Ukuvuswa kukaLazaru
1Kwakukhona othile ogulayo, uLazaru waseBethaniya umuzi wakubo kaMariya nodadewabo uMarta. 2UMariya kwakunguye owagcoba iNkosi ngamafutha, wesula izinyawo zayo ngezinwele zakhe, omnewabo uLazaru wayegula. 3Ngakho-ke odadewabo bathumela kuye, bathi: “Nkosi, bheka, lo omthandayo uyagula.”
4UJesu esekuzwile lokho wathi: “Lokhu kugula akusikho okokufa, kodwa kungenxa yenkazimulo kaNkulunkulu ukuba iNdodana kaNkulunkulu ikhazimuliswe ngakho.” 5Kepha uJesu wayebathanda oMarta nodadewabo noLazaru. 6Ngakho-ke kwathi ezwa ukuthi uyagula, wahlala futhi izinsuku ezimbili endaweni abe kuyo.
7Emva kwalokho wathi kubafundi bakhe: “Asibuye, siye eJudiya.”
8Abafundi bathi kuye: “Rabi, abaJuda basand' ukufuna ukukukhanda ngamatshe; usaya futhi khona na?”
9UJesu waphendula wathi: “Awakho yini amahora ayishumi nambili emini na? Uma umuntu ehamba emini, akakhubeki, ngokuba ubona ukukhanya kwaleli zwe. 10Kodwa uma umuntu ehamba ebusuku, uyakhubeka, ngokuba kungekho ukukhanya kuye.”
11Wakhuluma lokho; emva kwalokho wathi kubo: “ULazaru umhlobo wethu ulele, kepha ngiyahamba ukuba ngimvuse ebuthongweni.”
12Abafundi bakhe base bethi kuye: “Nkosi, uma elele, uyakusinda.” 13Kepha uJesu wayekhuluma ngokufa kwakhe, kepha bona babethi ukhuluma ngokulala ubuthongo.
14Ngakho-ke uJesu wathi kubo ngokuchachileyo: “ULazaru ufile; 15ngiyathokoza ngenxa yenu ukuthi bengingekho, ukuze nikholwe; kepha asiye kuye.”
16Khona uTomase, othiwa uDidimu, wathi kubafundi abakanye naye: “Asihambe nathi, ukuze sife kanye naye.”
17Kwathi-ke esefika uJesu, wamfumana esenezinsuku ezine ethuneni. 18IBethaniya laliseduze neJerusalema, kungaba ngamastadiyu* ayishumi nanhlanu. 19Abaningi kubaJuda babefikile koMarta noMariya ukubakhuza ngomnewabo. 20Ngakho uMarta esezwe ukuthi uJesu uyeza, waya ukumhlangabeza, kepha uMariya wahlala endlini.
21Wayesethi uMarta kuJesu: “Nkosi, uma ubukhona, umnewethu nga engafanga; 22kepha ngiyazi nakalokhu ukuthi nokuba yini ongakucela kuNkulunkulu, uNkulunkulu uzakukunika khona.”
23UJesu wathi kuye: “Umnewenu uzakuvuka.”
24UMarta wathi kuye: “Ngiyazi ukuthi uyakuvuka ekuvukeni ngosuku lokugcina.”
25UJesu wathi kuye: “Mina ngingukuvuka nokuphila; okholwa yimi, noma efa, wophila. 26Nalowo ophila, akholwe yimi, kasoze afa naphakade. Uyakholwa yilokho na?”
27Wathi kuye: “Yebo, Nkosi, ngiyakholwa ukuthi wena unguKristu, iNdodana kaNkulunkulu, obezakuza ezweni.”
28Eseshilo lokho wamuka wabiza uMariya udadewabo ngasese, wathi: “UMfundisi ukhona, uyakubiza.” 29Yena-ke ekuzwa lokho wasuka masinyane, waya kuye. 30Kepha uJesu wayengakafiki emzini, kodwa wayesekuleyo ndawo uMarta amhlangabeza kuyo. 31AbaJuda ababesendlini naye bemkhuza, bebona uMariya esuka masinyane ephuma, bamlandela, bathi: “Uya ethuneni ukuba akhale khona.”
32UMariya esefike lapho ekhona uJesu, embona, wawa ngasezinyaweni zakhe, wathi: “Nkosi, uma ubukhona, umnewethu nga engafanga.”
33Ngakho uJesu embona ekhala, nabaJuda abafika naye bekhala, wabubula emoyeni, wakhathazeka; 34wathi: “Nimbekephi na?”
Bathi kuye: “Nkosi, woza ubone.”
35UJesu wakhala izinyembezi.
36Ngakho-ke abaJuda bathi: “Bheka, ukumthanda kwakhe okungaka.”
37Kepha abanye kubo bathi: “Lo owavula amehlo empumputhe wayengekwenze yini ukuba yena lo angafi na?”
38Ngakho uJesu, ebubula futhi phakathi kwakhe, wafika ethuneni. Lalingumhume, kwakukhona itshe phezu kwawo. 39Wathi uJesu: “Susani itshe.”
UMarta, udadewabo wofileyo, wathi kuye: “Nkosi, usenuka; ngokuba sezizine.”
40UJesu wathi kuye: “Angishongo yini kuwe ukuthi uma ukholwa, uzakubona inkazimulo kaNkulunkulu, na?”
41Balisusa-ke itshe. Kepha uJesu waphakamisa amehlo, wathi: “Baba, ngiyakubonga ngokuba ungizwile. 42Bengazi mina ukuthi ungizwa njalo, kodwa ngenxa yesixuku esingiphahlileyo ngishilo lokho, ukuze bakholwe ukuthi nguwena ongithumileyo.”
43Esekhulume lokho wamemeza ngezwi elikhulu, wathi: “Lazaru, phuma.” 44Waphuma ofileyo eboshwe izinyawo nezandla ngezindwangu, ubuso bakhe bumboziwe ngeduku. UJesu wathi kubo: “Mthukululeni, nimyeke ahambe.”
Umphakathi unquma ukumbulala uJesu
45Khona abaningi kubaJuda ababezile kuMariya bebona abekwenzile, bakholwa nguye. 46Kepha abanye babo baya kubaFarisi, babatshela abekwenzile uJesu. 47Ngalokho abapristi abakhulu nabaFarisi base bemema umphakathi, bathi: “Siyakwenze njani na? Lo muntu wenza izibonakaliso eziningi; 48uma simyeka njalo, bazakukholwa nguye bonke; amaRoma ayakufika, asamuke indawo nesizwe.”
49Kepha othile wabo, uKayafase, engumpristi omkhulu walowo mnyaka, wathi kubo: “Anazi lutho nina; 50aniqondi futhi ukuthi kunilungele ukuba umuntu oyedwa afele abantu, isizwe sonke singabhubhi.”
51Lokho kakushongo ngokwakhe, kodwa engumpristi omkhulu walowo mnyaka waprofetha ukuba uJesu wayezakufa ngenxa yesizwe; 52kungengenxa yesizwe kuphela, kepha ukuba abuthele ndawonye abantwana bakaNkulunkulu abahlakazekileyo, babe munye. 53Kusukela kulolo suku baceba ukuba bambulale.
54Ngakho uJesu kabuyange esahamba obala phakathi kwabaJuda, kepha wamuka lapho, waya ezweni eliseduze nehlane emzini othiwa i-Efrayimi; wahlala khona nabafundi bakhe.
55Lase liseduze iPhasika labaJuda; abaningi abavela emaphandleni bakhuphukela eJerusalema ngaphambi kwePhasika ukuba bazihlambulule. 56Ngakho bamfuna uJesu, bexoxa bemi ethempelini, bethi: “Nithini na? Akayikuza nempela emkhosini na?” 57Abapristi abakhulu nabaFarisi babekhiphe umyalo wokuthi uma kukhona owaziyo lapho ekhona, ababikele, ukuze bambambe.
