Imisebenzi 23 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UPawuli ephambi komphakathi

¹ UPawuli wasewujolozela umphakathi, wathi: Bazalwane, ngihambile phambi kukaNkulunkulu ngilesazela sonke esihle kuze kube lamuhla.

² UAnaniya umpristi omkhulu walaya labo ababemi khona ukuba bamtshaye umlomo.

³ Ngakho uPawuli wathi kuye: UNkulunkulu uzakukutshaya wena mduli oconjiweyo; uhlalele ukungithonisisa ngomlayo, kodwa ngokuphambene lomlayo ulaya ukuba ngitshaywe.

⁴ Ababemi lapho bathi kuye: Uyamthuka umpristi omkhulu kaNkulunkulu na?

⁵ UPawuli wasesithi: Bengingazi, bazalwane, ukuthi ungumpristi omkhulu; ngoba kulotshiwe ukuthi: Ungakhulumi kubi ngombusi wesizwe sakini.

⁶ Kwathi uPawuli esebonile ukuthi enye ingxenye yabo ingabaSadusi lenye ingabaFarisi, wamemeza emphakathini, wathi: Bazalwane, mina ngingumFarisi lendodana yomFarisi, ngimangalelwe ngethemba langokuvuka kwabafileyo.

⁷ Esetshilo lokho, kwavela ukuphambana phakathi kwabaFarisi labaSadusi, umhlangano wadabuka phakathi.

⁸ Ngoba abaSadusi bathi kakukho ukuvuka kwabafileyo, lezithunywa, lomoya, kodwa abaFarisi bayakuvuma konke.

⁹ Kwasekuvela umsindo omkhulu, kwathi abathile kubabhali behlelo labaFarisi basukuma, baphika kakhulu, besithi: Kasifumani lutho olubi kulumuntu; mhlawumbe umoya kumbe isithunywa kukhulume laye.

¹⁰ Kwathi sekuvele ukuphikisana okukhulu, induna enkulu yesaba ukuba uPawuli uzakudatshulwa yibo, yalaya amabutho ukuba ehle amhluthule phakathi kwabo, abuyele laye endlini yamabutho.

¹¹ Ngobusuku obulandelayo iNkosi yema kuye, yathi: Mana isibindi; njengokuba ufakaza ngami eJerusalema, kunjaloke umelwe ukufakaza ngami laseRoma.

Icebo labaJuda lokumbulala uPawuli

¹² Kwathi sekusile, abaJuda benza icebo, bazibopha ngesifungo ukuba kabayikudla lokunatha, bengambulalanga uPawuli.

¹³ Babengaphezu kwamatshumi amane abenza lelicebo.

¹⁴ Baya kubapristi abakhulu labadala, bathi: Sizibophe ngesifungo sokuthi kasiyikuzwa ukudla singakambulali uPawuli.

¹⁵ Ngakhoke lina kanye lomphakathi yazisani induna enkulu ukuba imthumele kini ngokungathi lizakuzwisisa indaba yakhe; thinake sesilungele ukumbulala engakasondeli.

¹⁶ Kodwa indodana kadadewabo kaPawuli yezwa ngokumcathamela kwabo, yangena endlini yamabutho, yamtshela uPawuli.

¹⁷ UPawuli wasebiza enye yezinduna zekhulu, wathi: Sana linsizwa enduneni enkulu, ngoba ilento ezakuyitshela yona.

¹⁸ Yasiyithathake, yayisa enduneni enkulu, yathi: UPawuli isibotshwa ungibizile, wacela ukuba ngilethe linsizwa kuwe, ilento ezakukutshela yona.

¹⁹ Induna enkulu yasiyithatha ngesandla, yabuyela eceleni layo, yabuza bebodwa, yathi: Kuyini ozakungitshela khona?

²⁰ Yathi: AbaJuda bavumelene ukucela kuwe ukuba wehlisele uPawuli emphakathini kusasa kungathi bazakuhlolisisa indaba yakhe.

²¹ Kodwa wena ungabavumeli, ngoba abanye babo, amadoda adlula amatshumi amane, bamcathamele bazibophile ngesifungo ukuba bangadli banganathi, baze bambulale. Ngakho sebezilungisele balindele isithembiso sakho.

²² Ngakho induna enkulu yasiyiyekela insizwa ihamba, yayilaya isithi: Ungatsheli muntu ukuba ungibikele lokhu.

UPawuli usiwa eKesariya

²³ Yasibiza induna zekhulu ezimbili, yathi: Ngeawa yesithathu yobusuku lungisani abebutho abangamakhulu amabili, labakhweli bamabhiza abangamatshumi ayisikhombisa, labemikhonto abangamakhulu amabili, ukuba bahambe baze bayefika eKesariya:

²⁴ njalo lilungisele uPawuli amabhiza ukuze akhwele, limfikise kuhle kumbusi uFelike.

²⁵ Waseloba incwadi esithi:

²⁶ Mina Klawudiya Lisiya kuye umhlekazi uFelike ngiyabingelela.

²⁷ Lindoda ibibanjwe ngabaJuda; ibisizakubulawa yibo, ngasengifika lamabutho, ngayophula lapho sengizwile ukuthi ungumRoma.

²⁸ Ngathi ngifuna ukuba ngazi icala abayimangelela ngalo, ngayiletha emphakathini wabo;

²⁹ ngafumana ukuba imangalelwe ngezindaba zomlayo wabo, kodwa ingamangalelwanga ngalutho olufanele ukufa loba ukubotshwa.

³⁰ Kwathi sekuvelile kimi ukuba kukhona icebo ngaleyondoda, ngasengiyithumela kuwe masinyane, ngibalayile abayimangalelayo ukuba bakhulume ngayo phambi kwakho.

³¹ Kwang’khona abebutho basebemthatha uPawuli njengokulaywa kwabo, bamusa eAntipatri ebusuku.

³² Kusasa babuyela endlini yamabutho batshiya abakhweli bamabhiza ukuba bahambe laye.

³³ Bona sebefikile eKesariya bamnika umbusi incwadi, bammisa uPawuli phambi kwakhe.

³⁴ Eseyibalile incwadi wabuza ukuba ungowawuphi umkhono; esezwile ukuba ungowaseKilikhiya,

³⁵ wathi: Ngizakuyizwa kuhle indaba yakho, sebefikile abakumangalelayo; walaya ukuba alondolozwe endlini kaHerodi.