba ngcwele kuwe.
You shall eat it in a most holy place. Every male is allowed to eat it. You are to regard it as something holy.
11 Lalokhu ngokwakho: Umnikelo wokuphakanyiswa wesipho sabo, layo yonke iminikelo yokuzunguzwa yabantwana bakoIsrayeli; ngikuphe wena lamadodana akho lamadodakazi akho, ngesimiso esilaphakade. Wonke ohlambulukileyo endlini yakho uzakudla.
The following also belongs to you: the voluntary gifts as well as all the wave offerings of the Israelites. I have given this to you and your sons and daughters as a permanent rule. Everyone in your household who is ceremonially clean is allowed to eat it.
12 Ikhethelo lonke lamafutha, lekhethelo lonke lewayini elitsha, lelamabele, lengqabutho yalezo abazazinikela eNkosini, ngiziphe wena.
I am giving you all the best olive oil and all the best new wine and grain that the Israelites give as firstfruits to the Lord.
13 Izithelo zokuqala zakho konke okuselizweni labo abazakuletha eNkosini kuzakuba ngokwakho. Wonke ohlambulukileyo endlini yakho uzakudla.
The firstfruits of all the crops they produce in their land that they bring to the Lord are yours. Everyone in your family who is ceremonially clean is allowed to eat them.
14 Konke okwehlukanisiweyo koIsrayeli kuzakuba ngokwakho.
Everything in Israel that is dedicated to the Lord is yours.
15 Konke okuvula isizalo, kwayo yonke inyama abakuletha eNkosini, phakathi kwabantu laphakathi kwezifuyo, kuzakuba ngokwakho; kodwa izibulo lomuntu uzalihlenga lokulihlenga, lezibulo lenyamazana engcolileyo uzalihlenga.
Every firstborn, whether human or animal, that is offered to the Lord is yours. But you must buy back every firstborn son and every firstborn male of unclean animals.
16 Lalezo ezizahlengwa uzazihlenga kusukela sezilenyanga, njengesilinganiso sakho, ngemali yamashekeli amahlanu, ngokweshekeli lendlu engcwele, elingamagera angamatshumi amabili.
When they are one month old you shall pay the redemption price of five shekels of silver, (using the sanctuary shekel standard), equivalent to twenty gerahs.
17 Kodwa izibulo lenkomo, kumbe izibulo lemvu, kumbe izibulo lembuzi, awuyikuwahlenga, angcwele. Uzafafaza igazi lawo phezu kwelathi, utshise amahwahwa awo, abe ngumnikelo owenziwe ngomlilo, kube luqhatshi olumnandi eNkosini.
But you are not allowed to redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat because they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar, and burn their fat as a burnt offering accepted by the Lord.
18 Lenyama yawo izakuba ngeyakho, njengesifuba esizunguziweyo lanjengomlenze wokunene, kuzakuba ngokwakho.
Their meat is yours, in the same way that the breast and right thigh of the wave offering are yours.
19 Yonke iminikelo yokuphakanyiswa yezinto ezingcwele abantwana bakoIsrayeli abayinikela eNkosini ngiyinike wena lamadodana akho lamadodakazi akho kanye lawe, ngesimiso esilaphakade. Kuyisivumelwano setswayi esilaphakade phambi kweNkosi kuwe lakunzalo yakho kanye lawe.
I am giving all the voluntary gifts that the Israelites present to the Lord to you and to your sons and daughters as a permanent rule. It is a permanent agreement of salt before the Lord for you and your descendants.”
20 INkosi yasisithi kuAroni: Kawuyikudla ilifa elizweni labo, kawuyikuba lesabelo phakathi kwabo; ngiyisabelo sakho lelifa lakho phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli.
“You won't possess property in their country, and you won't have a share in their land. I am your share and your possession among the Israelites.
21 Khangela-ke, nginike abantwana bakoLevi konke okwetshumi koIsrayeli kube yilifa, ngomsebenzi wabo abawenzayo, inkonzo yethente lenhlangano.
Instead I have given the Levites all the tithes in Israel as compensation for the service they provide in doing the work in the Tent of Meeting.
22 Njalo abantwana bakoIsrayeli bangabe besasondela ethenteni lenhlangano hlezi bathwale isono bafe.
The Israelites are no longer allowed to approach the Tent of Meeting, or they will commit an offense and die.
23 Kodwa amaLevi azakwenza inkonzo yethente lenhlangano, wona athwale ububi bawo. Kuzakuba yisimiso esilaphakade ezizukulwaneni zenu; laphakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli kawayikuzuza ilifa.
The Levites are to carry out the work in the Tent of Meeting, and they must take responsibility for any sins involved. This is a permanent rule for all future generations. The Levites won't receive a share of land among the Israelites.
24 Ngoba okwetshumi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli abakunikela eNkosini kube ngumnikelo wokuphakanyiswa, ngikunike amaLevi kube yilifa. Ngakho ngitshilo kiwo ukuthi phakathi kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli kawayikuzuza ilifa.
Instead I have given to the Levites as their compensation the tithe that the Israelites give to the Lord as a contribution. That's why I told them that they wouldn't receive a share of land among the Israelites.”
25 INkosi yasikhuluma kuMozisi isithi:
The Lord told Moses,
26 Futhi uzakhuluma kumaLevi uthi kuwo: Nxa lithatha ebantwaneni bakoIsrayeli okwetshumi engilinike khona, kuvela kubo kube yilifa lenu, lizanikela kokwakho umnikelo wokuphakanyiswa weNkosi, kube ngokwetshumi kwalokho okwetshumi.
“Talk to the Levites and explain to them, ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe that I have given you as your compensation, you must return part of it as an offering to the Lord: a tithe of the tithe.
27 Lomnikelo wenu wokuphakanyiswa uzabalelwa lina, njengamabele ebala lokubhulela lanjengokugcwala kwesikhamelo sewayini.
Your offering will be considered as if it were the firstfruits of grain from your threshing floor or grape juice from the winepress.
28 Ngalokhu lani lizanikela umnikelo wokuphakanyiswa weNkosi kukho konke okwetshumi kwenu elikwemukelayo ebantwaneni bakoIsrayeli; lizanika kokwayo umnikelo wokuphakanyiswa weNkosi, kuAroni umpristi.
In this way you are to contribute an offering to the Lord from every tithe you receive from the Israelites, giving the Lord's offering to Aaron the priest.
29 Kuzo zonke izipho zenu lizanikela wonke umnikelo wokuphakanyiswa weNkosi; ekhethelweni lonke lazo, ingxenye yayo engcwelisiweyo evela kuyo.
From all the gifts you receive you are to contribute as the Lord's offering the very best, the holiest part of every gift.’
30 Futhi uzakuthi kuwo: Lapho linikela ikhethelo lazo elivela kuzo, kuzabalelwa amaLevi njengesivuno sebala lokubhulela lanjengesivuno sesikhamelo sewayini.
So tell the Levites, ‘When you have presented the best part, it will be considered as your contribution produced by your threshing floor or winepress.
31 Lizakudla lokho endaweni zonke, lina lendlu yenu, ngoba kungumvuzo wenu ngomsebenzi wenu ethenteni lenhlangano.
You and your families may eat it anywhere because it's compensation for your service in the Tent of Meeting.
32 Njalo kaliyikuthwala isono ngenxa yakho, lapho seliphakamisile ikhethelo lakho kukho; kaliyikungcolisa izinto ezingcwele zabantwana bakoIsrayeli, ukuze lingafi.
You will not be considered to have sinned if you have presented the best part of it. But if you treat the sacred offerings of the Israelites with disrespect you will die.’”
