Torati 12
1 Hizi ndizo amri na sheria ambazo ni lazima mwe waangalifu kuzifuata katika nchi ambayo Bwana, Mungu wa baba zenu, amewapa kumiliki, kwa muda wote mtakaoishi katika nchi.
“(I will now tell you again/These, [again], are) the rules and regulations that you must faithfully obey in the land that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped], is giving to you to occupy. You must obey these laws all the time that you are alive.
2 Haribuni kabisa kila mahali pao pa kuabudia kwenye milima mirefu, vilima na chini ya kila mti mkubwa ambamo mataifa haya mnayokwenda kuchukua ardhi yao huabudia miungu yao.
You must destroy all the places where the people-groups that you will expel worship their gods, on the tops of mountains and hills and under big green trees.
3 Bomoeni madhabahu zao, vunjeni yale mawe wanayoabudu, chomeni moto nguzo zao za Ashera; katilieni mbali sanamu za miungu yao na mfute majina yao mahali hapo.
You must tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Completely burn the statues of their goddess Asherah in fires, and chop down their wooden idols, in order that no one will ever worship them [MTY] in those places again.
4 Kamwe msimwabudu Bwana Mungu wenu kama wanavyoabudu wao.
“Do not worship Yahweh like [the people in Canaan worship their gods].
5 Bali mtatafuta mahali Bwana Mungu wenu atakapopachagua katika makabila yenu yote ili aliweke jina lake huko kuwa makao yake. Mahali hapo ndipo iwapasapo kwenda;
Instead, you must go to the place that Yahweh will choose. It will be in the area where one of your tribes will live. That is where you must go to worship Yahweh.
6 hapo ndipo mtakapoleta sadaka zenu za kuteketezwa na dhabihu, zaka zenu na changizo zenu, kile ulichoweka nadhiri kutoa, sadaka zenu za hiari na malimbuko ya makundi yenu ya ngʼombe pamoja na mbuzi na kondoo.
That is the place where you must bring your sacrifices that will be completely burned on the altar, and your other sacrifices, (your tithes/ten percent of all of your crops), other offerings that you decide to give, and the firstborn animals from your cattle and sheep.
7 Hapo, katika uwepo wa Bwana Mungu wenu, ninyi pamoja na jamaa zenu, mtakula na kufurahia kila kitu ambacho mmegusa kwa mikono yenu, kwa sababu Bwana Mungu wenu amewabariki.
There, in the presence of Yahweh our God, who has [greatly] blessed you, you and your families will eat the good things that you have worked to produce, and you will be happy.
8 Msifanye kama tunavyofanya hapa leo, kila mtu anavyopenda mwenyewe,
“[When you are in that land], you must not do some of the things that we have been doing. Until now, you have all been worshiping [Yahweh] the way you wanted to,
9 kwa kuwa bado hamjafikia mahali pa mapumziko na urithi ambao Bwana Mungu wenu anawapa.
because you have not yet arrived in the land which Yahweh is giving to you, where you will be able to live peacefully.
10 Lakini mtavuka Yordani na kuishi katika nchi Bwana Mungu wenu anayowapa kama urithi, naye atawapa pumziko kutokana na adui zenu wote wanaowazunguka ili ninyi mpate kuishi kwa salama.
But when you cross the Jordan [River], you will start to live in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you. He will protect you from all your enemies that will surround you, and you will live peacefully/safely.
11 Kisha kuhusu mahali Bwana Mungu wenu atakapopachagua kuwa mahali pa makao ya Jina lake, hapo ndipo inapowapasa kuleta kila kitu ninachowaamuru: sadaka zenu za kuteketezwa na dhabihu, zaka zenu na changizo, pamoja na vitu vyote vyenye thamani ambavyo mmeweka nadhiri kumtolea Bwana.
“Yahweh will choose one place where he wants you to worship him. That is the place to which you must bring all the offerings that I command you to bring: The sacrifices that must be completely burned [on the altar], your other sacrifices, other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, (your tithes/ten percent of all your crops), and all the special offerings that you will solemnly promise to give to Yahweh.
12 Hapo furahini mbele za Bwana Mungu wenu, ninyi, wana wenu na binti zenu, watumishi wenu wa kiume na wa kike, pamoja na Walawi kutoka miji yenu ambao hawana mgawo wala urithi wao wenyewe.
Rejoice there in the presence of Yahweh, along with your children, your male and female servants, and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns. Do not forget that the descendants of Levi will not have their own land, like you will have.
13 Kuweni waangalifu, msitoe dhabihu zenu za kuteketezwa mahali popote mnapopapenda.
Be sure that you do not offer sacrifices anywhere you want to.
14 Mtazitoa tu mahali pale ambapo Bwana atachagua katika mojawapo ya makabila yenu, nanyi hapo zingatieni kila jambo ninalowaamuru.
You must offer them only in the place that Yahweh will choose for you, in an area that belongs to one of your tribes. That is the only place where he wants you to offer sacrifices that will be completely burned [on the altar], and to do the other things that I am commanding you to do [when you worship him].
15 Hata hivyo, mnaweza kuwachinja wanyama wenu katika miji yenu yoyote ile na kula nyama nyingi mpendavyo kama vile mmemchinja paa au kulungu, kulingana na baraka mtakazojaliwa na Bwana Mungu wenu. Watu walio najisi au walio safi wanaweza kula.
“However, you will be permitted to kill and eat the meat of your animals in the places where you live. As often as you want to, you may eat the meat of the animals that Yahweh our God will bless you by giving them to you. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done things like that may all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.
16 Lakini kamwe usinywe damu; imwage juu ya ardhi kama maji.
But you must not eat the blood [of any animals]; you must let the blood drain onto the ground [before you cook the meat].
17 Hamruhusiwi kula katika miji yenu zaka yenu ya nafaka, ya divai mpya na ya mafuta, au mzaliwa wa kwanza wa makundi yenu ya ngʼombe na makundi yenu ya mbuzi na kondoo, wala chochote ambacho mmeweka nadhiri kukitoa, au sadaka zako za hiari, wala matoleo maalum.
In the places where you live, you must not eat the things that you are offering [to Yahweh]: You must not eat the (tithes/ten percent) of your grain or of your wine, or of your [olive] oil, or the firstborn of your cattle and sheep, or the offerings that you yourselves decide to give to Yahweh, or any other offerings.
18 Badala yake, mtakula vitu hivyo katika uwepo wa Bwana Mungu wenu mahali ambapo Bwana Mungu wenu atapachagua: wewe, wana wako na binti zako, watumishi wako wa kiume na wa kike, na Walawi kutoka miji yenu. Mnatakiwa mfurahi mbele za Bwana Mungu wenu kwa kula kitu mtakachoweka mikono yenu.
Instead, you and your children and your male and female servants and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns must go to the place that he has chosen and eat those things there in the presence of Yahweh. And you should rejoice in the presence of Yahweh about everything that you do.
19 Mwe waangalifu msiwapuuze Walawi kwa muda wote mnaoishi katika nchi yenu.
Be sure that you take care of the descendants of Levi all during the time that you live in your land.
20 Bwana Mungu wenu atakapokuwa ameongeza nchi yenu kama alivyowaahidi, nanyi mkitamani nyama na mkisema, “Ningependa nyama,” hapo unaweza kula nyingi upendavyo.
“When Yahweh our God gives you much more land [than you will have when you first occupy it], which is what he has promised to do, and you say ‘I would like some meat to eat’ because you are craving/wanting some meat, you will be permitted to eat meat whenever you want to.
21 Kama mahali ambapo Bwana Mungu wenu atapachagua kuweka Jina lake ni mbali sana kutoka kwenu, unaweza kuchinja wanyama kutoka makundi yenu ya ngʼombe, ya mbuzi na ya kondoo ambayo Bwana amewapa, kama nilivyokuamuru, na mkiwa katika miji yenu wenyewe mnaweza kula nyingi mtakavyo.
If the place that Yahweh our God chooses to be the place for you to worship him is far [from where you live], you are permitted to kill some of your cattle or sheep that Yahweh has given to you, and you may eat that meat at the places where you live, just like I have told you to do.
22 Mle kama vile mngekula paa na kulungu. Wote walio najisi kiibada na walio safi mwaweza kula.
Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God, and those who have not done things like that, are all permitted to all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.
23 Lakini hakikisheni kwamba hamkunywa damu, kwa sababu damu ni uhai, kamwe msile uhai pamoja na nyama.
But be sure that you do not eat the blood [of any animal], because it is the blood that sustains life in living beings, and so you must not eat the life along with the meat.
24 Hamruhusiwi kamwe kunywa damu; imwageni juu ya ardhi kama maji.
Do not eat the blood; instead, let it drain onto the ground.
25 Msinywe damu, ili mweze kufanikiwa ninyi pamoja na watoto wenu baada yenu, kwa sababu mtakuwa mkifanya lililo haki machoni pa Bwana.
If you obey this command and do what Yahweh says is right [for you to do], things will go well for you and for your descendants.
26 Lakini vichukueni vitu vyenu vilivyowekwa wakfu pamoja na vile mlivyoweka nadhiri, mwende mahali pale Bwana atakapopachagua.
“But the sacred offerings that Yahweh has told you to give and the other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, you must take to the place that Yahweh will choose.
27 Leteni sadaka zenu za kuteketezwa juu ya madhabahu ya Bwana Mungu wenu, vyote nyama na damu. Damu ya dhabihu zenu lazima imiminwe kando ya madhabahu ya Bwana Mungu wenu, lakini nyama mnaweza kula.
You must offer there the sacrifices that will be completely burned [on Yahweh’s altar]. You must also offer there the sacrifices from which you may eat some of meat after you [kill the animals and] drain out the blood and some of it is thrown on the [sides of the] altar.
28 Mwe waangalifu kutii masharti haya yote ninayowapa, ili kwamba siku zote mweze kufanikiwa, ninyi pamoja na watoto wenu baada yenu, kwa sababu mtakuwa mkifanya lililo jema na sahihi mbele za macho ya Bwana Mungu wenu.
Faithfully obey all these things that I have commanded you. If you do that, things will go well forever for you and your descendants, because you will be doing what Yahweh our God says is right [for you to do] and what pleases him.
29 Bwana Mungu wenu atayakatilia mbali mbele yenu mataifa ambayo punde kidogo mtayavamia na kuyaondoa. Lakini mtakapokuwa mmeyafukuza na kuishi katika nchi yao,
“When you enter the land that you will occupy, as you advance, Yahweh our God will get rid of the people-groups that live there.
30 na baada ya kuangamizwa mbele yenu, mwe waangalifu msijiingize katika tanzi kwa kuuliza habari za miungu yao, mkisema, “Je, mataifa haya hutumikiaje miungu yao? Nasi tutafanya vivyo hivyo.”
After he does that, be sure that you do not [worship the gods] that they have been worshiping, because if you do that, you will be caught in the same trap [that they were caught in] [MET]. Do not ask anyone about those gods, saying, ‘Tell me how they worshiped their gods, in order that I can [worship them] also.’
31 Kamwe msimwabudu Bwana Mungu wenu kwa njia wanayoabudu miungu yao, kwa sababu katika kuabudu miungu yao, wanafanya aina zote za machukizo anayoyachukia Bwana. Hata huwateketeza wana wao na binti zao kwa moto kama kafara kwa miungu yao.
Do not try to worship Yahweh our God like they have worshiped their gods, because when they worship them, they do disgusting things, things that Yahweh hates. [The worst thing that they do is] that they sacrifice their own children and burn them [on their altars].
32 Angalieni kwamba mnafanya yote niliyowaamuru; msiongeze kitu wala msipunguze kitu.
“Be sure to do everything that I have commanded you to do. Do not add anything to these commands, and do not take anything away from them.”
