40 Day Adventure – Day 10

₁₄Babuya bathathisa kwakhona ukukhala oomolokazana bakaNawomi. UOrpa wamanga embulisa uninazala, kodwa yena uRute wathana nca noNawomi. ₁₅Wathi uNawomi: “Uyabona, umkhuluwakazi wakho ubuyele ebantwini bakhe nakoothixo bakhe. Nawe goduka kunye naye.”

₁₆Waphendula uRute wathi: “Sukundinyanzela usithi mandikushiye. Apho uya khona, nam ndiya kuya, ndiye kuhlala nalapho uhlala khona, amawenu abe ngamawethu, noThixo wakho abe nguThixo wam. ₁₇Ndiya kufa apho ufa khona, ndingcwatyelwe apho nam. *UNdikhoyo aze andihlisele elona shwangusha xa ndinokwahlulwa nto nawe; ewe, nditsho nokufa!”

₁₈UNawomi akabanga saphinda awuvule owakhe umlomo, akubona okungako kona ukuzimisela kukaRute ukungahlukani naye.

₁₉Bahamba ke bada baya kufika eBhetelehem. Bathi bakufika khona kwatsho kwathabatheka wonke ubani. Abafazi bathi: “Hi bethu, nithi nguNawomi nyani na lo?”

₁Ewe kambe, ndingade ndibe liciko lokuthetha iilwimi zabantu, ndide ndithethe nezezithunywa zezulu – kodwa ndingenalo uthando, intetho yam isuka ibe yingxolo nje, efana neyentsimbi ehlokomayo, necangci elikhenkcezayo. ₂Ndingade ndibe naso nesiphiwo sokushumayela ngefuthe, ndinalo lonke ulwazi, ndizazi nezinto ezingàziwa mntu, ndinalo nokholo olugungqisa iintaba, kodwa ndingenalo uthando, andinto konke! ₃Ewe, nokuba ndinganikisa ngempahla yam yonke, ndide nam ngokwam ndizinikele ukuba nditshiswe, kodwa ke ndingenalo uthando, akuncedi nto konke-konke.

₄Uthando lunomonde, lunobubele. Uthando alunamona, alugwagwisi, lungakhukhumali. ₅Uthando alugezi, alufuni okukokwalo, alunachuku, alunanzondo. ₆Uthando aluvuyiswa bububi, luvuyiswa yinyaniso. ₇Uthando aluncami; lukholwa zizinto zonke, luthemba izinto zonke, lunyamezela izinto zonke.

₈Uthando alupheli. Zikho zona iintshumayelo ezinefuthe, kodwa ziyatshitsha. Zikho neziphiwo zokuthetha iilwimi, kodwa nazo ziyabhanga. Kukwakho nokwazi, kodwa kuyadlula nako. ₉Kaloku ezi ziphiwo sinazo zokwazi nokushumayela azigqibelelanga. ₁₀Kodwa ke xa kuthe kwafika oko kugqibeleleyo okungagqibelelanga kuya kuphuthiswa konke.

₁₁Xeshikweni bendingumntwana, bendithetha njengomntwana, ndicinga njengomntwana, ndinezimvo zobuntwana; njengoko ke ndimdala, ndahlukene ngoku neendlela zobuntwana. ₁₂Into esiyibonayo ngoku yimbonakalo nje eluzizi ngokungathi sikhangele esipilini; kanti ke ngoko siya kubona ngokucacileyo. Ukwazi kwam ngoku akugqibelelanga, kanti ke ndokwazi kakuhle ngoko, kufane nokundazi kwakhe uThixo ukwazi kwam.

₁₃Ngalinye ke, zintathu izinto eziya kuhlala zihleli: lukholo, nethemba, nothando. Engaphezu kwazo zonke ke luthando.