UJesu ulahlwa yicala
1UPilatu wayesemthatha uJesu, wamshaya. 2Amabutho aluka umqhele wameva awufaka ekhanda lakhe, amembathisa ingubo ebubende; 3aya kuye, athi: “Bayede, nkosi yabaJuda!” Ammukula.
4UPilatu wabuye waphuma, wathi kubo: “Bhekani, ngimkhiphela kini, ukuze nazi ukuba angifumani cala kuye.” 5Wayesephuma uJesu ethwele umqhele wameva nengubo ebubende. Wathi kubo uPilatu: “Bhekani lo muntu!”
6Bathi bembona abapristi abakhulu nezikhonzi, bamemeza bathi: “Mbethele, mbethele esiphambanweni!”
UPilatu wathi kubo: “Mthatheni nina, nimbethele esiphambanweni, ngokuba angifumani cala kuye.”
7Kepha abaJuda bamphendula bathi: “Sinomthetho thina; ngalo mthetho ufanele ukufa, ngokuba ezenzile iNdodana kaNkulunkulu.”
8Kuthe uPilatu ezwa lelo zwi, kwayikhona esaba kakhulu, 9wabuye wangena enqabeni, wathi kuJesu: “Ungowaphi wena na?” Kepha uJesu kamphendulanga. 10Khona wathi uPilatu kuye: “Awukhulumi kimi na? Awazi ukuthi nginamandla okukukhulula, nginamandla futhi okukubethela esiphambanweni na?”
11UJesu waphendula wathi: “Ngabe awunamandla neze phezu kwami, ukuba awuwanikwanga ngaphezulu. Ngalokho-ke onginikele kuwe unesono esikhulu.”
12Ngalokho uPilatu wayefuna ukumkhulula. Kepha abaJuda bamemeza bathi: “Uma ukhulula lona, awusiye umhlobo kaKesari; osuka ezenza inkosi, umelene noKesari.”
13Kuthe uPilatu esezwa lawo mazwi wamkhiphela ngaphandle uJesu; wahlala esihlalweni sokwahlulela endaweni ethiwa eGandaywe ngamatshe kodwa ngesiHeberu iGabatha. 14Kwakungolokulungisela iPhasika kungathi ihora lesithupha. Wathi kubaJuda: “Bhekani inkosi yenu.”
15Ngakho bamemeza bathi: “Susa, susa, mbethele esiphambanweni!”
Wathi kubo uPilatu: “Ngibethele inkosi yenu na?”
Abapristi abakhulu baphendula bathi: “Asinankosi, uKesari kuphela.”
16Wayesemnikela kubo ukuba abethelwe esiphambanweni.
Ukubethelwa nokufa nokumbelwa kukaJesu
Bamthatha-ke uJesu, bahamba naye. 17Waphuma ezithwalele isiphambano, waya endaweni ethiwa iNdawo Yekhanda, ethiwa ngesiHeberu iGolgotha. 18Bambethela khona nabanye ababili kanye naye ngalapha nangalapha, uJesu ephakathi.
19Kepha uPilatu waloba isaziso, wasibeka esiphambanweni. Kwakulotshiwe ukuthi: UJESU WASENAZARETHA, INKOSI YABAJUDA. 20Khona abaningi babaJuda bafunda leso saziso; ngokuba indawo leyo, lapho uJesu wabethelwa khona esiphambanweni, yayiseduze nomuzi. Kwakulotshiwe ngesiHeberu, nangesiRoma, nangesiGreki. 21Base bethi abapristi abakhulu babaJuda kuPilatu: “Ungalobi ukuthi: ‘Inkosi yabaJuda,’ kepha ukuba yena wathi: ‘NgiyiNkosi yabaJuda.’ ”
22UPilatu waphendula wathi: “Engikulobile ngikulobile.”
23Kuthe amabutho esembethele uJesu esiphambanweni, athatha izingubo zakhe, azenza izabelo ezine, kwaba yilelo nalelo butho laba nesabelo, neyembe futhi. Kepha iyembe lalingenamthungo, lalukiwe lonke kusukela phezulu.
24Ngakho-ke akhuluma odwa, athi: “Asingalidabuli, kodwa asilenzele inkatho yokuthi liyakuba ngelikabani,” ukuze kugcwaliseke umbhalo othi:
“Babelana izingubo zami,
benzelana inkatho ngesambatho sami.”
Lokho-ke akwenza amabutho.
25Kepha kwakumi ngasesiphambanweni sikaJesu unina kanye nodadewabo kanina, uMariya umkaKleyophase, noMariya Magdalena. 26Kuthe uJesu ebona unina nomfundi amthandayo bemi ngakhona, wathi kunina: “Mame, bheka indodana yakho.” 27Wayesethi kumfundi: “Bheka unyoko.” Kusukela kuleso sikhathi umfundi lowo wamyisa kwakhe.
28Emva kwalokho uJesu, ekwazi ukuthi konke sekuphelelisiwe ukuba umbhalo ugcwaliseke, wathi: “Ngomile.” 29Kwakubekiwe khona isitsha sigcwele uviniga; khona bachoma ilula ligcwele uviniga othini lwehisopi,* baliyisa emlonyeni wakhe. 30Kwathi ukuba uJesu ewamukele uviniga, wathi: “Kufeziwe;” wagebisa ikhanda, wafa.
31Khona abaJuda, ngokuba kwakungolokulungisela, ukuze izidumbu zingahlali esiphambanweni ngesabatha, ngokuba lolo suku lwesabatha lwalulukhulu, banxusa uPilatu ukuba yaphulwe imilenze yabo, basuswe. 32Ayeseza-ke amabutho, ayaphula imilenze yowokuqala neyomunye owayebethelwe naye. 33Esefika kuJesu, ebona ukuthi usefile, kawayaphulanga imilenze yakhe; 34kodwa elinye lamabutho lamgwaza ohlangothini ngomkhonto, kwaphuma masinyane igazi namanzi. 35Obonileyo ufakazile, ubufakazi bakhe buqinisile; yena-ke uyazi ukuthi ukhuluma iqiniso, ukuze nikholwe nani. 36Ngokuba lokho kwenzeka ukuba kugcwaliseke umbhalo othi: “Akuyikwaphulwa thambo lakhe.” 37Futhi omunye umbhalo uthi: “Bayakumbheka abamgwazileyo.”
38Emva kwalokho uJosefa wase-Arimatheya, engumfundi kaJesu kepha ekufihla ngokwesaba abaJuda, wacela kuPilatu ukuba asuse isidumbu sikaJesu; uPilatu wavuma-ke. Wayesefika, wasisusa isidumbu sikaJesu. 39Kweza noNikodemu owafika kuye kuqala ebusuku, waletha ixube lenhlaka nomhlaba kungathi amalitra* ayikhulu. 40Ngakho base besithatha isidumbu sikaJesu, basisonga ngezindwangu zelineni kanye namakha njengesiko labaJuda lokumbela. 41Khona ngakuleyo ndawo, lapho wayebethelwe khona esiphambanweni, kwakukhona insimu, nasensimini kukhona ithuna elisha okwakungazange kubekwe muntu kulo. 42Bambeka lapho-ke uJesu ngenxa yolokulungisela lwabaJuda, ngokuba ithuna laliseduze.
