Torati 17
1 Haupaswi kumtolea dhabihu Yahwe Mungu wako ng'ombe au kondoo aliye na kasoro au kitu chochote kibaya, kwa kuwa hiyo itakuwa chukizo kwa Yahwe Mungu wako.
“Do not sacrifice to Yahweh our God any cattle or sheep or goats that have any defects, because Yahweh hates that kind of gift.”
2 Kama kunapatikana miongoni mwenu, ndani ya malango ya mji wowote ambao Yahwe Mungu wenu anawapatia, mwanaume yoyote au mwanamke ambaye anafanya uovu mbele ya Yahwe Mungu wenu kuiharibu agano lake -
“When you are living in any of the towns [in the land] that Yahweh our God is giving to you, suppose you hear that there is some man or woman who sins by disobeying the agreement that Yahweh has made with you.
3 yoyote ambaye ameenda na kuabudu miungu mingine na kuisujudia, wala jua, mwezi, au kati ya jeshi la mbinguni- hakuna chochote nimekuamuru,
Suppose someone tells you that that person has worshiped and served other gods, or the sun, or the moon, or the stars.
4 na kama ungeambiwa kuhusu hiki, au kama una mifugo- basi unapaswa kufanya uchunguzi wa makini. Kama ni kweli na hakika kwamba chukizo kama hilo limefanyika Israeli-
If you hear that some person has been doing that, you must investigate it thoroughly. If [you find out that] it is true that this detestable thing has happened in Israel,
5 -basi utamleta huyo mwanaume au mwanamke, aliyefanya uovu huu, katika malango ya mji, kwamba mwanaume kabisa au mwanamke, na umponde huyo mtu mpaka kufa.
you must take outside the town the man or woman who has done it. Then you must kill that person by throwing stones at him or her.
6 Kwa kinywa cha mashahidi wawili, au mashahidi watatu, itakuwa yeye anayepaswa kuuwawa; lakini kwa kinywa cha shahidi mmoja peke hatauwawa.
But you are allowed to execute such people only if at least two witnesses testify that they saw them [doing that]. They must not be executed if there is only one witness.
7 Mkono wa mashahidi unapaswa kuwa wa kwanza kumuuwa, na badae mkono wa watu wote; na mtamuondoa muovu miongoni mwenu.
The (witnesses/ones who saw them doing it) must be the first ones to throw stones at them. Then the other people [MTY] [should throw stones at them]. By doing that, you will get rid of this evil practice among you.”
8 Kama jambo linatokea ambalo ni gumu kwenu kufanya maamuzi- pengine swali la mauaji au kifo cha ajali, haki ya mtu mmoja na haki ya mtu mwingine, au swali moja la aina ya kuzulu kufanyika, au aina nyingine ya jambo-mambo ya utata ndani ya malango yenu, basi utapaswa kwenda kwenye eneo ambalo Yahwe Mungu wako atachagua kama patakatifu pake.
“Sometimes it will be very difficult for a judge to decide what really happened. He might be trying to decide whether, when someone injured or killed another person, he did it accidentally or deliberately. Or he might be trying to decide if some person is suing another person unfairly. If in some town it is very difficult to know what really happened, with the result that the judge cannot decide it, you should go to the place that Yahweh our God has chosen for you [to worship him].
9 Utapaswa kwenda kwa makuhani, wazao wa Lawi, na kwa mwamuzi atakayetumika kwa wakati huo; mtatafuta ushauri wao, na watawapa ninyi maamuzi.
There you should present the case to the descendants of Levi who are the priests, and to the judge who is serving at that time, and they should decide what should be done.
10 Mnapaswa kufuata sheria mliyopewa, katika eneo Yahwe atachagua kama patakatifu pake. Mtakuwa makini kufanya kila kitu ambacho wanawaelekeza kufanya.
After they make their decision, you must do what they tell you to do.
11 Fuata sheria wanayowafundisha, na kufanya kulingana na maamuzi wanawapa. Msigeuke kutoka kwa kile wanawambia, kwa kulia au kushoto.
Accept what they have decided, and do what they say that you should do. Do not try to change in any way what they have decided [IDM].
12 Yeyote anayefanya kwa kiburi, kwa kutomsikiliza kuhani anayesimama kutumika mbele ya Yahwe Mungu wako, au kwa kutomsikiliza mwamuzi- huyu mtu atakufa; mtaweka mbali uovu kutoka Israeli.
You must execute anyone who proudly/arrogantly disobeys the judge or the priest who stands there in the presence of Yahweh [and decides what should be done]. By doing that, you will get rid of evil practices among you.
13 Watu wote wanapaswa kusikia na kuogopa, na kutofanya kwa kiburi tena.
Then [after that person is executed], all the people will hear about it, and they will be afraid, and none of them will act that way any more.”
14 Wakati mlipokuja kwenye nchi ambayo Yahwe Mungu anawapa, na wakati mnamiliki na kuanza kuishi ndani yake, na halafu unasema, 'Nitajiwekea mfalme juu yangu, kama mataifa yote yanayonizunguka mimi,'
“[I know that] after you have occupied the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you, and you are living there, you will say, ‘We should have a king to rule over us, like the kings that other nations around us have.’
15 basi unapaswa kwa hakika kujiwekea mfalme juu yako mtu yeyote ambaye Yahwe atachagua. Unapaswa kujiweka kama mfalme juu yako mtu yeyote kutoka miongoni mwa ndugu zenu. Haupaswi kuweka mgeni, ambaye si ndugu yenu, juu yenu.
Yahweh our God will permit you to have a king, but be sure that you appoint someone whom he has chosen. That man must be an Israeli; you must not appoint someone who is a foreigner to be your king.
16 Lakini hapaswi kuzidisha farasi kwa ajili yake, wala kusababisha watu kurudi Misri ili kwamba aweze kuzidisha farasi, kwa kuwa Yahwe alikwisha sema kwako, 'Unapaswa kuanzia sasa usirudi njia hiyo tena.'
[After he becomes the king], he should not acquire a large number of horses for himself. He should not send people to Egypt to buy horses for him, because Yahweh said to you, ‘Never return to Egypt [for anything’]!
17 Na hapaswi kuzidisha wake kwa ajili yake, ili kwamba moyo wake usigeuke kotoka kwa Yahwe; wala hapaswi sana kuzidisha kwa ajili yake fedha au dhahabu.
And he must not have a lot of wives, because if he did that, they would turn him [SYN] away from [worshiping only] Yahweh. And he must not acquire a lot of silver and gold.
18 Wakati aketipo kwenye kiti cha enzi cha ufalme wake, anapaswa kuandika kwenye kitabu kwa ajili yake nakala ya sheria hii, kutoka kwenye sheria ambayo iko mbele ya makuhani, ambao ni Walawi.
“When he becomes your king, he must [appoint someone to] copy these laws. He must copy them from the scroll that is kept by the priests who are descended from Levi.
19 Kitabu kinapaswa kuwa na yeye, na anapaswa kusoma ndani yake kwa siku zake zote, ili kwamba aweze kujifunza kumheshimu Yahwe Mungu wako, ili kwamba ashike maneno yote ya sheria hii na amri hizi, kuzishika.
He must keep this new scroll near him and read from it every day of his life, in order that he may learn to revere Yahweh, and to faithfully obey [DOU] all the rules and regulations [that are written] in these laws.
20 Anapaswa kufanya hivi ili kwamba moyo wake usiinuliwe zaidi ya ndugu zake, na ili kwamba asigeuke mbali na amri, kwa kulia au kwa kushoto' kwa kusudi kwamba aweze kuzidisha siku zake katika ufalme wake, yeye na watoto wake, miongoni mwa Israel.
If he does that, he [SYN] will not think that he is (better/more important) than [IDM] his fellow Israelis, and he will completely obey [LIT] Yahweh’s commands. As a result, he and his descendants will rule as kings in Israel for many years.”
