UbuNkulunkulu nobuntu nomsebenzi kaJesu Kristu
1Ekuqaleni wayekhona uLizwi, uLizwi wayekuNkulunkulu, uLizwi wayenguNkulunkulu. 2Yena lowo wayekhona ekuqaleni kuNkulunkulu.
3Konke kwavela ngaye; ngaphandle kwakhe akuvelanga lutho kukho konke okuvelileyo. 4Ukuphila kwakukuye, ukuphila kwakungukukhanya kwabantu; 5ukukhanya kukhanya ebumnyameni, kepha ubumnyama abukwamukelanga.
6Kwavela umuntu ethunyiwe nguNkulunkulu, igama lakhe linguJohane. 7Lowo wezela ubufakazi ukuba afakaze ngokukhanya, ukuze bonke bakholwe ngaye. 8Yena wayengesikho ukukhanya, kepha wayengozofakaza ngokukhanya. 9Kwakungukukhanya okuqinisileyo okukhanyisa wonke umuntu, okwase kuza ezweni.
10Wayekhona ezweni, izwe lavela ngaye; kepha izwe alimazanga. 11Weza kokwakhe, abakhe abamamukelanga. 12Kepha bonke abamamukelayo wabapha amandla okuba babe ngabantwana bakaNkulunkulu, labo abakholwa egameni lakhe, 13abangazalwanga ngagazi, nantando yenyama, nantando yendoda, kodwa bazalwa nguNkulunkulu.
14ULizwi waba yinyama, wakha phakathi kwethu, sabona inkazimulo yakhe, inkazimulo njengeyozelwe yedwa kuYise, egcwele umusa neqiniso.
15UJohane wafakaza ngaye, wamemeza wathi: “Nguyena lo ebengisho ngaye ukuthi: ‘Lowo ozayo emva kwami uvelile ngaphambi kwami, ngokuba wayekhona kuqala kunami.’ ” 16Ngokuba ekugcwaleni kwakhe samukele sonke umusa phezu komusa. 17Ngokuba umthetho wanikezwa ngoMose, umusa neqiniso kwavela ngoJesu Kristu. 18Akakho oke wabona uNkulunkulu; iNdodana ezelwe yodwa esesifubeni sikaYise yiyona embonakalisile.
Ubufakazi bukaJohane
19Lokhu kungubufakazi bukaJohane mhla abaJuda bethuma abapristi namaLevi bephuma eJerusalema ukuba bambuze ukuthi: “Wena ungubani na?” 20Wavuma, kaphikanga, wavuma wathi: “Angisiye uKristu mina.”
21Bambuza bathi: “Uyini pho? Ungu-Eliya na?”
Wathi: “Angisiye.”
“UngumProfethi na?”
Waphendula wathi: “Qha.”
22Base bethi kuye: “Ungubani na? ukuze sibaphendule abasithumileyo; uzisho ukuthi ungubani na?”
23Wathi: “Ngiyizwi lomemeza ehlane, ethi: ‘Lungisani indlela yeNkosi,’ ” njengalokho washo u-Isaya umprofethi.
24Labo ababethunyiwe babevela kubaFarisi. 25Bambuza-ke, bathi kuye: “Pho, ubhapathizelani, uma ungesiye uKristu, no-Eliya, nomProfethi, na?”
26UJohane wabaphendula wathi: “Mina ngibhapathiza ngamanzi; umi phakathi kwenu eningamaziyo: 27yena ozayo emva kwami, omchilo wesicathulo sakhe ngingafanele ukuwuthukulula.”
28Lokho kwenzeka eBethabara ngaphesheya kweJordani, lapho uJohane wayebhapathiza khona.
29Ngangomuso wabona uJesu eza kuye, wathi: “Bheka, iWundlu likaNkulunkulu elisusa izono zezwe. 30Nguye ebengisho ngaye, ngithi: ‘Emva kwami kuza umuntu owavela ngaphambi kwami, ngokuba wayekhona kuqala kunami.’ 31Nami bengingamazi; kodwa ukuze abonakaliswe ku-Israyeli, ngalokho ngizile ngibhapathiza ngamanzi.”
32UJohane wafakaza wathi: “Ngibonile uMoya ehla ezulwini njengejuba, wahlala phezu kwakhe. 33Nami bengingamazi, kodwa owangithuma ukubhapathiza ngamanzi wathi kimi: ‘Lowo oyakubona uMoya ehla ahlale phezu kwakhe, nguyena obhapathiza ngoMoya oNgcwele.’ 34Mina ngibonile, ngafakaza ukuthi: Lo uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu.”
Abafundi bokuqala
35Ngangomuso futhi wayemi uJohane nababili kubafundi bakhe. 36Ebona uJesu ehamba, wathi: “Bheka, nanto iWundlu likaNkulunkulu.”
37Abafundi ababili bezwa ekhuluma, bamlandela uJesu. 38Khona uJesu waphenduka, wababona belandela, wathi kubo: “Nifunani na?”
Bathi kuye: “Rabi,” okungukuthi ngokuhunyushwa: Mfundisi, “uhlalaphi na?”
39Wathi kubo: “Wozani nibone.” Ngakho-ke beza babona lapho ehlala khona; bahlala naye ngalolo suku; kwakungaba yihora leshumi.
40Omunye walabo ababili abamuzwa uJohane balandela uJesu wayengu-Andreya umfowabo kaSimoni Petru; 41yena wafumana kuqala umfowabo uSimoni, wathi kuye: “Simfumene uMesiya,” okungukuthi ngokuhunyushwa uKristu.
42Wamyisa kuJesu; uJesu wambheka wathi: “Wena unguSimoni kaJona; uzakubizwa ngokuthi uKhefase,” okuhunyushwa ngokuthi uPetru.
43Ngangomuso wayefuna ukuya eGalile, wafumana uFiliphu; uJesu wathi kuye: “Ngilandele.”
44UFiliphu wayengowaseBetsayida, umuzi ka-Andreya noPetru. 45UFiliphu wafumana uNathanayeli, wathi kuye: “Simfumene lowo aloba ngaye emthethweni uMose kanye nabaprofethi, uJesu waseNazaretha, indodana kaJosefa.”
46UNathanayeli wathi kuye: “Kungase kuvele okuhle eNazaretha na?”
UFiliphu wathi kuye: “Woza ubone.”
47UJesu wabona uNathanayeli eza kuye, wathi ngaye: “Bheka, umIsrayeli uqobo okungekho nkohliso kuye.”
48UNathanayeli wathi kuye: “Ungazelaphi na?”
UJesu waphendula, wathi kuye: “Ungakabizwa nguFiliphu, uphansi komkhiwane, ngakubona.”
49UNathanayeli wamphendula wathi: “Rabi, uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, uyiNkosi ka-Israyeli.”
50UJesu waphendula, wathi kuye: “Ukholwa ngokuba ngithe kuwe ngakubona uphansi komkhiwane na? Uzakubona okukhulu kunalokho.” 51Wathi kuye: “Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile ngithi kini: Nizakubona izulu livuliwe nezingelosi zikaNkulunkulu zenyuka, zehla phezu kweNdodana yomuntu.”
