< Torati 18 >
1 Makuhani ambao ni Walawi, yaani kabila lote la Lawi, hawatakuwa na mgawo wala urithi pamoja na Israeli. Wataishi kwa sadaka zitolewazo kwa ajili ya Bwana za kuteketezwa kwa moto, kwa maana huo ndio urithi wao.
“The priests, who are all from the tribe of Levi, will not receive any land in Israel. Instead, they will receive some of the food that other people offer to be burned [on the altar to be sacrificed] to Yahweh and some of the other sacrifices that will be offered to Yahweh.
2 Hawatakuwa na urithi miongoni mwa ndugu zao; Bwana ndiye urithi wao, kama alivyowaahidi.
They will not be allotted any land like the other tribes will be. What they will receive is the work/privilege of being Yahweh’s [priests], which is what he said that they should have.
3 Hili ndilo fungu la makuhani kutoka kwa watu watakaotoa dhabihu ya fahali au kondoo: mguu wa mbele, mataya na matumbo.
“When the people bring an ox or a sheep to be sacrificed, they must give to the priests the shoulder, the cheeks/jaws, and the stomach of those animals.
4 Mtawapa malimbuko ya nafaka zenu, divai mpya, mafuta na sufu ya kwanza kutoka manyoya ya kondoo zenu,
You must also give to them the first part of the grain that you [harvest], and the first part of the wine [that you make], and the first part of the [olive] oil [that you make], and the first part of the wool that you shear from your sheep.
5 kwa kuwa Bwana Mungu wenu amewachagua pamoja na wazao wao kutoka makabila yenu kusimama na kuhudumu katika jina la Bwana siku zote.
You must do this because Yahweh our God has chosen the tribe of Levi from all of your tribes, in order that men [from that tribe] would always be the priests who would serve him.
6 Ikiwa Mlawi atahama kutoka mmojawapo ya miji yenu popote katika Israeli ambapo anaishi, akaja kwa moyo wote mahali ambapo Bwana atapachagua,
“If any man from the tribe of Levi [who has been living] in one of the towns in Israel wants to come from there to the place of worship that Yahweh has chosen, [and start living there],
7 anaweza akahudumu katika jina la Bwana Mungu wake kama Walawi wenzake wote wanaohudumu hapo mbele za Bwana.
he is permitted to serve Yahweh there as a priest, just like the other men from the tribe of Levi who have been serving there.
8 Atashiriki sawa katika mafao yao, hata kama amepokea fedha kutoka mauzo ya mali ya jamaa yake.
He must be given the same amount of food [that the other priests receive]. He is permitted to keep the money [that his relatives give him] for selling some of their possessions.
9 Wakati mtakapoingia katika nchi ambayo Bwana Mungu wenu anawapa, msijifunze kuiga njia za machukizo za mataifa ya huko.
When you enter the land that Yahweh our God is giving you, you must not imitate the disgusting things that the people-groups who are there now do.
10 Asionekane mtu yeyote miongoni mwenu ampitishaye mwanawe au binti yake katika moto, atakayefanya uaguzi, ulozi, anayetabiri nyakati, anayejishughulisha na uchawi,
You must not sacrifice any of your children by burning them [on your altars]. Do not practice (divination/using supernatural power to reveal [what will happen in] the future). Do not do/practice (soothsaying/magic to find out what will happen in the future). Do not (interpret omens/say that because of something that you have seen you know what will happen). Do not practice sorcery/witchcraft. Do not practice (putting spells on people/saying things to cause bad things to happen to others).
11 wala arogaye kwa kupiga mafundo, wala mwaguzi au anayeabudu mizimu, wala awaombaye wafu.
Do not try to talk with spirits of dead people. Do not do/practice magic.
12 Mtu yeyote afanyaye mambo haya ni chukizo kwa Bwana, tena ni kwa sababu ya matendo haya ya kuchukiza wayafanyayo ndiyo maana Bwana Mungu wenu atayafukuza mataifa hayo mbele yenu.
Yahweh hates people who do any of those disgusting things. And as you advance through that land, he is going to expel the people-groups because they do/practice those disgusting things.
13 Kamwe msilaumiwe mbele za Bwana Mungu wenu.
But you must always avoid doing any of those things.
14 Mataifa mtakayowafukuza husikiliza wale wafanyao ulozi na uaguzi. Lakini kwenu ninyi, Bwana Mungu wenu hajawaruhusu kufanya hivyo.
The people-groups that you are about to expel [from the land that you will occupy] (consult/seek advice from) soothsayers and those who practice divination. But as for you, Yahweh our God does not allow you to do that.
15 Bwana Mungu wenu atawainulia nabii kama mimi kutoka miongoni mwa ndugu zenu wenyewe. Msikilizeni yeye.
[Some day] he will send from among you a prophet like me. [He is the one who will tell you what will happen in the future], and he is the one whom you must heed.
16 Kwa kuwa hivi ndivyo mlivyomwomba Bwana Mungu wenu kule Horebu siku ile ya kusanyiko, wakati mliposema, “Na tusiisikie sauti ya Bwana Mungu wetu, wala kuuona moto huu mkubwa tena, ama sivyo tutakufa.”
On the day that your ancestors were gathered at the bottom of Sinai Mountain, they pleaded with me saying, ‘We do not want Yahweh to speak [MTY] to us again, and we do not want to see this huge fire [that is burning on the mountain]!’ [Your ancestors said that because they were afraid] that they would die [if Yahweh spoke to them again].
17 Bwana akaniambia: “Wanachosema ni vyema.
Then Yahweh said to me, ‘What they have said is true/wise.
18 Nitawainulia nabii kama wewe kutoka miongoni mwa ndugu zao; nitaweka maneno yangu kinywani mwake, naye atawaambia kila kitu nitakachomwamuru.
So I will send from among them a prophet who will be like you. I will tell him what to say, and then he will tell people everything that I tell him to say.
19 Kama mtu yeyote hatasikiliza maneno yangu ambayo huyo nabii atayasema kwa Jina langu, mimi mwenyewe nitamwajibisha.
He will speak for me. And I will punish anyone who does not heed what he says.
20 Lakini nabii ambaye atathubutu kusema kwa Jina langu kitu chochote ambacho sikumwamuru akiseme, au nabii ambaye husema kwa jina la miungu mingine ni lazima auawe.”
But if any other [person says that he is a] prophet [and] dares to speak a message which he falsely says comes from me but which I did not tell him to speak, or if anyone who speaks a message that he says other gods [MTY] have revealed to him, he must be executed [for doing that].’
21 Mnaweza kuulizana wenyewe, “Tutawezaje kujua wakati ujumbe haukusemwa na Bwana?”
But if you say to yourself, ‘How can we know if a message [that someone tells us] does not come from Yahweh?’
22 Ikiwa kile nabii anachotangaza kwa jina la Bwana hakikutokea au kutimia, huo ni ujumbe ambao Bwana hakusema. Nabii huyo amesema kwa ujuaji. Msimwogope huyo.
[The answer is that] when someone speaks a message [about what will happen in the future], a message that he says was revealed by Yahweh, if what he says does not happen, [you will know that] the message did not come from Yahweh. That person has wrongly claimed that it was revealed to him by Yahweh. So you do not need to be afraid of [anything that] he [says].”