Helping Others
Moses said to Israel:
1 If you see a cow or sheep wandering around lost, take the animal back to its owner. 2 If the owner lives too far away, or if you don't know who the owner is, take the animal home with you and take care of it. The owner will come looking for the animal, and then you can give it back. 3 That's what you should do if you find anything that belongs to someone else. Do whatever you can to help, whether you find a cow or sheep or donkey or some clothing.
4 Oxen and donkeys that carry heavy loads can stumble and fall, and be unable to get up by themselves. So as you walk along the road, help anyone who is trying to get an ox or donkey back on its feet.
Don't Pretend To Be the Opposite Sex
Moses said to Israel:
5 Women must not pretend to be men, and men must not pretend to be women. The Lord your God is disgusted with people who do that.
Don't Take a Mother Bird
Moses said to Israel:
6-7 As you walk along the road, you might see a bird's nest in a tree or on the ground. If the mother bird is in the nest with either her eggs or her baby birds, you are allowed to take the baby birds or the eggs, but not the mother bird. Let her go free, and the Lord will bless you with a long and successful life.
Put a Wall around Your Flat Roof
8 If you build a house, make sure to put a low wall around the edge of the flat roof. Then if someone falls off the roof and is killed, it won't be your fault.
Laws against Mixing Different Things
Moses said to Israel:
9 If you plant a vineyard, don't plant any other fruit tree or crop in it. If you do plant something else there, you must bring to the place of worship everything you harvest from the vineyard.
10 Don't hitch an ox and a donkey to your plow at the same time.
11 When you weave cloth for clothing, you can use thread made of flax or wool, but not both together. 12 And when you make a coat, sew a tassel on each of the four corners.
When a Husband Accuses His Wife
Moses said to Israel:
13 Suppose a man starts hating his wife soon after they are married. 14 He might tell ugly lies about her, and say, “I married this woman, but when we slept together, I found out she wasn't a virgin.”
15 If this happens, the bride's father and mother must go to the town gate to show the town leaders the proof that the woman was a virgin. 16 Her father will say, “I let my daughter marry this man, but he started hating her 17 and accusing her of not being a virgin. But he is wrong, because here is proof that she was a virgin!” Then the bride's parents will show them the bed sheet from the woman's wedding night.
18 The town leaders will beat the man with a whip 19 because he accused his bride of not being a virgin. He will have to pay her father 100 pieces of silver and will never be allowed to divorce her.
20 But if the man was right and there is no proof that his bride was a virgin, 21 the men of the town will take the woman to the door of her father's house and stone her to death.
This woman brought evil into your community by sleeping with someone before she got married, and you must get rid of that evil by killing her.
Laws about Illegal Sex
Moses said:
22 People of Israel, if a man is caught having sex with someone else's wife, you must put them both to death. That way, you will get rid of the evil they have done in Israel.
23-24 If a man is caught in town having sex with an engaged woman who isn't screaming for help, they both must be put to death. The man is guilty of having sex with a married woman. And the woman is guilty because she didn't call for help, even though she was inside a town and people were nearby. Take them both to the town gate and stone them to death. You must get rid of the evil they brought into your community.
25 If an engaged woman is raped out in the country, only the man will be put to death. 26 Do not punish the woman at all; she has done nothing wrong, and certainly nothing deserving death. This crime is like murder, 27 because the woman was alone out in the country when the man attacked her. She screamed, but there was no one to help her.
28 Suppose a woman isn't engaged to be married, and a man forces her to have sex with him. If he is caught, 29 they will be forced to get married. He must give her father 50 pieces of silver as a bride-price and can never divorce her.
30 A man must not marry a woman who was married to his father. This would be a disgrace to his father.
1 “Ha ubona ng'ombe kene pkhwizi ye ikamu tjitjo ilashika usitongo ishayila hanya ube usinga bhatshe, uyitole uyiyise ku ikamu tjitjo. 2 Ngono ha asipejo nawe kene usinga nzibe, uzhe nayo ku nzi uwo ngono igale nawe kuswikila ikamu tjitjo tjiyishaka, ipapo ube umpa iyo. 3 Saikoko uthame uijalo nenge donki iye, uthame saikoko nenge tjiambalo tjitje nenge tjimwe koga tjalashikila ikamu tjitjo, tjanlashikila iwe ube utjinunga usitongo tjishayila hanya. 4 Usitongoti ubona donki ye ikamu tjitjo kene ng'ombe ye ikamu tjitjo yawila pasi ukayishayila hanya umbhatshe kuimusa.
5 “Nkadzi asitongo ambala tjiambalo tje nlume kene nlume asitongo mbala tjiambalo tje nkadzi ngoti mmwe ne mmwe unothama zwithu izwezwi unoshimisa kuna Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu.
6 “Ha ungatilimuka uwana shaka le nyuni mu nti kene pasi lina majindana kene mabumbulu ngono mayi bawo bakabubatila majindana kene mabumbulu, usitongo tola mayi ne bana. 7 Uletjedze mayi bayende koga utole bana kuyita kuti kuyende zubuyanana nge kuko kakale utjile tjibaka tjilefu.
8 “Uti ubaka ng'umba tshwa, ubake guma kupoteleka denga layo kuti usitongo zwidanila nlandu we kutebula malopa ha mmwe angawa kudwa mulili.
9 “Usitongo dzwala mbewu mbili dzakasiyana mu nnda uwo we mizhambi kube kudwa kuthama kuti zwivuno zose uzwitolegwe zwiyende ku bugalo gwakayengemala, zwivuno zwe tjawakadzwala ne zwivuno zwe nnda we zhambi. 10 Usitongo lima ne ngabe ne donki mu jokwi ling'ompela. 11 Usitongo ambala tjiambalo tjakashangashangana, tjakathung'wa ne wulu ne jila zwishanganyiwa. 12 Uthame maabi mu midzibo minna ye hazu iyo yaunoambala.
Milayo ngekwe walilana kwakabipa
13 “Ha nlume elobola nkadzi, ebe ewalilana naye kudwapo ebe enlamba, 14 embhomedza zwinobhatisa shoni nge kukwe, empa zina lakabipa eti, ‘Ndakatola nkadzi iwoyu, ngono ndakati ndishangana naye awana asi phandala,’ 15 ipapo tate be mwanadi iwoyo na mmeyabe banowotola bakazhisa zwilakidzo zwe buphandala ku sholotjena dze nzi nkulu ku nkoba. 16 Ngono tate be mwanadi banowodwa sholotjena bakati, ‘Ndakapa nkololokadzi wangu nlume iwoyu kube nkadzi uwe ngono wanlamba aatjan'da, 17 ngono bonani wambhomedza zwinobhatisa shoni eti, “Andizowana mu nkololokadzi wenyu zwilakidzo zwe buphandala.” Koga zwilakidzo zwe buphandala gwe nkololokadzi wangu yezwezwi.’ Ngono babe betambunudza tjiambalo mbeli kwe sholotjena dze nzi. 18 Ipapo sholotjena dze nzi batole nlume ihwoyo banlobe. 19 Ban'dane shekele dze siliva dzili zana ngono baape tate be mwanadi ngekuti watjinya zina le phandala ye Iziraela, ngono abe nkadzi uwe asitongo ntata butjilo gugwe gose. 20 Koga akuli malebeswa kuti zwilakidzo zwe buphandala azwizowang'wa mu mwanadi, 21 ipapo bazhise mwanadi iwoyo kuzhe pa nkoba we ng'umba ya tate babe ngono balume be nzi iwoyo bankikithidze nge mabgwe afe ngoti wakathama bulengwe mu Iziraela nge bufukula mu ng'umba ya tate babe, ndizo muduse mbipo pakati kwenyu.
22 “Ha nlume angawangwa alilele ne nkadzi we mmwe nlume, bubili gwabo bakafanilo fa bose, nlume iwoyo walala ne nkadzi ne nkadzi iwoyo, ndizo muduse mbipo mu Iziraela.
23 “Ha kuna phandala yakabigilidzigwa ndobolo, ngono nlume mmwe ebe eshangana naye mu nzi ebe elala naye, 24 ipapo mubadusile kuzhe kwe nkoba we nzi ngono mubakikithidze nge mabgwe bafe ngoti mwanadi nenguba abe ali mu nzi aazomimila eshaka bhatsho, nlume iye watjinya nkadzi we mbakidzani naye ndizo muduse mbipo pakati kwenyu.”
25 “Koga akuli kuzhe mu shango nlume ebe eshangana ne mwanadi wakabigilidzigwa ndobolo ngono nlume iwoyo ebe embata en'dzula, ipapo nlume ega iwoyu wan'dzula abulawe. 26 Koga mwanadi musitongo nti tjimwe, mu mwanadi akuna tjibiibi tjinontilika shamu ye lufu ngoti ndebo iyeyi inonga ye nlume emukila mbakidzani ebe embulaya, 27 ngoti washangana naye kuzhe mu shango, ngono nenguba mwanadi akamimila eshaka bhatsho kwakabe kusina mmwe ungan'gwila.
28 “Ha nlume angashangana ne mwanadi usakabigilidziwa ebe en'dzula ngono bebe bewang'wa, 29 ipapo nlume wan'dzula ape tate be mwanadi shekele dze siliva dzili makumi ali mashanu (50) ngono mwanadi abe nkadzi uwe ngoti wantjinya, asitongo thubukana naye butjilo gugwe gose.
30 “Nlume asitongo tola nkadzi wa tate babe kene kuli kufumula nkadzi wa tate babe.