Only One Place To Worship the Lord
Moses said to Israel:
1 Now I'll tell you the laws and teachings that you have to obey as long as you live. Your ancestors worshiped the Lord, and he is giving you this land. 2 But the nations that live there worship other gods. So after you capture the land, you must completely destroy their places of worship—on mountains and hills or in the shade of large trees. 3 Wherever these nations worship their gods, you must tear down their altars, break their sacred stones, burn the sacred poles used in worshiping the goddess Asherah, and smash their idols to pieces. Destroy these places of worship so completely that no one will remember they were ever there. 4 Don't worship the Lord your God in the way those nations worship their gods.
5-19 Soon you will cross the Jordan, and the Lord will help you conquer your enemies and let you live in peace, there in the land he has given you. But after you are settled, life will be different. You must not offer sacrifices just anywhere you want to. Instead, the Lord will choose a place somewhere in Israel where you must go to worship him. All of your sacrifices and offerings must be taken there, including sacrifices to please the Lord and any gift you promise or voluntarily give him. That's where you must also take one tenth of your grain, wine, and olive oil, as well as the first-born of your cattle, sheep, and goats. You and your family and servants will eat your gifts and sacrifices and celebrate there at the place of worship, because the Lord your God has made you successful in everything you have done. And since Levites will not have any land of their own, you must ask some of them to come along and celebrate with you.
Sometimes you may want to kill an animal for food and not as a sacrifice. If the Lord has blessed you and given you enough cows or sheep or goats, then you can butcher one of them where you live. You can eat it just like the meat from a deer or gazelle that you kill when you go hunting. And even those people who are unclean and unfit for worship can have some of the meat. But you must not eat the blood of any animal—let the blood drain out on the ground.
20-21 The Lord has promised that later on he will give Israel more land, and some of you may not be able to travel all the way from your homes to the place of worship each time you are hungry for meat. But the Lord will give you cattle, sheep, and goats, and you can butcher any of those animals at home and eat as much as you want. 22 It is the same as eating the meat from a deer or a gazelle that you kill when you go hunting. And in this way, anyone who is unclean and unfit for worship can have some of the meat.
23-24 But don't eat the blood. It is the life of the animal, so let it drain out on the ground before you eat the meat. 25 Do you want the Lord to make you successful? Do you want your children to be successful even after you are gone? Then do what pleases the Lord and don't eat blood.
26-27 All sacrifices and offerings to the Lord must be taken to the place where he chooses to be worshiped. If you offer a sacrifice to please the Lord, all of its meat must be burned on the altar. You can eat the meat from certain kinds of sacrifices, but you must always pour out the animal's blood on the altar.
28 If you obey these laws, you will be doing what the Lord your God says is right and good. Then he will help you and your descendants be successful.
Worship the Lord in the Right Way
Moses said:
29 Israel, as you go into the land and attack the nations that are there, the Lord will get rid of them, and you can have their land.
30 But that's when you must be especially careful not to ask, “How did those nations worship their gods? Shouldn't we worship the Lord in the same way?” 31 No, you should not! The Lord hates the disgusting way those nations worship their gods, because they even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices.
32 Obey all the laws and teachings I am giving you. Don't add any, and don't take any away.
Bugalo gung'ompela gwe kunamata
1 “Eyi milayo yamakafanila yela njele kuilondolodza mu shango Yahwe Ndzimu wa bobatategulu benyu yabakamupa kuithuwa mazhuba wose amunotjila mu shango. 2 Nge malebeswa wose mukolomodze magalo wose ekunamata midzimu e njudzi dzamunowotolela shango, pezhugwi kwe matombo malefu na pezhugwi kwe matuthu na kusi kwe nti mmwe ne mmwe una mazhani manyolo. 3 Mulige zwibeso zwabo zwe zwibhayilo mube mupkhwanya mapango abo mupise bo Ashera babo nge moto. Muteme mulige midzimu yabo ye zwifano muduse zina labo mu magalo iyawaje. 4 Musitongo namata Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu sayikoko. 5 Koga imwi mu shake bugalo gwamunoshaluligwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu pakati kwe njudzi dzose kubiga zina labo ne kuthama bugaloko, ikoko ndiko kwamunowoyenda. 6 Ngono ikoko kube iko kwamunoyisa zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa ne zwimwe zwibhayilo zwenyu ne zwebugumi zwenyu ne zwipo zwamunodusa ne zwipo zwe kutuna kwenyu ne zwipo zwe kuda kwenyu ne mbano dze zwithuwo zwenyu. 7 Ikoko mowojila mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, mowoshatha, imwi ne misha yenyu mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjamunowothama, ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu banomukombolela. 8 Musitongo thama sekwa tinothama ipapa sangwenu mu zhuba lino, mmwe ne mmwe ethama tjimwe ne tjimwe tjaanobona tjakalulwama mu mesho awe, 9 ngoti amuthu mukaswika mu kunyaluluka ne mu thaka yamunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu. 10 Koga muti mutjuluka Jorodani, mugala mu shango yamunopiwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kuithuwa, ngono bemupa kunyaluluka mu kugwa ne zwita zwenyu zose kumupoteleka kuti mutjile makabakililika. 11 Ipapo ku bugalo gunowoshalugwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kuthama kuti zina labo ligale ko, ikoko ndiko kwamunowozhisa kose kwandinowomudwa: Zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa ne zwibhayilo zwimwe ne zwe bugumi ne zwipo zwamunodusa ne zwibhayilo zwe kutuna zwamakatuna kuna Yahwe. 12 Ngono ikoko mushathe mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, imwi ne bakololo benyu ne bakololokadzi benyu ne balandalume ne balandakadzi ne Nlevi umu mizi yenyu se asina gobe kene thaka mu mumuli. 13 Mube ne njele kuti musitongo pa zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa pa bugalo gumwe ne gumwe gwamabona, 14 koga muyise ku bugalo gunowoshalugwa ndi Yahwe mu gumwe gwe ludzi gwenyu, ikoko ndiko kwamunowopila zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa, ikoko ndiko kwamumowothamila kose kwandinomudwa.
15 “Koga, imwi mungabulaya phuka mukaja nyama mu mmwe ne mmwe we mizi yenyu sekwa munoda kuyendidzana nge makombolelo a Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu abamupa, usimbuyanana ne mbuyanana ungayija, ingana ikabe ili ye phala kene ye phembgwe. 16 Koga musitongo ja malopa, muatebulile pasi se vula. 17 Musitongo jila mu mizi yenyu, tjebugumi tje mathunde kene tje nkumbi we zhambi kene tje mafuta kene mbano dze ng'ombe dzenyu kene dze ngubi dzenyu kene tjimwe tje zwibhayilo zwe kutuna zwamakatunila kene zwibhayilo zwenyu zwe kuda kwenyu, kene zwibhayilo zwamadusa nge kwenyu, 18 koga muzwijile mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu mu bugalo gunowoshalugwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu, imwi ne bakololo benyu ne bakololokadzi benyu ne balandalume benyu ne balandakadzi benyu ne Nlevi umu mizi yenyu, ndizo mowoshatha mbeli kwa Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjamunothama. 19 Mube ne njele kuti musitongo siya Nlevi tjibaka tjose ha mutjila mu shango yenyu.
20 “Kowoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu betalabudza ntuthu wenyu sekwa bakamugadzabgwe, ngono imwi mube muti, ‘Toshaka ja nyama,’ ngoti modwila moyo nyama, mungaja sekwa munoshaka. 21 Ha bugalo gwakashalugwa ndi Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu kubiga zina labo ikoko kuli kule kule namwi, ipapo mungabulaya tjimwe tje zwithuwo zwenyu zwamakapiwa ndi Yahwe sekwa ndamudwa ngono muje mu mizi yenyu se kuda kwenyu. 22 Se phala ijiwa kene phembgwe, munga ija, usakatjenapala kene wakatjenapala kofanana aije. 23 Koga mube ne malebeswa kuti amutoja malopa, ngoti malopa ndiwo butjilo ndizo musitongo jilanya nyama ne butjilo. 24 Musitongo aja muatebulile pasi se vula. 25 Musitongo aja, kuti ndiko kowomuyendila zubuyanana imwi ne bana benyu banozha shule kwenyu ha mushinga tjakalulwama mu mesho a Yahwe. 26 Koga zwithu zwakayengemala zwinodwa kumuli ne zwibhayilo zwe kutuna muzwiyise ku bugalo gunowoshalugwa ndi Yahwe, 27 muyise zwibhayilo zwenyu zwinopisiwa, kuli nyama ne malopa mu tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tja Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu. Malopa e zwibhayilo zwenyu atebuligwe pezhugwi kwe tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tja Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu koga nyama mungayija. 28 Mube ne njele kulondolodza matama wose iyawa andinomupa kuti kumuyendile zubuyanana nge kusingapele imwi ne bana benyu banozha shule kwenyu ha mushinga tjakalulwama ne tjakatambunuka mu mesho a Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.”
29 “Kowoti Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu bepaladza njudzi mbeli kwenyu dzamunongina kudzitolela shango, ngono mube mudzitolela shango mube mugala muili, 30 mube ne njele kuti musiwile mu bhuzhu nge kubasala shule, shule kwe balobesiwa mbeli kwenyu. Musitongo bhuzwa tjimwe ngekwe midzimu yabo muti, ‘Njudzi idzedzi dzakabe dzishingila midzimu yadzo tjini kuti naswibo tithame tiyijalo?’ 31 Musitongo thama muijalo kuna Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu ngoti tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinobengiwa tjisingadiwe ndi Yahwe bakatjithamila midzimu yabo ngoti bakabuya bakapisa bakololo ne bakololokadzi babo bepisila midzimu yabo.”
32 “Tjimwe ne tjimwe tjandinomupa muyele njele kutjithama, musitongo dusa tjimwe mu tjili kene mukatjipaphidza nge tjimwe.