UJesu Uphulukisa Inceku Yenduna
1Kwathi uJesu eseqedile ukukhuluma wonke lawo mazwi kubantu, wangena eKhaphernawume. 2Induna yekhulu yayinenceku eyithandayo eyayisigulela ukufa. 3Isizwile ngoJesu, yathumela kuye amalunga abaJuda, ukuba ayomcela eze azokwelapha inceku yayo. 4Esefikile kuJesu, amncengisisa, ethi: “Ufanelekile lona ukuba umenzele lokhu, 5ngokuba uyasithanda isizwe sakithi, nguye futhi osakhele isinagoge.”
6UJesu wayesehamba nawo.
Kuthe eseseduze nendlu yenduna yekhulu, induna yekhulu yathumela abahlobo bayo ukuba bathi kuye: “Nkosi, ungazihluphi, ngokuba angifanele ukuba ungangena phansi kophahla lwami. 7Ngakho-ke angifanele ukuba ngingeza kuwe, kodwa khipha izwi nje, ukuze inceku yami isinde. 8Ngokuba nami ngingumuntu ophethe, nginamabutho aphansi kwami. Ngithi kwelinye: ‘Hamba,’ lihambe. Kwelinye ngithi: ‘Woza,’ lize, nasencekwini yami ngithi: ‘Yenza lokhu,’ ikwenze.”
9UJesu ewezwa lawo mazwi, wamangala ngayo, wayesephendukela esixukwini esasimlandela, wathi: “Ngithi kini: angikaze ngikufumane ukukholwa okungaka kwa-Israyeli.”
10Lapho sebebuyela endlini yenduna yekhulu, bafika inceku isisindile.
UJesu Uvusa Indodana Yomfelokazi
11Kwathi ngakusasa, uJesu waya emzini okuthiwa yiNayini; abafundi bakhe babehamba naye nesixuku esikhulu. 12Esesondele ngasesangweni lomuzi, wathola kukhona ofileyo owayethwelwe eyongcwatshwa, indodana eyodwa vo kunina, owayengumfelokazi. Kwakunesixuku esikhulu sabantu balowo muzi ababemphelekezela. 13INkosi yakubona lokho, yaba nesihe, yathi kuye: “Ungakhali.”
14Yasondela, yathinta uhlaka; ababeluthwele bema. Yayisithi: “Nsizwa, ngithi kuwe: vuka!”
15Obefile wavuka, wahlala ngezinqe, waqala ukukhuluma. Wayesemnikeza unina.
16Bonke behlelwa wukwesaba, bamdumisa uNkulunkulu, bathi: “Kufike umphrofethi omkhulu phakathi kwethu,” bathi futhi: “UNkulunkulu ubahambele abantu bakhe.”
17Lezi zindaba ngoJesu zasabalala kulo lonke iJudiya nasezindaweni ezakhelene nalo.
UJohane UMbhabhadisi Uthumela Abafundi Bakhe KuJesu
18Abafundi bakaJohane bambikela ngazo zonke lezi zinto. UJohane wayesebiza ababili kubafundi bakhe, 19wabathumela eNkosini, wathi: “Unguye yini ozayo, noma silindele omunye na?”
20Afika kuye lawo madoda, athi: “Sithunyiwe kuwe nguJohane uMbhabhadisi, obuza ukuthi: ‘Unguye yini ozayo, noma silindele omunye na?’ ”
21Ngaleso sikhathi iNkosi yaphulukisa abaningi ababekhungethwe yizifo, nezinhlungu, nomoya ababi. Wavula namehlo ezimpumputhe eziningi, zabona.
22UJesu waphendula, wathi kuwo: “Hambani nilandise uJohane ngalokho enikubonileyo nenikuzwileyo, nithi: izimpumputhe ziyabona, izinyonga ziyahamba, abanochoko bayahlanjululwa, izithulu ziyezwa, abafileyo bayavuswa, abampofu bayashunyayezwa ivangeli. 23Ubusisiwe lowo ongayukukhubeka ngami.”
24Kuthe sezihambile izithunywa zikaJohane, waqala ukukhuluma ezixukwini ngoJohane, ethi: “Naphuma naya ehlane ukuyobonani na? Umhlanga ontengantengiswa ngumoya na? 25Kanti naphuma ukuyobonani na? Umuntu owembethe izingubo ezintofontofo na? Phela abembethe okukhazimulayo, futhi betamasa, basezigodlweni zamakhosi. 26Kepha naphuma ukuyobonani na? Umphrofethi? Yebo, ngithi kini: owedlula umphrofethi. 27Nguye okulotshwe ngaye ukuthi:
“ ‘Ngiyathuma isithunywa sami phambi kwakho,
esiyakulungisa indlela yakho phambi kwakho.’
28“Ngithi kini: akukho namunye kwabazelwe ngowesifazane omkhulu kunoJohane, kepha omncinyane embusweni kaNkulunkulu, mkhulu kunaye.”
29Abantu bonke, yebo, nabathelisi sebekuzwile lokho bavuma ukuthi uNkulunkulu ulungile, babhabhadiswa ngombhabhadiso kaJohane. 30Kepha abaFarisi nezazimthetho abayemukelanga inhloso kaNkulunkulu emaqondana nabo, benqaba ukubhabhadiswa nguye.
31“Ngakho, ngingabafanisa nani abantu balesi sizukulwane na? Bafana nani? 32Bafana nabantwana abahlezi esigcawini, bememezana bethi:
“ ‘Sinishayele imitshingo,
kodwa anisinanga;
sahlabelela ingoma yesililo,
kodwa anililanga.’
33“Ngokuba uJohane uMbhabhadisi wafika engadli sinkwa, engaphuzi wayini; nathi: ‘Unedimoni.’ 34INdodana yomuntu ifike yadla, yaphuza, kepha nithi: ‘Bhekani lo umuntu oyisiminzi nenkolotshe, umngani wabathelisi nezoni.’ 35Kepha ukuhlakanipha kubonakaliswa kuyiqiniso kulabo abakwemukelayo.”
UJesu Endlini KaSimoni UmFarisi
36Omunye wabaFarisi wamema uJesu ukuba azokudla naye. UJesu wafika-ke endlini yomFarisi, wahlala naye esidlweni. 37Owesifazane wakulowo muzi, owayeyisoni, esezwile ukuthi uJesu usesidlweni endlini yomFarisi, waya khona ephethe umfuma wamafutha ngojeke we-alabhasta. 38Wema ngemuva kukaJesu, ngasezinyaweni zakhe, ekhala. Waqala ukumatisa izinyawo zikaJesu ngezinyembezi zakhe, wayesezesula ngezinwele zakhe, wazanga izinyawo ephindelela, wayesezigcoba ngamakha. 39Kepha lapho umFarisi owayemmemile ekubona lokhu, wadlinza wathi: “Lo muntu ukuba ubengumphrofethi, ngabe wazile ukuthi ngubani futhi uluhlobo luni lo wesifazane omthintayo, ngokuba uyisoni.”
40UJesu wamphendula, wathi kuye: “Simoni, kukhona engifuna ukukutshela khona.”
Wathi: “Mfundisi, ngitshele.”
41“Umbolekisi othile wayenabantu ababili ababemkweleta. Omunye wayekweleta odenariyu abangama-500, omunye ekweleta odenariyu abangama-50. 42Lokhu babengenalutho lokumkhokhela, wabaxolela bobabili. Imuphi kulaba oyakumthanda kakhulu na?”
43USimoni waphendula wathi: “Ngicabanga ukuthi yilowo oxolelwe kokuningi.”
UJesu wathi kuye: “Uyihlabe esikhonkosini.”
44Waphendukela kowesifazane, wathi kuSimoni: “Uyambona lo wesifazane na? Ngingene endlini yakho, awunginikanga amanzi okugeza izinyawo, kodwa lo wesifazane umantisile izinyawo zami ngezinyembezi zakhe, wazesula ngezinwele zakhe. 45Awunganganga, kepha lo wesifazane, yilokhu ngingenile, akazange ayeke ukwanga izinyawo zami. 46Awuligcobanga ikhanda lami ngamafutha, kepha lo wesifazane uzigcobile izinyawo zami ngamafutha. 47Ngenxa yalokho, ngithi kuwe: izono zakhe eziningi zithethelelwe, ngokuba uveze uthando olukhulu. Kepha lowo othethelelwe okuncane, uthanda kancane.”
48Wayesethi kowesifazane: “Izono zakho zithethelelwe.”
49Ababehleli naye esidlweni baqala ukukhuluma bodwa, bethi: “Ngubani kanti lo, othethelela nezono na?”
50Kepha wathi kowesifazane: “Ukukholwa kwakho kukusindisile. Hamba, ngokuthula.”
