< Exodus 21 >

1 “Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them:
Lezi yizahlulelo ozazibeka-ke phambi kwabo.
2 “If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything.
Uba uthenga isigqili esingumHebheru, sizasebenza iminyaka eyisithupha, kodwa ngowesikhombisa sizaphuma sikhululekile ngesihle.
3 If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself. If he is married, then his wife shall go out with him.
Uba safika sisodwa, sizaphuma sisodwa; uba sithethe, umkaso uzaphuma laso.
4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself.
Uba inkosi yaso yasinika umfazi, asizalele amadodana kumbe amadodakazi, umfazi labantwana bakhe bazakuba ngabenkosi yakhe, njalo sizaphuma sisodwa.
5 But if the servant shall plainly say, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I will not go out free;’
Kodwa uba isigqili sisitsho lokutsho ukuthi: Ngiyayithanda inkosi yami, umkami labantwana bami, kangiyikuphuma ngikhululekile;
6 then his master shall bring him to God, and shall bring him to the door or to the doorpost, and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall serve him forever.
inkosi yaso izasiletha kubahluleli, ibisisiletha emnyango loba emgubazini, njalo inkosi yaso izabhoboza indlebe yaso ngosungulo, siyisebenzele-ke kuze kube nininini.
7 “If a man sells his daughter to be a female servant, she shall not go out as the male servants do.
Njalo uba umuntu ethengisa indodakazi yakhe ukuze ibe yisigqilikazi, kayiyikuphuma njengalokhu izigqili ziphuma.
8 If she does not please her master, who has married her to himself, then he shall let her be redeemed. He shall have no right to sell her to a foreign people, since he has dealt deceitfully with her.
Uba singayithokozisi inkosi yaso ezimisele sona, izasenza sihlengwe; kayiyikuba lamandla okusithengisa esizweni semzini, njengoba esiphethe ngenkohliso.
9 If he marries her to his son, he shall deal with her as a daughter.
Kodwa uba esimisela indodana yayo, izakwenza kuso njengelungelo lamadodakazi.
10 If he takes another wife to himself, he shall not diminish her food, her clothing, and her marital rights.
Uba ezithathela omunye, ukudla kwaso, isigubuzelo saso lokuhlala kwaso ndawonye kayiyikukunciphisa.
11 If he does not do these three things for her, she may go free without paying any money.
Kodwa uba ingasenzeli lezizinto ezintathu, sizaphuma ngesihle ngaphandle kwemali.
12 “One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,
Otshaya umuntu aze afe, uzabulawa lokubulawa.
13 but not if it is unintentional, but God allows it to happen; then I will appoint you a place where he shall flee.
Kodwa uba ebengamcathamelanga, kodwa uNkulunkulu ekwenze wahlangana lesandla sakhe, ngizakumisela indawo ukuthi abalekele kuyo.
14 If a man schemes and comes presumptuously on his neighbor to kill him, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.
Kodwa uba umuntu esukela umakhelwane wakhe ambulale ngobuqili, uzamsusa elathini lami ukuze afe.
15 “Anyone who attacks his father or his mother shall be surely put to death.
Otshaya uyise kumbe unina, uzabulawa lokubulawa.
16 “Anyone who kidnaps someone and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.
Loweba umuntu, amthengise, loba eficwa esandleni sakhe, uzabulawa lokubulawa.
17 “Anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.
Othuka uyise kumbe unina, uzabulawa lokubulawa.
18 “If men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone, or with his fist, and he does not die, but is confined to bed;
Njalo nxa amadoda esilwa, enye itshaye enye ngelitshe kumbe ngenqindi, kodwa ingafi kodwa ilale embhedeni,
19 if he rises again and walks around with his staff, then he who struck him shall be cleared; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall provide for his healing until he is thoroughly healed.
uba ilulama itotobe phandle ngodondolo lwayo, leyo eyitshayileyo izakhululwa. Kodwa izahlawulela isikhathi sokungasebenzi kwayo, izayelaphisa lokuyelaphisa.
20 “If a man strikes his servant or his maid with a rod, and he dies under his hand, the man shall surely be punished.
Uba-ke umuntu etshaya isigqili sakhe kumbe isigqilikazi sakhe ngenduku size sife ngaphansi kwesandla sakhe, sizaphindiselwa lokuphindiselwa.
21 Notwithstanding, if his servant gets up after a day or two, he shall not be punished, for the servant is his property.
Kanti nxa silulama usuku kumbe insuku ezimbili, kayikuphindiselwa, ngoba siyimali yakhe.
22 “If men fight and hurt a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely, and yet no harm follows, he shall be surely fined as much as the woman’s husband demands and the judges allow.
Njalo nxa amadoda esilwa, atshaye owesifazana okhulelweyo aze aphume umntwana wakhe, kodwa kungelangozi yokufa, izahlawuliswa lokuhlawuliswa, njengokubeka kwendoda yomfazi phezu kwayo, izahlawulanjengokumiswe ngabahluleli.
23 But if any harm follows, then you must take life for life,
Kodwa uba kulengozi yokufa, uzanika umphefumulo ngomphefumulo,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
ilihlo ngelihlo, izinyo ngezinyo, isandla ngesandla, unyawo ngonyawo,
25 burning for burning, wound for wound, and bruise for bruise.
ukutshiswa ngokutshiswa, inxeba ngenxeba, umvimvinya ngomvimvinya.
26 “If a man strikes his servant’s eye, or his maid’s eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake.
Uba-ke umuntu etshaya ilihlo lesigqili sakhe kumbe ilihlo lesigqilikazi sakhe alibulale, uzasiyekela sihambe sikhululekile ngenxa yelihlo laso.
27 If he strikes out his male servant’s tooth, or his female servant’s tooth, he shall let the servant go free for his tooth’s sake.
Uba-ke etshaya izinyo lesigqili kumbe izinyo lesigqilikazi likhumuke, uzasiyekela sihambe sikhululekile ngenxa yezinyo laso.
28 “If a bull gores a man or a woman to death, the bull shall surely be stoned, and its meat shall not be eaten; but the owner of the bull shall not be held responsible.
Njalo uba inkabi ihlaba owesilisa kumbe owesifazana abesesifa, inkabi izakhandwa lokukhandwa ngamatshe, lenyama yayo ingadliwa; kodwa umnininkabi uzayekelwa.
29 But if the bull had a habit of goring in the past, and this has been testified to its owner, and he has not kept it in, but it has killed a man or a woman, the bull shall be stoned, and its owner shall also be put to death.
Kodwa uba inkabi ibijwayele ukuhlaba mandulo, njalo kufakaziwe kumniniyo, kodwa engayilondolozanga, ibisibulala owesilisa kumbe owesifazana, leyonkabi izakhandwa ngamatshe, lomniniyo laye abulawe.
30 If a ransom is imposed on him, then he shall give for the redemption of his life whatever is imposed.
Uba inhlawulo ibekwa phezu kwakhe, uzanika imbadalo yokuhlengwa komphefumulo wakhe, njengakho konke okubekwe phezu kwakhe.
31 Whether it has gored a son or has gored a daughter, according to this judgment it shall be done to him.
Loba ihlaba indodana kumbe ihlaba indodakazi, kuzakwenziwa kuye njengomthetho lo.
32 If the bull gores a male servant or a female servant, thirty shekels of silver shall be given to their master, and the ox shall be stoned.
Nxa inkabi ihlaba inceku kumbe incekukazi, uzanika amashekeli esiliva angamatshumi amathathu enkosini yayo, lenkabi ikhandwe ngamatshe.
33 “If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and does not cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it,
Njalo uba umuntu evula umgodi, loba uba umuntu egebha umgodi angawusibekeli, kuwele kuwo inkabi kumbe ubabhemi,
34 the owner of the pit shall make it good. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.
umninimgodi uzahlawula, abuyisele imali kumniniyo, kodwa efileyo izakuba ngeyakhe.
35 “If one man’s bull injures another’s, so that it dies, then they shall sell the live bull, and divide its price; and they shall also divide the dead animal.
Njalo uba inkabi yomuntu ilimaza inkabi kamakhelwane wakhe ize ife, bazathengisa inkabi ephilayo, behlukaniselane imali yayo, behlukaniselane efileyo futhi.
36 Or if it is known that the bull was in the habit of goring in the past, and its owner has not kept it in, he shall surely pay bull for bull, and the dead animal shall be his own.
Kumbe uba kusaziwa ukuthi inkabi ibijwayele ukuhlaba mandulo, kodwa umniniyo engayilondolozanga, uzabhadala lokubhadala inkabi ngenkabi, kodwa efileyo izakuba ngeyakhe.

< Exodus 21 >