I KWABASEKORINTE 15

₁Kepha, bazalwane, ngiyanikhumbuza ivangeli enganishumayeza lona nenalamukelayo nenimi kulo,

₂nenisindiswa ngalo, nxa nibambelela ezwini enganishumayeza lona, uma kambe ukukholwa kwenu kungabanga-yize.

₃Ngokuba okokuqala nganinika lokho engakwamukela nami ukuthi uKristu wafa ngenxa yezono zethu njengokwemibhalo,

₄nokuthi wembelwa, nokuthi wavuswa kwabafileyo ngosuku lwesithathu njengokwemibhalo,

₅nokuthi wabonwa nguKhefase; wayesebonwa ngabayishumi nambili;

₆emva kwalokho wabonwa ngasikhathi sinye ngabazalwane abadlula amakhulu ayisihlanu, iningi labo lisekhona nakalokhu, kepha abanye sebelele;

₇emva kwalokho wabonwa nguJakobe; ngasemuva wabonwa ngabaphostoli bonke;

₈ekugcineni kwabo bonke wabonwa nayimina enginjengozelwe kungakabiyisikhathi.

₉Ngokuba mina ngingomncinyane kubaphostoli, engingafanele ukuthiwa umphostoli, ngokuba ngazingela ibandla likaNkulunkulu.

₁₀Kepha ngomusa kaNkulunkulu ngiyikho engiyikho, nomusa wakhe kimi awubanga-yize, kodwa ngasebenza kakhulu kunabo bonke; kepha asimina kodwa ngumusa kaNkulunkulu okimi.

₁₁Ngakho-ke noma kuyimina noma kuyibona, sishumayela kanjalo, nakholwa kanjalo.

₁₂Kepha-ke uma uKristu eshunyayelwa ukuthi uvusiwe kwabafileyo, basho kanjani abanye phakathi kwenu ukuthi akukho ukuvuka kwabafileyo na?

₁₃Kepha uma kungekho ukuvuka kwabafileyo, akavuswanga naye uKristu.

₁₄Kepha uma uKristu engavuswanga kwabafileyo, ukushumayela kwethu kuyize, nokukholwa kwenu kuyize.

₁₅Yebo, sifunyanwa singofakazi bamanga ngoNkulunkulu, ngokuba safakaza ngoNkulunkulu ukuthi wamvusa uKristu, angamvusanga kambe, uma kanti abafileyo bengavuswa.

₁₆Ngokuba uma abafileyo bengavuswa, akavuswanga naye uKristu.

₁₇Kepha uma uKristu engavuswanga, ukukholwa kwenu akusizi-lutho, nisesezonweni zenu.

₁₈Khona-ke nalabo asebalala bekuKristu babhubhile.

₁₉Uma singabathembela kuKristu kulokhukuphila kuphela, singabokukhalelwa kunabantu bonke.

₂₀Kepha kalokhu uKristu uvusiwe kwabafileyo, engulibo lwabaleleyo.

₂₁Ngokuba lokhu ukufa kweza ngomuntu, ukuvuka kwabafileyo nakho kweza ngomuntu.

₂₂Ngokuba njengalokhu kuAdamu bonke bayafa, ngokunjalo futhi kuKristu bonke bayakuphiliswa.

₂₃Kepha yilowo nalowo ngesigaba sakhe: uKristu kuqala, besekuba-ngabangabakaKristu ekufikeni kwakhe,

₂₄andukuba kufike ukuphela, nxa enikela umbuso kuNkulunkulu uYise, lapho esechithile ukubusa konke, nobukhosi bonke, namandla.

₂₆Isitha sokugcina esiyakuchithwa singukufa.

Kepha nxa ethi: Izinto zonke zithotshisiwe, kusobala ukuthi ungaphandle kwazo yena ozithobisele phansi kwakhe.

₂₈Kodwa nxa izinto zonke sezithotshiselwe phansi kwakhe, lapho-ke nayo iNdodana iyakuzithoba phansi kwalowo owathobisa zonke izinto phansi kwayo, ukuze uNkulunkulu abe-yikho konke kukho konke.

₂₉Pho, bayakwenze-njani ababhapathizelwa abafileyo na? Uma abafileyo bengavuki nempela, babhapathizelwani ngenxa yabo na?

₃₀Futhi sizifakelani thina engozini imizuzu yonke na?

₃₁Bazalwane, ngiyaqinisa ngokubongwa enginakho ngenxa yenu kuKristu Jesu iNkosi yethu, ngiyafa mihla yonke.

₃₂Uma ngalwa nezilo e-Efesu ngokwabantu, nginanzuzoni? Uma abafileyo bengavuki, masidle, siphuze, ngokuba ngomuso sizakufa.

₃₃Ningakhohliswa; ukujwayelana nababi konakalisa ukuziphatha okuhle.

₃₄Phaphamani ngokufaneleyo, ningoni; ngokuba abanye kabamazi uNkulunkulu; ngisho lokhu ukuba nibe-namahloni.

₃₅Kepha omunye uyakuthi: Abafileyo bavuswa kanjani na? Beza benamzimba muni na?

₃₆Wena ongaqondiyo, lokho okuhlwanyelayo wena akutholi ukuphila kungafanga;

₃₇futhi lokho okuhlwanyelayo awuhlwanyeli umzimba ozakuba-khona kepha uhlamvu oluze, noma kungaba-ngolukakolweni, noma kungaba-ngolokunye;

₃₈kepha uNkulunkulu ulunika umzimba njengokuthanda kwakhe, yileyo naleyombewu owayo umzimba.

₃₉Inyama yonke ayinhlobonye, kepha enye ngeyabantu, enye yinyama yezilwane, enye yinyama yezinyoni, enye ngeyezinhlanzi.

₄₀Ikhona nemizimba yasezulwini nemizimba yasemhlabeni; kepha inkazimulo yeyasezulwini iyodwa, neyasemhlabeni iyodwa.

₄₁Iyodwa inkazimulo yelanga, iyodwa inkazimulo yenyanga, iyodwa inkazimulo yezinkanyezi; yebo, enye inkanyezi yahlukile kwenye inkanyezi ngokukhazimula.

₄₂Kunjalo nokuvuka kwabafileyo. Kuhlwanyelwa kunokubola, kuvuswa kungenakubola;

₄₃kuhlwanyelwa kunokudelwa, kuvuswa kunenkazimulo; kuhlwanyelwa kunobuthakathaka, kuvuswa kunamandla.

₄₄Kuhlwanyelwa kungumzimba wemvelo, kuvuswa kungumzimba womoya. Uma ukhona umzimba wemvelo, ukhona nowomoya.

₄₅Kanjalo futhi kulotshiwe ukuthi umuntu wokuqala uAdamu waba-ngumphefumulo ophilayo; uAdamu wokugcina waba-ngumoya ophilisayo.

₄₆Kepha okokuqala akusikho okomoya kodwa okwemvelo; besekuba-ngokomoya.

₄₇Umuntu wokuqala wavela emhlabeni, engowenhlabathi; umuntu wesibili uvela ezulwini.

₄₈Njengokuba enjalo owayengowenhlabathi, banjalo nalabo abangabenhlabathi; nanjengokuba enjalo ongowasezulwini, banjalo nabo abangabasezulwini.

₄₉Futhi njengokuba besinesimo songowenhlabathi, siyakuba-nesimo songowasezulwini futhi.

₅₀Kepha ngisho lokhu, bazalwane, ukuthi inyama nagazi akunakulidla ifa elingumbuso kaNkulunkulu; nokubola akulidli ifa elingukungaboli.

₅₁Bhekani, ngiyanitshela imfihlakalo; asiyikulala sonke, kepha siyakuguqulwa sonke,

₅₂ngesikhashanyana, ngokuphazima kweso, ngecilongo lokugcina; ngokuba icilongo liyakukhala, abafileyo bavuswe bengenakubola, thina siguqulwe.

₅₃Ngokuba lokhu okubolayo kumelwe ukwembatha ukungaboli, nalokhu okufayo kumelwe ukwembatha ukungafi.

₅₄Kepha nxa lokhu okubolayo sekwembethe ukungaboli, nalokhu okufayo sekwembethe ukungafi, kuzakugcwaliseka izwi elilotshiweyo lokuthi: Ukufa kugingiwe kwaba-ngukunqoba.

₅₅Kufa, kuphi ukunqoba kwakho na? Kufa, luphi udosi lwakho na?

₅₆Udosi lokufa yisono; amandla esono ngumthetho.

₅₇Kepha makabongwe uNkulunkulu osinika ukunqoba ngeNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu.

₅₈Ngakho-ke, bazalwane bami abathandekayo, yibani-ngabagxilile, abangaxegiyo, abavamé njalo emsebenzini weNkosi, nazi ukuthi ukusebenza kwenu akusilo ize eNkosini.