1Naye uSawule wabuthakazelela obu bugebenga.
USawule utshutshisa ibandla
Kwangaloo mhla kwaqaleka intshutshiso enkulu ebandleni laseJerusalem. Ngaphandle *kwabathunywa, basarhazeka bonke abakholwayo, kuwo onke amaphondo elakwaJuda naseSamariya. 2Amadoda athile anenzondelelo amngcwaba uStefano enesingqala esikhulu.
3Kwangelo lixa uSawule yena wazama ukulitshabalalisa ibandla, engena kwiminyango ngeminyango, ebarhuqa abakholwayo, amadoda kwanabafazi, ebavalela entolongweni.
Iindaba ezimnandi zishunyayelwa eSamariya
4Abakholwayo ababethe saa, bahamba bezishumayela iindaba ezimnandi kulo lonke. 5UFilipu yena waya kwidolophana yaseSamariya, wamshumayela uKrestu kubantu ababelapho, 6baza bamphulaphula ngomdla omkhulu bemxhelo mnye. Bathi bemphulaphula, baba beyibona nemiqondiso awayeyenza. 7Iindimoni zazikhutshwa ebantwini, zisitsho ngesikhalo esikhulu. Abafe umzimba neziqhwala babephiliswa. 8Ezi zinto zatsho abantu baloo dolophu banovuyo olukhulu.
9Kuloo dolophu kwakukho indoda egama linguSimon, owayesenethuba elide esenza izimanga phakathi kwamaSamariya ngemilingo yakhe. Wayezenza uthile obalulekileyo. 10Zaye iindidi zonke zabantu kuloo dolophu zimhlonela. Babesithi unamandla obuthixo, bembiza ngokuthi nguMandla-makhulu. 11Babemhlonele kuba wayesebamangalise ixesha elide ngemilingo yakhe. 12Kodwa bathi bakukholwa yintshumayelo kaFilipu yeendaba ezimnandi ezingolawulo lukaThixo oluthwasileyo negama likaYesu Krestu, kwabhaptizwa amadoda kwanamakhosikazi. 13NoSimon wakholwa, waza akuba ebhaptiziwe akahlukana noFilipu, ekhwankqiswa yimimangaliso nemiqondiso awayeyenza uFilipu.
14Bathi bakuva *abathunywa eJerusalem ukuba abantu baseSamariya balamkele ilizwi likaThixo, bathumela uPetros noYohane khona. 15Bakufika khona babathandazela abakholwayo ukuba bamkele uMoya oyiNgcwele, 16kuba wayengekabafikeli uMoya oyiNgcwele; nto nje babebhaptizelwe egameni leNkosi uYesu. 17Aba bantu bamamkela uMoya oyiNgcwele, bakuba ooPetros noYohane bebabeke izandla.
18USimon akubona ukuba bamkele uMoya oyiNgcwele, bakubekwa izandla ngabathunywa, wafuna ukubanika imali ooPetros noYohane, 19esithi: “Nam ndipheni la mandla; khon' ukuze nabani na endimbeke izandla afumane uMoya oyiNgcwele.”
20Waphendula wathi uPetros: “Hamb' uye kufa kunye naloo mali yakho, kuba ucinga ukuba isipho sesisa sikaThixo singathengwa ngemali! 21Akunanxaxheba kulo msebenzi wethu, kuba iingcinga zakho azilunganga phambi koThixo. 22Guquka kule nkohlakalo yakho, uthandaze ukuba uThixo akuxolele ngale nto inje, 23kuba ndiyabona ukuba unekratshi elilizothe, waye ulikhoboka lokungcola.”
24Uthe ke uSimon kooPetros noYohane: “Ndincedeni, zinkosi, nindithandazele eNkosini ukuze zingandihleli zonke ezi zinto nizithethileyo.”
25Emveni kokuba benike ubungqina beluthetha udaba lweNkosi kwabo bantu, uPetros noYohane bagoduka, baya eJerusalem. Endleleni yabo egodukayo bazishumayela iindaba ezimnandi kwiilali ezininzi zaseSamariya.
UFilipu nonondyebo waseTopiya
26Ke kaloku kwathetha isithunywa seNkosi noFilipu, sathi: “Zilungiselele uhle ngendlela esentlango esuka eJerusalem iye eGaza.” 27-28Waxhabasha ke waya uFilipu. Endleleni apho wadibana nendoda elithenwa. Lo mfo wayengunondyebo wokumkanikazi uKhandase waseTopiya. Wayegoduka ngenqwelo, evela kunqula uThixo eJerusalem. Enqwelweni apho wayehamba efunda incwadi *yomshumayeli uIsaya. 29Wathi uMoya oyiNgcwele kuFilipu: “Yiya kulaa nqwelo, uhambe nayo.” 30UFilipu wakhawuleza waya kuyo, waza wamva unondyebo lowo efunda encwadini yomshumayeli uIsaya, wambuza wathi: “Uyayilandela na le nto uyifundayo?”
31Waphendula wathi: “Ndingathini ukuyilandela kungekho bani undichazelayo?” Watsho wacela uFilipu ukuba akhwele enqwelweni ahambe naye. 32Nasi isicatshulwa seziBhalo awayesifunda:
“Wafana negusha eya kuxhelwa,
wafana netakane elithe cwaka lichetywa,
naye wathula wathi tu.
33Ekuthotyweni kwakhe akabanga namhlanguli;
akukho bani uya kuchaza ngesizukulwana sakhe,
kuba ubomi bakhe emhlabeni bunqanyulwe.”
34Unondyebo wabuza kuFilipu wathi: “Khawundixelele, uthetha ngabani apha umshumayeli? Ngaba uthetha yena siqu, okanye uthetha ngomnye umntu?” 35UFilipu wamchazela, eqalela kanye kule ndawo eziBhalweni, wamtyhilela iindaba ezimnandi ezingoYesu. 36Ekuhambeni kwabo bada bafika ndaweni ithile inamanzi, laza lathi ithenwa: “Nanga amanzi, kungani ukuba ndingàbhaptizwa?”
[ 37Waphendula wathi uFilipu: “Ungábhaptizwa ukuba uyakholwa ngentliziyo yakho yonke.” Lathi ke lona: “Ndiyakholwa ukuba uYesu Krestu nguNyana kaThixo.”]
38UmTopiya lowo wathi makumiswe, waza yena noFilipu bangena emanzini, uFilipu wambhaptiza. 39Bakuphuma emanzini apho, uMoya weNkosi wamthatha wemka naye uFilipu. UmTopiya lowo akabanga sambona uFilipu, kodwa wayihamba indlela yakhe leyo ezele luvuyo. 40UFilipu wazifumana eseAshdode, waza wazihamba zonke ezo dolophu eshumayela iindaba ezimnandi, wada waya kufika eKhesariya.
