Bible Society of South Africa

One woman blesses another – Day 10

Se(di)ngolwa (t)sa Bibele

LUKA 1

Tsebiso ya tswalo ya Johanne Mokolobetsi

5Mehleng ya Heroda, kgosi ya Judea, ho ne ho ena le moprista e mong ya bitswang Sakariya, wa sehlopha sa Abiya, mohatsa hae e le e mong wa baradi ba Arone, lebitso la hae e le Elisabetha. 6Bobedi ba bona ba ne ba lokile pela Modimo, ba tsamaya melaong le ditaelong tsohle tsa Morena, ho se moo ba ka nyatsuwang teng. 7Feela ba ne ba se na ngwana, hobane Elisabetha e ne e le nyopa, mme bobedi ba bona ba ne ba se ba hodile.

8Yare ha Sakariya a ntse a sebetsa tsa boprista pela Modimo ka nako e beetsweng sehlopha sa hae, 9ho ya ka moetlo wa boprista, a kgethwa ka lotho hore a kene ka Tempeleng ya Morena ho kubetsa, 10mme bongata bohle ba batho bo ne bo rapela kantle ka nako ya ha ho kubetswa.

11Jwale lengeloi la Morena la iponahatsa ho yena le eme lehlakoreng le letona la aletare ya mokubetso. 12Ha Sakariya a le bona, a tshoha, a tshwarwa ke tshabo. 13Empa lengeloi la re ho yena: “Se tshabe, Sakariya, hobane thapelo ya hao e utlwilwe, mohatsa hao Elisabetha o tla o tswalla mora, mme o tla mo rea lebitso la Johanne. 14E tla ba thabo le nyakallo ho wena, mme ba bangata ba tla thabela tswalo ya hae, 15hobane o tla ba moholo pela Morena; ha a ka ke a nwa veine leha e le seno se tahang, mme o tla tlala Moya o Halalelang a sa le popelong ya mmae. 16O tla sokollela ba bangata ba bana ba Iseraele ho Morena Modimo wa bona. 17O tla etella Morena pele ka moya le ka matla a kang a Elia, ho boelanya dipelo tsa bo-ntata le bana ba bona, le ba sa utlweng, maikutlong a ba lokileng, ho lokisetsa Morena setjhaba se mo lokelang.”

18Sakariya a re ho lengeloi: “Ke tla tseba taba eo kang, kaha ke hodile, le mohatsa ka a tsofetse?”

19Lengeloi la mo araba, la re: “Ke nna Gabariele, ya emang kapele ho Modimo, mme ke romilwe ho bua le wena, le ho o bolella molaetsa ona o molemo. 20Bona, o tla ba semumu, o sitwe ho bua ho fihlela letsatsi leo ditaba tsena di tla etsahala ka lona, hobane ha o a ka wa dumela dipolelo tsa ka, tse tla phethahala ka nako ya tsona.”

21Batho ba ne ba emetse Sakariya, mme ba makaletse ho dieha ha hae ka Tempeleng. 22Yare ha a etswa, a se a sitwa ho bua le bona, yaba ba elellwa hore o bone pono ka Tempeleng; yena a ba lekanyetsa, mme a sala e le semumu.

23Yare ha matsatsi a tshebeletso ya hae a fedile, a boela ha hae. 24Kamora matsatsi ao Elisabetha, mohatsa hae, a emola, a ipata ka dikgwedi tse hlano, a re: 25“Morena o entse jwalo ho nna mohla a kgahlilweng ho tlosa sekgobo sa ka hara batho.”

LUKA 1:5-25SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

LUKA 1

Maria o etela Elisabetha

39Jwale matsatsing ao Maria a tloha, a phakisa a ya naheng e maloti, motseng o mong wa Judea. 40A kena ka tlung ya Sakariya, mme a dumedisa Elisabetha. 41Eitse ha Elisabetha a utlwa tumediso ya Maria, lesea la tlola ka popelong ya Elisabetha, mme a tlala Moya o Halalelang. 42A bua ka lentswe le phahameng, a re: “O lehlohonolo hara basadi, ho lehlohonolo le tholwana ya popelo ya hao! 43Ho ntlela jwang hore ke etelwe ke mma Morena ka? 44Bona, ha lentswe la hao la tumediso le fihla ditsebeng tsa ka, lesea le ile la tlola ke nyakallo ka popelong ya ka. 45Ho lehlohonolo wena ya dumetseng, hobane ditaba tseo o di boleletsweng ke Morena di tla phethahala.”

LUKA 1:39-45SSO89SOBula ka mmadi wa Bibele

1. The picture many of us have of Elizabeth is that of a barren woman whom God makes fruitful in her old age. We sense that she was shamed into silence by a society that sanctioned motherhood as the primary source of honour for a woman. But, if listen carefully to the text, we will hear that Elizabeth’s worth is not only in her womb, but also in her voice and ‘priestly’ hands. Luke makes a point of mentioning that, like her husband Zechariah, Elizabeth also descends from a priestly line.
(a) What do you think about this reversal: Because Zechariah hesitated to believe that Elizabeth could “bear him a son” (Lk1:13-18) he was shamed into silence (19-22) while Elizabeth’s disgrace was “taken away” (Lk1:25) and she had to speak publically on behalf of her husband?
(b) Elizabeth speaks up and names her son because the father who is, culturally speaking, the only one allowed to name a boy child, could not speak. (Lk1:61-63). Note the circumstances under which Zechariah’s voice returned (Luke 1:61-64).

2. Elizabeth says to Mary, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished” (Lk1:45).
(a) Compare Zechariah’s response upon hearing that his wife, who was “well on in years”, will give birth to a son (1:18), to the response of Mary (1:38), who was a virgin when she heard that she “will be with child and give birth to a son”.
(b) Note that it is Elizabeth who pronounces a blessing upon Mary, and not her priest husband, whose voice had been silenced by God. What are your thoughts?

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