75 – Iindaba ezimnandi zezabo bonke

₁EKhesariya kwakukho umphathi-butho wamajoni aseRoma ogama linguKorneli. Umkhosi wakhe kwakusithiwa ngowaseItali. ₂Yena nosapho lwakhe babengabantu abamnqulayo bemhlonela uThixo. Wayengumntu onezinwe, ewanceda amaJuda ahlelelekileyo, ethandaza rhoqo kuThixo. ₃Ngenye injika-langa kwisithuba sentsimbi yesithathu, waba nombono, wasibona ngokucacileyo isithunywa sikaThixo singena sisithi kuye: “Korneli!”

₄Wasiqwalasela enoloyiko, wathi: “Yintoni, Nkosi?”

Saphendula sathi: “UThixo uyamkele imithandazo nemisebenzi yakho yesisa; akazange wakulibala. ₅Ngoku ke thuma amadoda eJopa, kumntu othile ogama linguSimon Petros, ₆olundwendwe lukaSimon umsuki weemfele, ondlu ingaselwandle.” ₇Sakumka isithunywa eso, uKorneli wabiza izicaka zakhe ezibini, kunye nejoni elalimhlonela uThixo, elalingumlindi wakhe. ₈Wabachazela konke okwakumhlele, waza wabathuma eJopa.

₉Ngomhla olandelayo, xa babesendleleni, besondela eJopa, uPetros uthe emini emaqanda waya kuthandaza phezu kwendlu kwindawo esabuvaranda. ₁₀Wasuka walamba, wafuna into etyiwayo, kwathi besamlungiselela ukutya wabona umbono. ₁₁Wabona izulu livulekile, kusihla into engathi lilaphu elikhulu libanjwe ngamasondo omane, lisiza emhlabeni. ₁₂Kulo kwakukho zonke iintlobo zezidalwa ezingatyiwayo ezizitho zine, ezirhubuluzayo, nezibhabhayo. ₁₃Weva ilizwi lisithi kuye: “Vuka, xhela utye, Petros.”

₁₄Waphendula wathi: “Nkosi, ngunotshe lowo! Mna andizange ndiyitye into engatyiwayo.”

₁₅Laphinda ilizwi elo lavakala kuye lisithi: “Musa ukuthi ayityiwa into athi uThixo iyatyiwa.” ₁₆Le nto yenzeka kwada kwakathathu, laza ke ilaphu elo lanyuselwa ezulwini.

₁₇Ngoku asamangalisiweyo yena uPetros ukuba ngaba yintoni na intsingiselo yalo mbono, wona amadoda athunywe nguKorneli ayesede awufumana umkhondo wendlu kaSimon, selemi esangweni. ₁₈Abuzisa ukuba ngaba akukho mhambi ugama linguSimon Petros na apho.

₁₉UPetros yena wayesajika-jikana nalo mbono ukuva kwakhe uMoya oyiNgcwele esithi: “Phulaphula, nango amadoda amathathu ekufuna. ₂₀Phakama uye kuwo la madoda, ungathandabuzi, uhambe nawo, kuba athunywe ndim.” ₂₁Waya kuwo uPetros, wafika wathi: “Ndim lo nimfunayo. Ngaba nindifuna ngani?”

₂₂Wona aphendula athi: “Sithunywa yiNkosi yethu uKorneli, oyindoda elungileyo emhlonelayo uThixo, ehlonitshwayo nangamaJuda. Uxelelwe sisithunywa sikaThixo ukuba makakubize uye endlwini yakhe, ukuze eve loo nto uya kumxelela yona.” ₂₃Wangena nabo endlwini uPetros, baza balalisa apho ngaloo mini.

Ngosuku olulandelayo wahamba nawo la madoda kunye namanye amakholwa aseJopa. ₂₄Ngengomso wagaleleka eKhesariya, apho wafika elindelwe nguKorneli nezizalwana nezihlobo zakhe ezisenyongweni. ₂₅Xa angenayo uPetros, uKorneli wazikhahlela phambi kwakhe, ₂₆kodwa uPetros wamphakamisa wathi: “Hayi, ndingumntu nje nam; musa ukwenjenjalo.” ₂₇UPetros wayethetha noKorneli ekungeneni kwakhe endlwini, apho wafika kubuthelene abantu abaninzi. ₂₈Uthe kubo uPetros: “Nina ngokwenu nazi kakuhle ukuba umJuda akavumelekile ngokwenkolo yakowabo ukuba andwendwele nokuba abe nento yokwenza neentlanga. Selendibonisile ke kodwa uThixo ukuba mandingathathi bani njengongahlambulukanga. ₂₉Yiyo loo nto uthe wakundibiza andala. Khawundixelele ke, undibizele ntoni?”

₃₀Uthe ukuphendula uKorneli: “Ngoku kusemva kweentsuku ezine oko ndandithandaza endlwini yam, malunga neli lixa ngentsimbi yesithathu emva kwemini, kwathi gqi umfo onxibe ezibengezelayo, wema phambi kwam, ₃₁wathi kum: ‘Korneli, uThixo uyamkele imithandazo yakho, wayikhumbula nemisebenzi yakho yesisa. ₃₂Ngoko ke thuma umntu eJopa, aye kubiza umntu ogama linguSimon Petros. Ulundwendwe lukaSimon umsuki weemfele, ondlu ingaselwandle.’ ₃₃Ndithumele kwangoko kuwe, nawe ke ulungisile ukuza. Thina sonke sihlangene apha ngenjongo yokudibana noThixo, silindele ukuphulaphula yonke into iNkosi ekuyalele ukuba usixelele yona.”

₃₄UPetros wathetha wenjenje: “Ngenene ndiyaqonda ngoku ukuba uThixo akamkhethi wabuso bamntu. ₃₅Nabani na, nokuba ngowaluphi na uhlanga, ukuba uyamhlonela uThixo, esenza okulungileyo, wamkelekile kuye. ₃₆Niyalwazi udaba awaluthumela kumaSirayeli, evakalisa iindaba ezimnandi zoxolo ngoYesu Krestu, oyiNkosi yabantu bonke. ₃₇Niyasazi isiganeko esenzekayo kulo lonke elakwaJuda, ukuqalela eGalili, emva kokushumayela kukaYohane ngobhaptizo. ₃₈Nivile ngoYesu waseNazarete owathanjiswa nguThixo ngoMoya oyiNgcwele waba namandla. Wayehamba kulo lonke, esenza okulungileyo, ebaphilisa bonke ababephantsi kwamandla omtyholi, kuba uThixo wayenaye. ₃₉Thina singamangqina ako konke awakwenzayo eJerusalem nakwelamaJuda. Bambulala ngokumbethelela emnqamlezweni, ₄₀waza uThixo wamvusa ekufeni ngosuku lwesithathu. ₄₁Akazange wabonakala kubantu bonke, koko wabonakala kuthi mangqina awawakhetha kwangaphambili uThixo, thina sasisitya sisela kunye naye emveni kokuba uThixo emvusile ekufeni. ₄₂Wasigunyazisa ukuba sishumayele ebantwini, singqine ukuba ungulowo uThixo amnyulele ukuba ngumgwebi wabahleliyo nabafileyo. ₄₃Bâthetha ngaye bonke *abashumayeli besithi wonke umntu ozinikelayo kuye uxolelwa izono zakhe ngamandla egama lakhe.”

₄₄Esathethanje uPetros, wehla uMoya oyiNgcwele phezu kwabo bonke abo babephulaphule. ₄₅AmaJuda akholwayo, lawo ayesuke noPetros eJopa, amangaliswa kukuba uThixo ezinike isipho soMoya oyiNgcwele neentlanga, ₄₆kuba baziva zithetha ngalwimi zimbi, zidumisa uThixo. UPetros wathetha wathi: ₄₇“Aba bantu bamkele uMoya oyiNgcwele njengoko samamkelayo nathi. Ngenene ke akukho namnye umntu ongalayo ukuba aba bantu babhaptizwe ngamanzi.” ₄₈UPetros ke ngoko wathi mababhaptizwe egameni likaYesu Krestu. Ke yena bamcela ukuba akhe ahlale nabo iintsukwana.

₁*Abathunywa namakholwa akulo lonke elakwaJuda, eva ukuba iintlanga nazo zilamkele ilizwi likaThixo. ₂Akubuyela eJerusalem uPetros, amaJuda angamakholwa amgxeka esithi: ₃“Wena ubulundwendwe lwabantu abangolukiyo ngokwesiko likaMosis, usitya nokutya nabo.”

₄Ke yena uPetros wabanika inkcazelo ezeleyo, esusela ekuqaleni kwento eyehlayo. Wathi: ₅“Ndathi ndiseJopa, ndithandaza ndabona umbono. Ndabona kusihla into engathi lilaphu elikhulu, lithotywa ngamasondo omane ezulwini, yaza kuthi ngxingxilili ngakum. ₆Ndaqwalasela ngaphakathi kuyo, ndabona izilo nezilwanyana, iinyoka neentaka zasendle. ₇Ndeva ilizwi lisithi kum: ‘Vuka, xhela utye, Petros.’ ₈Kodwa mna ndithe: ‘Nkosi, unotshe! Andizanga ndikufake kowam umlomo ukutya okungatyiwayo.’ ₉Kwakho lathi ilizwi elo: ‘Musa ukuthi ayityiwa nayiphi na into uThixo athi iyatyiwa.’ ₁₀Le nto yenzeka kwada kwakathathu, kwathi ekugqibeleni labuyiselwa kwasezulwini elo laphu. ₁₁Ngaloo mzuzu kanye, nako kufika kuloo mzi ndandihlala kuwo, amadoda amathathu awayethunywe kum, evela eKhesariya. ₁₂UMoya oyiNgcwele wathi mandihambe nawo loo madoda, ndingathingazi. Naloo makholwa mathandathu aseJopa aya kunye nam eKhesariya, safikela kwaKorneli sisonke. ₁₃UKorneli wasixelela ngombono wakhe, apho isithunywa sezulu safika sathi kuye makathumele umntu eJopa, aye kubiza umfo ogama linguSimon Petros, ₁₄sisithi nguye oya kubazisa indlela abaya kusindiswa ngayo yena nosapho lwakhe. ₁₅Ndithe ke ndakushumayela wehla kwangoko uMoya oyiNgcwele phezu kwabo, njengoko wehlayo nakuthi kuqala. ₁₆Ndatsho ndacinga ngamazwi âthethwa yiNkosi xa yayisithi: ‘UYohane wayebabhaptiza ngamanzi abantu; ke nina niza kubhaptizwa ngoMoya oyiNgcwele.’ ₁₇Kucace gcaa ukuba uThixo ezaa ntlanga uzinike kanye esiya sipho wasinika sona thina siyamkeleyo iNkosi uYesu Krestu. Bendingubani na ke mna ukuba ndingáde ndime phambi kwentando kaThixo?”

₁₈Yabanelisa le ngxelo, baza bamdumisa uThixo, ngokuba kuthe kanti neentlanga ezi uThixo uyazinika ithuba lokuguquka, ukuze zidle ubomi.