Deuteronomy 21
1 If someone is found slain in the land which Yahweh your God gives you to possess, lying in the field, and it isn’t known who has struck him,
“Nxa kungafunyanwa umuntu obuleweyo egangeni, elizweni uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika lona ukuba libe ngelenu, kungaziwa ukuthi ubulewe ngubani,
2 then your elders and your judges shall come out, and they shall measure to the cities which are around him who is slain.
abakhokheli kanye labehluleli benu bazakuya balinganise umango phakathi kwalowo obuleweyo lamadolobho aseduze.
3 It shall be that the elders of the city which is nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer of the herd, which hasn’t been worked with and which has not drawn in the yoke.
Kuzakuthi abakhokheli bamadolobho aseduzane lesidumbu leso bathathe ithokazi elingakaze lisetshenziswe futhi okungakaze kugaxwe ijogwe phezu kwalo
4 The elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with running water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.
balithintele esigodini esingakaze silinywe kumbe kuhlanyelwe ulutho kiso njalo lapho okulesifula esigelezayo khona. Kabephule intamo yalo khonapho esigodini leso.
5 The priests the sons of Levi shall come near, for them Yahweh your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in Yahweh’s name; and according to their word shall every controversy and every assault be decided.
Abaphristi, amadodana kaLevi, bazasondela, ngoba uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu ubakhethile ukuba benze inkonzo njalo bamemezele izibusiso ebizweni likaThixo bahlulele amacala okuxabana lawokulwa.
6 All the elders of that city which is nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley.
Abakhokheli balawo madolobho aseduzane lesidumbu leso bazagezela izandla zabo phezu kwethokazi elephulelwe intamo esigodini,
7 They shall answer and say, “Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
bafakaze bathi: ‘Izandla zethu kazilichithanga leligazi, futhi asibonanga kusenzeka.
8 Forgive, Yahweh, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and don’t allow innocent blood among your people Israel.” The blood shall be forgiven them.
Yamukela lindlela yokubuyisana yabantu bakho abako-Israyeli, obahlengileyo, Oh Thixo, ungabeki icala phezu kwabantu bakho ngenxa yegazi lomuntu omsulwa.’ Ngakho ukuchithwa kwegazi kuzahlawulelwa.
9 So you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, when you shall do that which is right in Yahweh’s eyes.
Ngalokho lizazigeza emlandwini wokuchitha igazi elingelacala, njengoba selenzile okuhle emehlweni kaThixo.”
10 When you go out to battle against your enemies, and Yahweh your God delivers them into your hands and you carry them away captive,
“Nxa usiya empini ukuyahlasela izitha zakho kuthi uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu anikele izitha zenu ezandleni zenu, lizithumbe,
11 and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you are attracted to her, and desire to take her as your wife,
ungabona owesifazane omuhle njalo akukhange, ungamthatha abe ngumkakho.
12 then you shall bring her home to your house. She shall shave her head and trim her nails.
Uzamusa emzini wakho, aphuce ikhanda lakhe, aqume inzipho zakhe njalo
13 She shall take off the clothing of her captivity, and shall remain in your house, and bewail her father and her mother a full month. After that you shall go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.
akhulule izigqoko athunjwe ezigqokile. Kuzakuthi lapho eseqede inyanga eyodwa esemzini wakho elilela uyise lonina, usungamthatha abe ngumkakho,
14 It shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall let her go where she desires; but you shall not sell her at all for money. You shall not deal with her as a slave, because you have humbled her.
kodwa nxa engakuthokozisi, umkhulule ayelapho athanda khona. Ungamthengisi kumbe umphathe njengesigqili, ngoba usumngcolisile.”
15 If a man has two wives, the one beloved and the other hated, and they have borne him children, both the beloved and the hated, and if the firstborn son is hers who was hated,
“Nxa indoda ilabafazi ababili, ithande omunye kodwa omunye ingamthandi, kuthi bobabili bayizalele amadodana kodwa izibulo libe yindodana yomfazi engamthandiyo,
16 then it shall be, in the day that he causes his sons to inherit that which he has, that he may not give the son of the beloved the rights of the firstborn before the son of the hated, who is the firstborn;
nxa ehlela ukwabela amadodana akhe impahla yakhe, akumelanga emuke izibulo lakhe ilungelo lalo aliphe indodana yomfazi amthandayo esikhundleni sezibulo langempela, indodana yomfazi engamthandiyo.
17 but he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion of all that he has; for he is the beginning of his strength. The right of the firstborn is his.
Kufanele itshengisele ukuthi indodana yomfazi ongathandwayo yilo izibulo ngokuyinika isabelo esiphindwe kabili sempahla yayo yonke. Indodana leyo iyisibonakaliso sakuqala samandla kayise. Ilungelo lobuzibulo ngelayo.”
18 If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and though they chasten him, will not listen to them,
“Nxa indoda ilendodana eyisiqholo njalo engumhlamuki engalaleli uyise lonina nxa beyikhuza,
19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city and to the gate of his place.
uyise lonina bazayibamba bayise ebadaleni esangweni ledolobho lakibo.
20 They shall tell the elders of his city, “This our son is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey our voice. He is a glutton and a drunkard.”
Kumele bafike ebadaleni balelodolobho bathi, ‘Indodana yethu le iyisiqholo njalo ingumhlamuki. Ayisilaleli. Iyisixhwali njalo iyisidakwa.’
21 All the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall remove the evil from among you. All Israel shall hear, and fear.
Ngakho wonke amadoda akulelodolobho azayitshaya ngamatshe ize ife. Kufanele liqede bonke ububi phakathi kwenu. U-Israyeli wonke uzakuzwa lokhu esabe.”
22 If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,
“Nxa umuntu olecala elikhulu ebulawa kuthi isidumbu silengiswe esihlahleni,
23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him the same day; for he who is hanged is accursed of God. Don’t defile your land which Yahweh your God gives you for an inheritance.
lingaboyekela isidumbu sakhe silenga esihlahleni ubusuku bonke. Kangcwatshwe mhlalokho, ngoba umuntu olengiswa esihlahleni uqalekisiwe nguNkulunkulu. Lingangcolisi ilizwe uThixo uNkulunkulu wenu alinika lona njengelifa.”
