NGOKUKALUKA 7

₁Kwathi eseqedé onke amazwi akhe ezindlebeni zabantu, wangena eKapernawume.

₂Inceku yenduna yekhulu ethile ethandekayo kuyo yayigula, isizakufa.

₃Isizwile ngoJesu yathuma amalunga abaJuda kuye, imcela ukuba eze ayisindise inceku yayo.

₄Esefikile kuJesu amncenga kakhulu, ethi: Ifanele ukuba uyenzele lokho,

₅ngokuba ithanda isizwe sakithi; yiyo esakhele isinagoge*.

₆UJesu wayesehamba nawo. Kepha engasekude nendlu, induna yekhulu yathumela kuye abahlobo, bathi kuye: Nkosi, ungazihluphi, ngokuba angifanele ukuba ungene phansi kophahla lwami.

₇Ngakho angizibonanga ukuthi ngifanele ukuza kuwe; kepha yisho izwi, khona inceku yami iyakusinda.

₈Ngokuba nami ngingumuntu ophansi kwamakhosi, nginamabutho phansi kwami; ngithi kwelinye: Hamba, lihambe; nakwelinye: Woza, lize; nasencekwini yami: Yenza lokhu, ikwenze.

₉UJesu ekuzwa lokho wamangala ngayo, waphenduka, wathi esixukwini esimlandelayo: Ngithi kini: Angizange ngifumane ukukholwa okungaka nakwaIsrayeli.

₁₀Ababethunyiwe sebebuyele ekhaya bafumana inceku isindile.

₁₁Kwathi ngangomuso waya emzini othiwa iNayini; kwahamba naye abafundi bakhe nesixuku esikhulu.

₁₂Esesondela esangweni lomuzi, bheka, kwaphunyiswa ofileyo, indodana eyodwa kanina, yena engumfelokazi; nabantu abaningi bomuzi babenaye.

₁₃Yathi iNkosi isimbona, yamhawukela, yathi kuye: Ungakhali.

₁₄Yasondela, yathinta uhlaka; abaluthweleyo base bema. Yayisithi: Nsizwa, ngithi kuwe: Vuka!

₁₅Ofileyo wavuka, waqala ukukhuluma; yamnika unina.

₁₆Bafikelwa ngukwesaba bonke, bamdumisa uNkulunkulu, bathi: Kuvelé umprofethi omkhulu phakathi kwethu, nokuthi: UNkulunkulu ubahambele abantu bakhe.

₁₇Kwaphumela lelizwi ngaye kulo lonke iJudiya nakulo lonke langakhona.

₁₈Abafundi bakaJohane bambikela ngazo zonke lezozinto.

₁₉UJohane wayesebiza ababili kubafundi bakhe, wabathumela eNkosini, wathi: Wena unguye ozayo, noma sobheka omunye na?

₂₀Amadoda esefikile kuyo athi: UJohane uMbhapathizi usithumele kuwe, ethi: Wena unguye ozayo, noma sobheka omunye na?

₂₁Ngalowomzuzu yayiphulukisa abaningi ezifweni nasebuhlungwini nakomoya ababi; nezimpumputhe eziningi yazipha ukubona.

₂₂Yaphendula, yathi kuwo: Hambani nimlandise uJohane lokho enikubonile nenikuzwile ukuthi: Izimpumputhe ziyabona, izinyonga ziyahamba, abanochoko bayahlanjululwa, izithulu ziyezwa, abafileyo bayavuswa, abampofu bayashunyayezwa ivangeli;

₂₃ubusisiwe ongayikukhubeka ngami.

₂₄Sezimukile izithunywa zikaJohane, yaqala ukukhuluma ezixukwini ngoJohane, ithi: Naphuma naya ehlane ukuyobonani na? Umhlanga ontengantengiswa ngumoya na?

₂₅Kanti naphuma ukuyobonani na? Umuntu owembethe izingubo ezinothonotho na? Bhekani, abembethe okukhazimulayo, betamasa, basezindlini zamakhosi.

₂₆Kodwa naphuma ukuyobonani na? Umprofethi na? Yebo, ngithi kini: Odlula umprofethi.

₂₇Nguye okulotshwé ngaye ukuthi:

₂₈Ngithi kini: Kwabazelwe ngabesifazane akakho omkhulu kunoJohane; kepha omncane embusweni kaNkulunkulu mkhulu kunaye.

₂₉Abantu bonke, yebo, nabathelisi sebezwile bamvuma uNkulunkulu, babhapathizwa ngombhapathizo kaJohane.

₃₀Kepha abaFarisi nezazimthetho balenza ize icebo likaNkulunkulu maqondana nabo bengabhapathizwanga nguye.

₃₁Pho-ke, abantu balesisizukulwane ngiyakubafanisa nani na? Bafana nani na?

₃₂Bafana nabantwana abahlezi esigcawini bememezana bethi:

₃₃Ngokuba uJohane uMbhapathizi ufikile engadli-sinkwa, engaphuzi-wayini; nithi-ke: Unedemoni.

₃₄Ifikile iNdodana yomuntu, idla, iphuza, senithi: Bhekani, umuntu oyisiminzi nesiphuzi, umhlobo wabathelisi nezoni.

₃₅Kodwa ukuhlakanipha kuvunyiwe ngabantwana bakho bonke.

₃₆Omunye wabaFarisi wammema ukuba adle naye; esengené endlini yomFarisi wahlala ekudleni.

₃₇Bheka, kwakukhona emzini owesifazane oyisoni; wathi esazi ukuthi uhlezi ekudleni endlini yomFarisi, weza nomfuma wamafutha,

₃₈wema emuva ngasezinyaweni zakhe ekhala, waqala ukumatisa izinyawo zakhe ngezinyembezi, wazesula ngezinwele zekhanda lakhe, wazanga izinyawo zakhe, wazigcoba ngamafutha.

₃₉Kuthé umFarisi obemmemile ekubona, wazindla wathi: Uma lo ebengumprofethi, nga emazi lowesifazane omphathayo ukuba ungubani nokuba unjani, ngokuba uyisoni.

₄₀UJesu waphendula, wathi kuye: Simoni, kukhona engifuna ukukukhuluma kuwe. Wathi: Khuluma-ke, Mfundisi.

₄₁Kwakukhona abantu ababili abanamacala kumtshelekisi othile; icala lomunye lalingodenariyu* abangamakhulu ayisihlanu, elomunye amashumi ayisihlanu.

₄₂Bengenanto yokukhokha, wabayekela bobabili. Ngumuphi kubo konje oyakumthanda kakhulu na?

₄₃USimoni waphendula wathi: Ngithi yilowo amyekela okukhulu. Wathi kuye: Unqumé kahle.

₄₄Ephendukela kowesifazane wathi kuSimoni: Uyambona lowesifazane na? Ngingené endlini yakho, awunginikanga amanzi ezinyawo, kepha yena uzimatisile izinyawo zami ngezinyembezi, wazesula ngezinwele zakhe.

₄₅Awunganganga, kepha lo, yilokhu ngingenile, akayekanga ukwanga izinyawo zami.

₄₆Ikhanda lami awuligcobanga ngamafutha, kepha lo uzigcobile izinyawo zami ngamafutha.

₄₇Ngenxa yalokho ngithi kuwe: Izono zakhe eziningi zithethelelwe, ngokuba uthandile kakhulu; kepha othethelelwa okuncane uthanda kancane.

₄₈Wayesethi kuye: Zithethelelwe izono zakho.

₄₉Ababehlezi naye ekudleni baqala ukusho phakathi kwabo ukuthi: Ngubani lo othethelela nezono na?

₅₀Kepha wathi kowesifazane: Ukukholwa kwakho kukusindisile; hamba, ube-nokuthula.