< Exodus 21 >

1 “Here are some [other] instructions to give to [the Israeli people]:
“Nansi imithetho ozayethula phambi kwabo.”
2 When/If you buy a Hebrew slave, he is to serve you for [only] six years. In the seventh year you must free him [from being your slave], and he is not required to pay you anything [for setting him free].
“Nxa ungathenga isisebenzi esingumHebheru kumele sikusebenzele okweminyaka eyisithupha. Kodwa emnyakeni wesikhombisa kuzamele usikhulule kungelanhlawulo.
3 If he was not married before he became your slave, and if he marries [someone while he is your slave], his wife is not to be set free [with him]. But if he was married before he became your slave, you must free both him and his wife.
Nxa sifike sodwa, kumele sikhululwe sihambe sodwa kodwa nxa silomfazi ekufikeni kwasokumele sihambe laye.
4 If a slave’s master gives him a wife, and she gives birth to sons or daughters [while her husband is a slave], only the man is to be freed. His wife and children will continue to be slaves of their master.
Nxa umqhatshi waso angasipha umfazi asizalele amadodana lamadodakazi, owesifazane labantwabakhe bazakuba ngabomqhatshi, njalo indoda izazihambela yodwa ikhululekile.
5 But when it is time for the slave to be set free, if the slave says, ‘I love my master and my wife and my children, and I do not want to be set free,’
Kodwa nxa isisebenzi singathi, ‘Ngiyayithanda inkosi yami lomkami labantwabami, njalo kangifuni kukhululwa,’
6 then his master must take him to [the place where they worship] God (OR, to [the owner’s] house). There he must make the slave stand against the door or the doorpost. Then the master will use an (awl/pointed metal rod) to make a hole in the slave’s ear. Then [he will fasten a tag to the slave’s ear to indicate that] (he will own that slave for the rest of his life/he will own the slave as long as the slave lives).
ngakho inkosi yaso kumele isihambise kubahluleli. Izasisa emnyango kumbe emgubazini abesesibhoboza indlebe yaso ngosungulo. Ngakho-ke sizakuba yisisebenzi sayo okwempilo yaso yonke.
7 If a man sells his daughter to become a slave, she should not be set free [after six years], as the male slaves are.
Nxa indoda ingathengisa indodakazi yayo njengesigqili, indodakazi kayingakhululeki njengalokho okwenza ezinye inceku.
8 If the man who bought her wanted her to be his wife, but if [later] he is not pleased with her, he must sell her back to her father. He must not sell her to a foreigner, because that would be breaking the contract/agreement [he made with the girl’s father].
Nxa singathokozisi umnini waso oyabe esikhethile ukuze sibe ngesakhe kumele asiyekele sihlengwe. Akalamvumo yokusithengisa kwabezizwe, ngoba esikhohlisile.
9 If the man who buys her wants her to be a wife for his son, he must then treat her as though she were his own daughter.
Angasikhethela indodana yakhe kumele asinike amalungelo alingana lawendodakazi yakhe.
10 If the master takes another slave girl to be another wife for himself, he must continue to give the first slave wife the same amount of food and clothing that he gave to her before, and he must continue to have sex [EUP] with her as before.
Angathatha omunye umfazi akumelanga asincitshe ukudla, izigqoko lamalungelo okwenda.
11 If he does not do all these three things for her, he must free her [from being a slave], and she is not required to pay anything [for being set free].
Angayekela ukusipha izinto lezi ezintathu sikhululekile ukuthi sizihambele kungahlawulwanga mali.”
12 You must execute anyone who strikes another person with the result that the person who is struck dies.
“Wonke umuntu otshaya omunye ambulale laye kumele abulawe.
13 But if the one who struck the other did not intend to kill that person, the one who struck him can escape to a place that I will choose for you, [and he will be safe there].
Kodwa nxa engakwenzanga ngabomo, uNkulunkulu evumele ukuba kwenzakale, kumele abalekele endaweni engizayiphawula.
14 But if someone gets angry with another person and kills him, even if the murderer runs to the altar, [a place that God designated as a place to be safe], you must execute him.
Kodwa umuntu angaceba ukubulala omunye ngabomo, msuseni e-alithareni lami liyembulala.
15 Anyone who strikes his father or mother must surely be executed.
Wonke umuntu ohlasela uyise kumbe unina kumele abulawe.
16 Anyone who kidnaps another person, either in order to sell that person or to keep him as a slave, must be executed.
Wonke umuntu othumba omunye abesemthengisa kumbe aficwe elaye kumele abulawe.
17 Anyone who reviles/curses his father or his mother must be executed.
Wonke umuntu othuka uyise kumbe unina kumele abulawe.
18 Suppose two people fight, and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist. And suppose the person he strikes does not die but is injured and has to stay in bed [for a while],
Nxa amadoda angaxabana omunye abesetshaya omunye ngelitshe kumbe ngenqindi, angafi kodwa agule alale phansi,
19 and later he is able to walk outside using a cane. Then the person who struck him does not have to be punished. However, he must pay the injured person the money he could not earn [while he was recovering], and he must also pay the injured person’s medical expenses until that person is well.
lowo ophose inqindi kasoze anikwe umlandu nxa omunye angavuka abesehambahamba ephethe intonga yakhe; lanxa kunjalo kumele ahlawule indoda elimeleyo ngokulahlekelwa yisikhathi njalo ayelaphise.
20 If someone strikes his male or female slave with a stick, if the slave dies (immediately/as a result) [IDM], the one who struck him must be punished.
Nxa umuntu angatshaya isigqili sakhe sesilisa kumbe esesifazane ngomqwayi, isigqili besesisifa ngenxa yalesisenzo, kumele ajeziswe,
21 But if the slave lives for a day or two after he is struck [and then dies], you must not punish the one who struck him. Not having that slave to be able to work for him any longer is enough punishment.
kodwa kasoze ajeziswe nxa isigqili singasila ngemva kwelanga elilodwa kumbe insuku ezimbili, ngoba isigqili siyimpahla yakhe.
22 Suppose two people are fighting and they hurt a pregnant woman with the result that (she has a miscarriage/her baby is born prematurely and dies). If the woman is not harmed in any other way, the one who injured her must pay a fine. He must pay whatever the woman’s husband demands, after a judge approves of the fine.
Nxa amadoda alwayo angatshaya umfazi ozithweleyo abesebeletha isikhathi sakhe singakafiki, kodwa engalimalanga kakubi, owonileyo kumele ahlawuliswe lokho okuyabe kubizelwe yindoda yomfazi kwasekuvunywa ngumthethwandaba.
23 But if the woman is injured in some additional way, the one who injured her must be caused to suffer in exactly the same way [that he caused her to suffer]. If she dies, he must be executed.
Kodwa kungangabi lokulimala okubi, kumele impilo ibhadalwe ngempilo,
24 If her eye is injured or destroyed, or if he knocks out one of her teeth, or her hand or foot is injured, or if she is burned or bruised, the one who injured her must be injured in the same way.
ilihlo ngelihlo, izinyo ngezinyo, isandla ngesandla, unyawo ngonyawo.
Ukutshiswa ngokutshiswa, isilonda ngesilonda, ukulimala ngokulimala.
26 If the owner of a slave strikes the eye of his male or female slave and ruins it, he must free that slave because of [what he did to] the slave’s eye.
Nxa umuntu angatshaya isigqili sakhe sesilisa kumbe esesifazane elihlweni alipatshaze, kumele asiyekele isisebenzi sizihambele kube yinhlawulo yelihlo.
27 If someone knocks out one of his slave’s teeth, he must free the slave because of [what he did to] the slave’s tooth.
Angatshaya akhumule izinyo lesigqili sesilisa kumbe esesifazane, kumele asiyekele isisebenzi sizihambele kube yinhlawulo yezinyo.
28 If a bull gores a man or woman with the result that the person dies, you [must kill the bull by] throwing stones at it, but you must not punish the owner of the bull.
Nxa inkunzi ingahlaba indoda kumbe umfazi afe, leyonkunzi kumele itshaywe ngamatshe ize ife njalo inyama yayo kayingadliwa. Kodwa umnikazi wenkunzi akumelanga etheswe umlandu.
29 But suppose the bull had attacked people several times before, and its owner had been warned, but he did not keep the bull inside a fence. Then you [must kill the bull by] throwing stones at it, but you must also execute its owner.
Kodwa nxa inkunzi ivele ilomkhuba wokuhlaba abantu, njalo umnikazi eseke wakhuzwa kodwa wekela ukuyivalela ibisibulala indoda kumbe umfazi, inkunzi kumele ibulawe ngamatshe lomnikazi abulawe.
30 However, if the owner of the bull is allowed to pay a fine (to save his own life/in order not to be executed), he must pay the full amount that the judges say that he must pay.
Kodwa kungathiwa kahlawule, angahlenga impilo yakhe ngokuhlawula lokho okuyabe kubiziwe.
31 If someone’s bull attacks and gores another person’s son or daughter, you must treat the bull’s owner according to that same rule.
Umthetho lo uyasebenza njalo nxa inkunzi ingahlaba indodana kumbe indodakazi.
32 If a bull attacks and gores a male or female slave, its owner must pay to the slave’s owner 30 pieces of silver. Then you must [kill the bull by] throwing stones at it.
Nxa inkunzi ingahlaba isigqili sesilisa kumbe esesifazane, umnikazi kumele ahlawule amashekeli angamatshumi amathathu esiliva kumnini wesigqili, njalo inkunzi kumele ibulawe ngamatshe.
33 Suppose someone has a pit/cistern and does not keep it covered, and someone’s bull or donkey falls into it [and dies].
Nxa umuntu etshiya umgodi ukhamisile, loba esimba umgodi angawusibekeli kuwele kuwo inkabi ingabe ubabhemi,
34 Then the owner of the pit/cistern must pay for the animal that died. He must give the money to the animal’s owner, but then he can take away the animal that died and [do whatever he wants to with it].
umninimgodi kahlawule; kahlawule umnikazi, isifuyo esifileyo besesisiba ngesakhe.
35 If someone’s bull hurts another person’s bull with the result that it dies, the owners of both bulls must sell the bull that is living, and they must divide [between them] the money [that they receive] for it. They must also divide [between them the meat of] the animal that died.
Nxa inkunzi yomuntu ingalimaza eyomunye kuzamele ukuthi bathengise leyo ephilayo, babelane imali lesidumbu saleyo efileyo ngokulinganayo.
36 However, if people know that the bull often attacked other animals previously, and its owner did not keep it inside a fence, then the owner of that bull must give the owner of the bull that died one of his own bulls, but he can take away the animal that died [and do with it whatever he wants to do].”
Kodwa nxa kusaziwa ukuthi inkunzi ivele ilomkhuba wokuhlaba ezinye, kodwa umnikazi engayivaleli esibayeni, umnikazi kumele ahlawule isifuyo ngesinye isifuyo, njalo isifuyo esifileyo sizakuba ngesakhe.”

< Exodus 21 >