UJesu Ulahlwa Yicala
1UPilatu wayesemthatha uJesu, wambhaxabula. 2Amabutho ayeluke umqhele wameva, awufaka ekhanda lakhe, amembathisa ingubo ebukhwebezane, 3aya kuye, athi: “Bayede, nkosi yabaJuda!”
Ammukula. 4UPilatu waphuma futhi, wathi kubo: “Niyabona-ke, ngimnikela kini, ukuba nazi ukuthi mina angifumananga cala kuye.”
5Wayesephumela ngaphandle uJesu ethwele umqhele wameva, embethe nengubo ebukhwebezane. Wayesethi kubo: “Nangu-ke lo muntu!”
6Kwathi ukuba abaphristi abakhulu nezikhonzi bambone, bamemeza, bathi: “Mbethele, mbethele esiphambanweni!”
UPilatu wathi kubo: “Mthatheni nina, nimbethele esiphambanweni, ngokuba mina angifumani cala kuye.”
7AbaJuda bamphendula, bathi: “Sinomthetho thina; ngokwalo mthetho ufanele ukuba afe, ngokuba uzenze iNdodana kaNkulunkulu.”
8Kuthe lapho uPilatu ezwa leli lizwi, wesaba kakhulu, 9wabuye wangena endlini yokwehlulela, wathi kuJesu: “Ungowaphi wena na?”
Kepha uJesu akamphendulanga. 10UPilatu wayesethi kuye: “Kungani ungakhulumi nami na? Awazi yini ukuthi mina nginegunya lokukukhulula, negunya lokukubethela esiphambanweni na?”
11UJesu waphendula, wathi: “Ngabe awunalo igunya phezu kwami, ukuba awulinikwanga ngaphezulu. Ngakho-ke onginikele kuwe, nguyena onesono esikhulu.”
12Ngenxa yalokhu, uPilatu wayefuna ukumkhulula, kodwa abaJuda bamemeza, bathi: “Uma umkhulula lo muntu, awusiye umngani kaKhesari. Noma ngubani ozenza inkosi, umelene noKhesari.”
13Ngakho-ke uPilatu esezwile lawo mazwi, wamkhiphela ngaphandle uJesu. Wahlala esihlalweni sokwehlulela endaweni okuthiwa: “EGandaywe Ngamatshe,” ngesiHebheru okuthiwa iGabhatha. 14Kwakulusuku lokulungiselela iPhasika, cishe sekuyihora lesithupha. UPilatu wathi kubaJuda: “Nansi-ke, inkosi yenu.”
15Kepha bamemeza, bathi: “Msuse, msuse, mbethele esiphambanweni!”
Wathi kubo uPilatu: “Ngibethele inkosi yenu na?”
Abaphristi abakhulu baphendula, bathi: “Asinayo inkosi, kuphela uKhesari.”
16Wayesemnikela kubo ukuba abethelwe esiphambanweni.
UJesu Ubethelwa Esiphambanweni
Bamthatha-ke, bahamba naye. 17Ezithwalele isiphambano, bahamba naye, baya endaweni okuthiwa iNdawo Yekhanda, ngesiHebheru okuthiwa iGolgotha. 18Bambethela lapho nabanye ababili ababemphahlile uJesu.
19UPilatu waloba isaziso, sashayelelwa esiphambanweni. Kwakulotshwe ukuthi: UJESU WASENAZARETHA, INKOSI YABAJUDA. 20AbaJuda abaningi basifunda lesi saziso, ngokuba indawo lapho ayebethelwe khona uJesu yayiseduze nomuzi. Kwakulotshwe ngesiHebheru, ngesiRoma, nangesiGriki. 21Abaphristi abakhulu babaJuda bathi kuPilatu: “Ungabhali ukuthi: ‘Inkosi yabaJuda,’ kodwa ukuthi Yena wathi: ‘Ngiyinkosi yabaJuda.’ ”
22UPilatu waphendula, wathi: “Esengikulobile, ngikulobile.”
23Kuthe amabutho esembethele uJesu esiphambanweni, ayesethatha izingubo zakhe, azehlukanisa amaqoqo amane, kwaba yilelo nalelo butho laba nesabelo, neyembe futhi. Kepha iyembe lalingenamthungo, lalukiwe lonke kusukela phezulu. 24Ngakho-ke abonisana odwa athi ngalo: “Asingalidabuli, kodwa asenze unkatho, ukuze kubonakale ukuthi lizakuba ngelikabani.”
Ukuze kugcwaliseke umbhalo othi:
“Babelana ngezingubo zami,
benza unkatho ngesembatho sami.”
Amabutho akwenza-ke lokho.
25Ngasesiphambanweni sikaJesu kwakumi unina, udadewabo kanina, uMariya umkaKleyophase, noMariya Magdalena. 26Kuthe uJesu embona unina nomfundi amthandayo bemi ngalapho, wathi kunina: “Mame, bheka indodana yakho.”
27Wayesethi kumfundi: “Bheka unyoko.”
Kusukela ngaleso sikhathi, lowo mfundi wamthatha uMariya, wamnakekela.
Ukufa KukaJesu
28Emva kwalokho, uJesu azi ukuthi konke sekuphelelisiwe, ukuba kugcwaliseke umbhalo, wathi: “Ngomile.”
29Kwakubekiwe lapho isitsha esigcwele iwayini elixutshwe noviniga; base bechoma ilula othini lwehisophi ligcwele uviniga, baliyisa emlonyeni wakhe. 30Kwathi ukuba uJesu awemukele uviniga, wayesethi: “Kufeziwe;” wagebisa ikhanda, wafa.
31Ngakho-ke abaJuda, lokhu kwakulusuku lokulungisela, nokuba izidumbu zingahlali esiphambanweni ngesabatha, ngenxa yokuba isabatha kwakulusuku olukhulu, bacela kuPilatu ukuba kwephulwe imilenze yababethelweyo, bese besuswa. 32Ayeseza-ke amabutho, ayaphula imilenze yowokuqala neyomunye owayebethelwe naye. 33Kuthe lapho efika kuJesu, abona ukuthi usefile, awayephulanga imilenze yakhe. 34Kepha elinye lamabutho lamgwaza ngomkhonto ohlangothini, kwaphuma igazi namanzi ngokushesha. 35Lowo obonileyo ufakazile futhi ubufakazi bakhe buqinisile, futhi lowo uyazi ukuthi ukhuluma iqiniso, ukuze nani nikholwe. 36Ngokuba lokhu kwenzeka ukuba kugcwaliseke umbhalo othi:
“Akuyukwaphulwa thambo lakhe.”
37Kukhona nomunye umbhalo othi: “Bayakumbheka abamgwazileyo.”
Ukubekwa Kwesidumbu SikaJesu Ethuneni
38Kuthe sekwenzekile lokho, uJosefa wase-Arimatheya, owayengomunye wabafundi bakaJesu owayengazivezi ngenxa yokwesaba abaJuda, wahamba wayocela ukuba asisuse isidumbu sikaJesu. UPilatu wamvumela, wayesehamba, wasisusa isidumbu sikaJesu. 39Kwafika noNikhodemu, owake wafika kuJesu ebusuku, yena-ke wayelethe ingxube yemure nenhlaba okungaba ngamalitha ayikhulu. 40Base besithatha isidumbu sikaJesu, basisonga ngezindwangu zelineni, basigquma ngamakha njengokosiko lwabaJuda lokungcwaba. 41Ngakuleyo ndawo ayebethelwe khona kwakunensimu, kukhona ithuna elisha kuyo, okungakaze kubekwe muntu kulo. 42Ngakho-ke ngenxa yokuthi kwakulusuku lwabaJuda lokulungisela iSabatha, bambeka kulelo thuna uJesu ngoba laliseduze.
