Ulizwi waba ngumntu
1Ekuqaleni, kungekadalwa, wayeselekho uLizwi. ULizwi lo wayekunye noThixo, naye ngokwakhe enguThixo. 2Yena wayekunye noThixo kwasekuqalekeni. 3Izinto zonke zadalwa ngaye; ngaphandle kwakhe akubangakho nto idaliweyo. Indalo yonke 4yaba nobomi ngaye, baza obo bomi baba lukhanyiso eluntwini. 5Olu khanyiso lukhanya ebumnyameni; kwaye ubumnyama abuzange bukoyise ukukhanya kwalo.
6UThixo wathuma mntu uthile, ogama linguYohane. 7Yena weza kungqina, engqinela ukukhanya, ukuze bonke bakholwe ngenxa yobungqina bakhe. 8Yena uYohane ngokwakhe wayengelulo ukhanyiso, koko weza kungqina ngalo. 9Lowo ulukhanyiso lwenene olukhanyisela wonke umntu, wayesiza ehlabathini.
10Wafika ke yena ehlabathini; kanti, nangona ihlabathi labakho ngaye nje, alimqondanga. 11Weza kwelakowabo, aza amawabo akamamkela. 12Kodwa bonke abâmamkeláyo, bezinikele kuye ngokupheleleyo, wabanika igunya lokuba ngabantwana bakaThixo. 13Ababanga ngabantwana bakaThixo ngokuzalwa bengabomlibo othile, okanye ngokuzalwa ngendlela yemvelo; nguThixo ngokwakhe obazeleyo.
14ULizwi ke waba ngumntu, waza wahlala phakathi kwethu. Sabubukela ubungangamsha bakhe awabunikwa nguYise, njengoko ekukuphela koNyana wakhe; ubungangamsha ke obuphuphuma ububele nenyaniso.
15UYohane wangqina ngoLizwi; wavakalisa esithi: “Lo ngulowo bendithetha ngaye xa bendisithi: ‘Lowo uza emva kwam mkhulu kunam, kuba wayeselekho ndingekabikho mna.’ ”
16Ngokuphuphuma kobubele bukaLizwi, thina sonke saphiwa iintsikelelo ezingenasiphelo. 17Nakuba uThixo wasinika umthetho ngoMosis, ubabalo nenyaniso wasinika ngoYesu Krestu. 18Akukho namnye umntu owakha wambona uThixo. Abantu bamazi uThixo ngokumaziswa nguNyana okukuphela kwakhe, yena okwanguThixo, ohlala ehleli esenyongweni kuYise.
Ubungqina bukaYohane umbhaptizi
19Nabu ke ubungqina bukaYohane, oko amaJuda aseJerusalem athumela ababingeleli *nabaLevi kuye, okokuba ambuze athi: “Ungubani na?”
20Watsho ngokuphandle, engafihlisi, wathi: “Mna andinguye *uKrestu.”
21Bambuza besithi: “Ungubani ke? Ngaba unguEliya?”
Yena wathi: “Hayi andinguye.”
Bona bathi: “Ngaba unguye laa Mshumayeli?”
Waphendula wathi: “Hayi, andinguye.”
22Ke ngoko bathi kuye: “Sixelele okokuba ungubani na, ukuze sibe nokubaphendula abo basithumileyo. Ngaba uthini na wena ngawe ngokwakho?”
23Waphendula uYohane, ecaphula kumazwi *omshumayeli uIsaya, esithi:
“Mna ndililizwi lodandulukayo entlango, lisithi:
‘Yilungiseleleni indlela iNkosi.’ ”
24Kwakukho nababethunywe *ngabaFarasi. 25Bona bambuza uYohane besithi: “Ungáthini ke ukubhaptiza, ungenguye uKrestu, okanye uEliya, okanye laa Mshumayeli?”
26Wabaphendula uYohane wathi: “Mna ndinibhaptiza ngamanzi. Kambe ke phakathi kwenu kumi eningamaziyo. 27Yena uza emva kwam, kodwa mna andifanele kukhulula nomtya lo wezihlangu zakhe.”
28Oku kwênzeka eBhetani, ngaphesheya kweJordan, apho uYohane wayebhaptiza khona.
Ixhwane ledini
29Ngengomso uYohane wabona uYesu esiza kuye, wathi: “Nâlo ixhwane likaThixo lokungxengxezela isono sehlabathi. 30Nguye lo bendixela yena xa bendisithi: ‘Emva kwam kuza umntu omkhulu kunam, kuba wayekho ndingekabikho mna.’ 31Nam ngokwam bendingamazi; koko ndize kubhaptiza ngamanzi ngenjongo yokuba ndimazise kubantu bakwaSirayeli.”
32UYohane wangqina esithi: “Ndibone uMoya oyiNgcwele esihla enjengehobe, evela ezulwini, waza wahlala phezu kwakhe. 33Ke nam bendingamazi, kodwa lowo wandithumayo ukuba ndibhaptize ngamanzi, nguye owathi kum: ‘Lowo ùbone uMoya esihla phezu kwakhe, ahlale kuye, nguye obhaptiza ngoMoya oyiNgcwele.’ 34Ke mna, ndikubonile nje oku, ndiyangqina okokuba lo nguye uNyana kaThixo.”
Abafundi bokuqala bakaYesu
35Ngengomso uYohane wayelapho kwakhona, enababini kubafundi bakhe. 36Waza wabona uYesu edlula apho, wathi: “Nâlo ixhwane likaThixo lokungxengxezelela isono.”
37Abafundi abo bamva esitsho, baza bamlandela uYesu. 38Akubheka uYesu, wabona ukuba bayamlandela, waza wathi kubo “Ngaba nifuna ntoni na?”
Baza bathi kuye: “Mfundisi, uhlala phi na?”
39Wathi kubo: “Yizani, nibone.” Bahamba kunye naye ke, bayibona indawo awayehlala kuyo, baza bahlala naye loo mini. Ixesha lalimalunga nentsimbi yesine emva kwemini.
40YayinguAndreya, umntakwabo-Simon Petros, omnye wâbo bafundi babini beva ngoYohane, baza bamlandela uYesu. 41Kwangoko uAndreya wabona umntakwabo uSimon, wathi kuye: “Simfumene uMesiya.” (Oko kukuthi “*uKrestu.”)
42Wamsa kuYesu ke; waza uYesu wamjonga, wathi: “Wena unguSimon, unyana kaYohane. Igama lakho loba *nguKefas.” (Oko kukuthi “Lwalwa.”)
Ukubizwa kukaFilipu noNataniyeli
43Ngengomso uYesu wabona ukuba makaye eGalili; waza wadibana noFilipu, wathi kuye: “Ndilandele.” 44Ke uFilipu wayengowaseBhetesayida, idolophu yakuloAndreya noPetros. 45UFilipu wadibana noNataniyeli, wathi kuye: “Simbonile lowo uMosis wabhala ngaye *emthethweni, ekwâbhalwa ngaye *nangabashumayeli. NguYesu, unyana kaJosefu waseNazarete.”
46UNataniyeli wathi kuye: “Uthini! Kungákho nto ilungileyo inokuphuma eNazarete?”
UFilipu wathi kuye: “Yiza, uzibonele.”
47UYesu akumbona uNataniyeli esiza kuye, wathi ngaye: “Ngenene nanko umSirayeli ekungekho nkohliso kuye.”
48UNataniyeli wathi kuye: “Ùndazela phi na?”
UYesu wamphendula wathi: “Wena ndakubona usephantsi komkhiwane, engekakubizi uFilipu.”
49UNataniyeli wamphendula wathi: “Mfundisi, inene unguNyana kaThixo; unguKumkani wakwaSirayeli.”
50UYesu wathi kuye: “Ùkholwa ngokuba ndithe kuwe ndikuboné uphantsi komkhiwane? Uya kubona izinto ezingaphezulu lee kunezi.” 51Wahambisa wathi kuye: “Ndithi kuni, inene, niya kulibona izulu livulekile, nezithunywa zikaThixo zinyuka zisihla phezu kwakhe *uNyana woLuntu.”
