< Torati 15 >
1 Kila mwisho wa kila miaka saba, mnapaswa kufuta madeni.
“At the end of every seven years, you must (cancel all debts/tell people who owe you money that they do not need to pay it back).
2 Hii ni tabia ya ukombozi. Kila mkopeshaji atafuta kile alichompa jirani yake, hata dai kutoka kwa jirani yake au ndugu yake kwa sababu ufutaji wa madeni wa Yahwe umetangazwa.
Do it like this: Each of you who has lent money to a fellow Israeli must cancel that debt. You must not insist that he pay it back. You must do that because Yahweh has declared that the debts must be canceled [every seven years].
3 Kutoka kwa mgeni mnaweza kudai; lakini kwa chochote chenu kilicho na ndugu yenu mnapaswa mkitoe.
[During that year] you may require foreigners [who live among you] to pay what they owe you, but you must not try to require that any fellow Israeli pay you what he owes you.
4 Hata hivyo, pasiwepo maskini miongoni mwenu (kwa kuwa Yahwe kwa hakika atawabariki kwenye nchi ambayo anawapa kama urithi kumiliki)
Yahweh our God will bless you in the land that he is giving to you. If you obey Yahweh our God and obey all the commandments that I am giving to you today, there will not be any poor people among you.
5 kama peke yenu mnasikiliza kwa bidii sauti ya Yahwe Mungu wenu, kuzishika amri zote ambazo anawaamuru leo.
6 Kwa kuwa Yahwe Mungu wenu atawabariki, kama alivyowaahidia; mtakopesha mataifa mengi, lakini hamtaazima; mtaongoza juu ya mataifa mengi, lakini hayatawaongoza ninyi.
Yahweh our God will bless you like he has promised to do, and you will [be able to] lend money to people of other people-groups, but you will not [need to] borrow from any of them. You will control [the finances of] many people-groups, but they will not control your [finances].
7 Kama kuna mtu maskini miongoni mwenu, moja wa ndugu zenu, ndani ya malango yenu yoyote kwenye nchi yenu ambayo Yahwe Mungu wenu anawapa, msifanye migumu mioyo yenu wala kufunga mkono wenu toka kwa ndugu yenu,
“In the towns that Yahweh our God is giving to you, if there are any Israelis who are poor, do not be selfish [IDM] and refuse [IDM] to help them.
8 Lakini mnapaswa hakika kufungua mkono wenu kwake na hakika mkopeshe yeye vya kutosha hitaji lake.
Instead, be generous [IDM] and lend to them the money that they need.
9 Muwe makini kutokuwa na wazo ovu au potovu katika moyo wenu, kusema, “Mwaka wa saba, mwaka wa ukombozi u karibu; ili kwamba msiwe wachoyo kuhusiana na ndugu zenu maskini na haumpi chochote; anaweza kumlilia Yahwe kuhusu nyie, na itakuwa dhambi yenu.
Be sure that you do not say to yourself, ‘The year when debts will be canceled is near, [so I do not want to lend anyone any money now, because he will not need to pay it back when that year comes].’ It would be evil to even think that. If you act in an unfriendly way toward a needy fellow Israeli, and give him nothing, he will cry out to Yahweh about you, and [Yahweh will say that] you have sinned [by not helping that person].
10 Mnapaswa kwa hakika mmpe, na moyo wenu hampaswi kuhuzunika wakati mnampa, kwa sababu kurudishiwa kwa Yahwe huyu Mungu wenu atawabariki katika kazi zenu zote na katika chochote mnaweka mkono wenu.
Give freely to poor people and give generously [IDM].
11 Kwa kuwa maskini kamwe hatakoma kuishi katika nchi, kwa hiyo nakuamuru wewe na kusema, “Unapaswa kwa hakika ufungue mkono wako kwa ndugu yako, kwa mhitaji wako, na kwa maskini wako katika nchi yako.
If you do that, Yahweh will bless you in everything that you do. There will always be some poor people in your land, so I command you to give generously to poor [DOU] people.”
12 Kama ndugu yako, ni mwebrania wa kiume au mwebrania wa kike, ameuzwa kwako na anakutumikia kwa miaka saba, basi katika mwaka wa saba unapaswa umwache aende zake huru.
“If any of your fellow Israeli men or women sell themselves to one of you [to become your slave], you must free them after they have worked for you for six years. When the seventh year comes, you must free them.
13 Unapomwacha aende zake huru, usimwache aende mkono mtupu.
When you free them, do not allow them to go (empty-handed/without giving them anything).
14 Unapaswa kwa ukarimu hutoe kwake kutoka mifugo yako, kutoka pura iliyo chini, na kinu chako cha mvinyo. Kama Yahwe Mungu wako alivyokubariki, unapaswa umpe yeye.
Give to them generously from the things with which Yahweh has blessed you—sheep, grain, and wine.
15 Unapaswa kukumbuka kwamba ulikuwa mtumwa kwenye nchi ya Misri, na kwamba Yahwe Mungu wako alikukomboa; kwa hiyo ninakuamuru leo kufanya hivi.
Do not forget that your ancestors were once slaves in Egypt, and Yahweh our God freed them. That is the reason that I am now commanding you to do this.
16 Itakuwa kwamba kama atasema kwako, “Sitaenda mbali yako; kwa sababu anakupenda na nyumba yako, na kwa sababu ni mzuri kwako,
“But one of your slaves may say, ‘I do not want to leave you.’ He loves you and your family, because you have treated him well.
17 basi unapaswa kuchukua uma na msukumo kupitia sikio lake kwenye mlango, na atakuwa mtumwa wako milele. Na pia kwa mtumwa wako wa kike utafanya vilevile.
If he says that, take him to the door of your house and, [while he stands against the doorway], pierce one of his earlobes with (an awl/a sharp pointed tool). That will indicate that he will be your slave for the rest of his life. Do the same thing to any female slave [who does not want to leave you].
18 Isionekane kuwa vigumu kwako kumwachia aende zake huru, kwa sababu amekutumikia kwa miaka sita na amekupa mara mbili udhamani wa mtu aliyeajiriwa. Yahwe Mungu wako atakubariki katika yote unayofanya.
“Do not complain when you are required to free your slaves. [Keep in mind that] they served you for six years, and you paid them only half as much as you pay the servants that you hire. [If you free them, ] Yahweh our God will bless you in everything that you do.”
19 Wazao wote wa kwanza wa kiume katika wanyama na mifugo wako unapaswa uwatenge kwa Yahwe Mungu wako. Hautafanya kazi na mzao wa kwanza wa wanyama wako wala kumnyoa mzao wa kwanza wa mfugo wako.
“(Set aside for/Dedicate to) Yahweh our God the firstborn male animals from your cattle and sheep. Do not force them to do any work for you, and do not (shear/cut off) the wool [of the firstborn animals to sell the wool].
20 Unapaswa umle mzaliwa wa kwanza mbele ya Yahwe Mungu wako kila mwaka katika eneo ambalo Yahwe atachagua, wewe na nyumba yako.
You and your family may [kill them and] eat their meat in the presence of Yahweh at the place that Yahweh chooses [for you to worship him].
21 Kama ina kasoro yoyote- kwa mfano, kama ni kilema au kipofu, au ana kasoro yoyote- haupaswi kumtoa dhabihu kwa Yahwe Mungu wako.
But if the animals have any defects, if they are lame or blind, or if they have any other serious defect, you must not sacrifice them to Yahweh our God.
22 Utamla ndani ya malango yako; mtu asiye najisi na aliye najisi ni sawa unapaswa kula, kama ungekula paa au kulungu.
You may [kill and] eat [the meat of those animals] at your homes. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done such things are permitted to eat that meat, just like anyone is permitted to eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.
23 Pekee haupaswi kunywa damu yake; unapaswa kuimwanga damu yake juu ya ardhi kama maji.
But you must not eat any of the blood; you must drain all the blood on the ground [when you kill those animals].”