51 – ULizwi waba inyama

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.