UDutheronomi 21

1 Uba kutholakala obuleweyo elizweni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona ukudla ilifa lalo, elele egangeni, kungaziwa ukuthi ngubani omtshayileyo,

If someone is found slain in the land which the LORD your God gives you to possess, lying in the field, and it isn’t known who has struck him,

2 abadala bakho labahluleli bakho bazaphuma, balinganise ukuya emizini ezingelezele obuleweyo.

then your elders and your judges shall come out, and they shall measure to the cities which are around him who is slain.

3 Kuzakuthi-ke umuzi oseduze lobuleweyo, abadala balowomuzi bazathatha ithokazi enkomeni, okungasetshenzwanga ngalo, elingadonsanga ejogweni.

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.

4 Labadala balowomuzi balehlisele ithokazi esigodini esilamanzi angacitshiyo, esingalinywanga lesingahlanyelwanga, bephule intamo yethokazi lapho esigodini.

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.

5 Abapristi, amadodana kaLevi, bazasondela-ke; ngoba iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ibakhethile ukuyikhonza lokubusisa ebizweni leNkosi, langomlomo wabo kuzaqunywa konke ukuxabana lakho konke ukutshaya.

The priests the sons of Levi shall come near, for them the LORD your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in the LORD’s name; and according to their word shall every controversy and every assault be decided.

6 Labo bonke abadala balowomuzi oseduze lobuleweyo bazagezela izandla zabo phezu kwethokazi elephulwe intamo esigodini,

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.

7 baphendule bathi: Izandla zethu kazichithanga leligazi, lamehlo ethu kawakubonanga.

They shall answer and say, “Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.

8 Benzele inhlawulo yokuthula abantu bakho uIsrayeli owamhlengayo, Nkosi, ungabeki igazi elingelacala phakathi kwesizwe sakho uIsrayeli. Legazi bazalithethelelwa.

Forgive, LORD, your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and don’t allow innocent blood among your people Israel.” The blood shall be forgiven them.

9 Ngalokhu wena uzakhupha igazi elingelacala phakathi kwakho nxa usenza okulungileyo emehlweni eNkosi.

So you shall put away the innocent blood from among you, when you shall do that which is right in the LORD’s eyes.

10 Lapho uphuma impi ukumelana lezitha zakho, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho isizinikele esandleni sakho, usuthumbe abathunjwa bazo,

When you go out to battle against your enemies, and the LORD your God delivers them into your hands and you carry them away captive,

11 ubusubona phakathi kwabathunjiweyo owesifazana omuhle, umfise, ukuthi ungamthatha abe ngumkakho,

and see among the captives a beautiful woman, and you are attracted to her, and desire to take her as your wife,

12 uzamngenisa phakathi komuzi wakho, njalo aphuce ikhanda lakhe, aqume inzipho zakhe,

then you shall bring her home to your house. She shall shave her head and trim her nails.

13 akhulule izembatho zokuthunjwa kwakhe, ahlale emzini wakho abeselilela uyise lonina inyanga yonke. Emva kwalokho ubusungena kuye, ube yindoda yakhe, laye abe ngumkakho.

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.

14 Kuzakuthi-ke, uba ungathokozi ngaye, uzamyekela ahambe njengokuthanda kwakhe; kodwa ungamthengisi lokumthengisa ngemali, ungamphathi njengesigqili, ngoba usumthobisile.

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.

15 Uba indoda ilabafazi ababili, omunye eyintandokazi lomunye eyisaliwakazi, njalo bamzalele abantwana, intandokazi lesaliwakazi, uba izibulo libe yindodana yesaliwakazi,

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,

16 kuzakuthi, mhla esenza amadodana akhe ukuthi adle ilifa lalokho alakho, kangayenzi indodana yentandokazi ibe lizibulo phambi kwendodana yesaliwakazi, elizibulo.

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;

17 Kodwa izibulo indodana yesaliwakazi uzalivuma ngokulinika isabelo esiphindwe kabili sakho konke okuficwayo kuye, ngoba liyikuqala kwamandla akhe; ilungelo lobuzibulo ngelalo.

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.

18 Uba indoda ilendodana elenkani lengezwayo, engalaleli ilizwi likayise kumbe ilizwi likanina, sebeyijezisile, njalo ingabalaleli,

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,

19 khona uyise lonina bazayibamba, bayikhuphele ebadaleni bomuzi wayo, lesangweni lendawo yayo,

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.

20 bathi ebadaleni bomuzi wayo: Lindodana yethu ilenkani, kayizwa, kayilaleli ilizwi lethu; iyisiminzi lesidakwa.

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.”

21 Khona wonke amadoda omuzi wayo azayikhanda ngamatshe ize ife; ngalokho uzakhupha ububi phakathi kwakho; njalo uIsrayeli wonke uzakuzwa, esabe.

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.

22 Njalo uba kuzakuba lesono emuntwini esifanele ukufa, abulawe, uzamphanyeka esihlahleni.

If a man has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree,

23 Isidumbu sakhe singahlali esihlahleni ubusuku bonke, kodwa lizamngcwaba lokumngcwaba ngalolosuku (ngoba ophanyekiweyo uqalekisiwe nguNkulunkulu), ukuze lingangcoliswa ilizwe lakho, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekunika lona ukuba yilifa.

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 the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance.