Uhambo lokuqala lukaPawulu: ukubusiswa nokuthunywa kwakhe
1Kwakukhona e-Antiyokiya ebandleni lakhona abaprofethi nabafundisi: oBarnaba, noSimeyoni othiwa uNigeri, noLukiyu waseKhurene, noManayeni owayondliwe kanye noHerode umtetrarki,* noSawulu. 2Kwathi bekhonza iNkosi, bezila, uMoya oNgcwele wathi: “Ngahlukaniseleni oBarnaba noSawulu ukuba baye emsebenzini engibabizele wona.” 3Khona bazila ukudla bakhuleka, babeka izandla phezu kwabo, babamukisa.
Ukushumayela kukaPawulu eKhupro
4Bona-ke bethunyiwe nguMoya oNgcwele behlela eSelukiya; basuka lapho, baya eKhupro ngomkhumbi. 5Ekufikeni kwabo eSalami bashumayela izwi likaNkulunkulu emasinagogeni* abaJuda; babe noJohane eyisikhonzi sabo.
6Sebedabule isiqhingi sonke, baze bafika ePhafu, bafumana indoda ethile eyisanusi nomprofethi wamanga, umJuda, ogama lakhe linguBarjesu, 7owayekhona kumbusi wezwe uSergiyu Pawulu, umuntu onengqondo enhle. Yena wabiza oBarnaba noSawulu, wafuna ukuzwa izwi likaNkulunkulu. 8Kodwa u-Eluma, isanusi, ngokuba linjalo igama lakhe ngokuhunyushwa, wamelana nabo, wafuna ukuphambukisa umbusi ekukholweni. 9Kepha uSawulu osethiwa uPawulu, egcwele uMoya oNgcwele wamgqolozela, 10wathi: “O wena ogcwele inkohliso yonke nobubi bonke, ndodana kaSathane, sitha sokulunga konke, awuyikuyeka ukuziphambukisa izindlela eziqondileyo zeNkosi na? 11Bheka, isandla seNkosi siphezu kwakho manje. Uzakuba yimpumputhe, kube yisikhathi ungaliboni ilanga.” Kwase kumfikela khona lapho ukufiphala nobumnyama, wahamba efuna abazakumhola ngesandla. 12Khona umbusi esebona okwenzekileyo wakholwa, emangaliswa ngesifundiso seNkosi.
UPawulu ushumayela e-Antiyokiya lasePhisidiya
13UPawulu nababe naye bamuka ePhafu ngomkhumbi, bafika ePherge lasePhamfiliya; kepha uJohane wahlukana nabo, wabuyela eJerusalema. 14Bona ekumukeni kwabo ePherge baya e-Antiyokiya lasePhisidiya, bangena esinagogeni* ngosuku lwesabatha, bahlala phansi. 15Sekufundiwe umthetho nabaprofethi, abaphathi besinagoge* bathumela kubo, bathi: “Madoda, bazalwane, uma ninezwi lokuyala abantu, khulumani.”
16Wayesesukuma uPawulu, waqhweba ngesandla, wathi: “Madoda akwa-Israyeli, nani enesaba uNkulunkulu, lalelani: 17UNkulunkulu walesi sizwe sakwa-Israyeli wabakhetha obaba, wabaphakamisa abantu bengabafokazi ezweni laseGibithe; wabakhipha kulo ngengalo ephakemeyo. 18Wababekezelela ehlane kungathi iminyaka engamashumi amane. 19Wachitha izizwe eziyisikhombisa ezweni laseKhanani, wababela izwe lazo libe yifa; 20kwadlula kungathi iminyaka engamakhulu amane namashumi ayisihlanu. Emva kwalokho wabanika abahluleli kwaze kwaba nguSamuweli umprofethi. 21Kusukela lapho bacela inkosi; uNkulunkulu wabanika uSawule indodana kaKisi, umuntu wesizwe sakwaBenjamini, iminyaka engamashumi amane. 22Esemkhiphile wabavusela uDavide abe yinkosi, afakaza ngaye ukuthi: ‘Ngimfumene uDavide kaJesayi, umuntu ongowenhliziyo yami, oyakwenza konke engikuthandayo.’ 23Enzalweni yakhe uNkulunkulu walethela u-Israyeli uMsindisi uJesu njengokwethembisa kwakhe; 24engakafiki yena uJohane wayeseshumayele kuso sonke isizwe sakwa-Israyeli umbhapathizo wokuphenduka. 25Esegcina ukuhamba kwakhe uJohane wathi: ‘Lokhu enithi ngiyikho angisikho mina. Kodwa bhekani, uyeza emva kwami engingafanele ukukhumula isicathulo sezinyawo zakhe.’
26“Madoda, bazalwane, madodana ohlanga luka-Abrahama, nabaphakathi kwenu abamesabayo uNkulunkulu, izwi lale nsindiso lithunyelwe kithi. 27Ngokuba abakhileyo eJerusalema nababusi babo abamazanga yena, namazwi abaprofethi afundwa amasabatha ngamasabatha bawagcwalisa ngokumlahla; 28nakuba bengafumananga icala lokufa kuye, nokho bacela kuPilatu ukuba abulawe. 29Kwathi sebefeze konke okwakulotshiwe ngaye, bamehlisa emthini, bambeka ethuneni. 30Kepha uNkulunkulu wamvusa kwabafileyo. 31Wabonwa izinsuku eziningi yibo ababekhuphukele naye eJerusalema bevela eGalile, asebengofakazi bakhe kubantu manje.
32“Nathi sinishumayeza ivangeli lesithembiso esenziwa kobaba 33ukuthi uNkulunkulu usigcwalisile sona kubantwana bethu ngokumvusa uJesu, njengokuba kulotshiwe futhi kulo ihubo lesibili ukuthi:
“ ‘Wena uyiNdodana yami,
namuhla ngikuzele.’
34“Maqondana nokumvusa kwakhe kwabafileyo ukuba engasayikubuyela ekuboleni wakhuluma kanje, wathi:
“ ‘Ngizakuninika okungcwele
nokuthembekileyo kukaDavide.’
35“Ngakho nakwenye indawo uthi:
“ ‘Awuyikunika oNgcwele wakho abone ukubola.’
36“Ngokuba uDavide esekhonzile icebo likaNkulunkulu esizukulwaneni sakhe, walala ubuthongo, wabekwa koyise, wabona ukubola. 37Kepha yena amvusayo uNkulunkulu akakubonanga ukubola. 38Ngakho-ke makwazeke kini madoda, bazalwane, ukuthi ngalowo kumenyezelwa kini ukuthethelelwa kwezono, nakukho konke ebeningenakulungisiswa kukho ngomthetho kaMose 39yilowo nalowo okholwayo uyakulungisiswa ngaye. 40Ngakho qaphelani, funa nehlelwe ngokwakhulunywa ngabaprofethi ukuthi:
41“ ‘Bhekani nina zideleli,
nimangale, ninyamalale,
ngokuba mina ngisebenza umsebenzi emihleni yenu,
umsebenzi eningayikukholwa yiwo,
nakuba umuntu enilandisa ngawo.’ ”
Izwi lamukelwa ngabezizwe, liphikwa ngabaJuda
42Kwathi ekuphumeni kwabo, babacela ukuba lawo mazwi akhulunywe kubo nangesabatha elizayo. 43Khona sebehlakazekile abesinagoge,* abaningi babaJuda namaproselite* aqotho balandela oPawulu noBarnaba abakhuluma nabo, bebancenga ukuba bahlale emseni kaNkulunkulu.
44Ngesabatha elilandelayo kwabuthana kucishe umuzi wonke ukuzwa izwi likaNkulunkulu. 45Kepha abaJuda bebona izixuku bagcwala umhawu, bakuphika okwakukhulunywa nguPawulu behlambalaza.
46Khona oPawulu noBarnaba bakhuluma ngesibindi, bathi: “Bekudingeka ukuba izwi likaNkulunkulu likhulunywe kini kuqala; kepha lokhu nilinqaba, nizisho nina nithi anifanele ukuphila okuphakade, bhekani, sesiphendukela kwabezizwe. 47Ngokuba iNkosi isiyalezile kanjalo ukuthi:
“ ‘Ngikubekile ube ngukukhanya kwabezizwe,
ube yinsindiso kuze kube semkhawulweni womhlaba.’ ”
48Kwathi abezizwe bekuzwa lokho, bathokoza, balidumisa izwi leNkosi; bakholwa bonke ababemiselwe ukuphila okuphakade.
49Izwi leNkosi lahanjiswa kulo izwe lonke. 50Kepha abaJuda bavusa abesifazane abaqotho abanesithunzi nezikhulu zomuzi, bavusela oPawulu noBarnaba ukuzingelwa, babaxosha emikhawulweni yabo. 51Bona-ke babavuthululela uthuli lwezinyawo zabo, beza e-Ikoniyu. 52Abafundi bagcwala intokozo noMoya oNgcwele.
