Imisebenzi 24 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UPawuli eyisibotshwa umangalelwa kuFelike eKesariya

¹ Emva kwensuku ezinhlanu uAnaniya wafika labadala abathile lomkhulumeli othiwa nguTertulo; bammangalela uPawuli kumbusi.

² Kwathi esebiziwe uTertulo waqala ukumbeka icala esithi: Mhlekazi, Felike, lokhu kokuthi ngenxa yakho sizuzile isikhathi eside sokuthokoza lokuthula, langokubonelela kwakho lesisizwe senzelwe okunengi okuhle

³ ngazo zonke indlela lakuzo zonke indawo, siyakwamukela lokhu ngakho konke ukubonga.

⁴ Kodwa ukuba ngingakubambeleli, ngiyakuncenga ukuba ngomusa wakho usizwe ngokufitshane.

⁵ Ngoba lindoda siyifumene iyinkathazo ivusa abaJuda bonke emhlabeni wonke, ingumholi wehlelo lamaNazaretha,

⁶ ike yazama lokungcolisa ithempeli; kodwa sayibamba, [sasithanda ukuyithonisisa ngomlayo wethu.

⁷ Kodwa kwafika uLisiya, induna enkulu, wamthatha ngodlakela ezandleni zethu,

⁸ elaya abammangalelayo ukuba beze kuwe]. Ngokumbuzisisa wena uqobo lwakho, uzakukuzwa kuye konke lokhu esimmangalela ngakho.

⁹ LabaJuda labo baqinisa ukuthi lokhu kunjalo.

¹⁰ Umbusi esemqhwebile ukuba akhulume, uPawuli waphendula wathi: Ngoba ngiyazi ukuthi sekuyiminyaka eminengi ungumgwebi phezu kwalesisizwe, ngiyaziphendulela ngesibindi.

¹¹ Njengokuba ungakubona ukuthi kakudluli insuku ezilitshumi lambili ngikhuphukele eJerusalema ukukhuleka;

¹² kabangifumananga ngiphikisana lomuntu, loba ngivusa isiphithiphithi exukwini, lethempelini, loba emasinagogeni, loba emzini;

¹³ futhi bangeke baqinise kuwe lokhu abangimangalela ngakho.

¹⁴ Kodwa ngiyavuma kuwe lokhu ukuthi ngeNdlela abayibiza ngokuthi lihlelo ngiyamkhonza uNkulunkulu wabokhokho, ngikholwa konke okulotshiweyo emlayweni lakubaprofethi;

¹⁵ ngilethemba kuNkulunkulu abalivumayo labo uqobo lwabo elokuthi kuzakuba khona ukuvuka kwabafileyo, okwabalungileyo labangalunganga.

¹⁶ Ngakho lami ngiyazama ukuba ngibe lesazela esingelacala phambi kukaNkulunkulu labantu.

¹⁷ Kwathi ngemva kweminyaka ethile ngafika ukuletha iziphiwo leminikelo esizweni sakithi.

¹⁸ Ngithe ngisenza lokho, bangifumana ethempelini ngihlanjululiwe, kungekho ixuku ingabe isiphithiphithi, kodwa kwakukhona abaJuda abathile abavela eAsiya,

¹⁹ abafanele ukuba khona lapha phambi kwakho, bangibeke icala uba bebelolutho ngami;

²⁰ lokuba laba kabatsho ukuba bafumanani okungalunganga mhla ngangimi phambi komphakathi,

²¹ ngaphandle kwalolulutho olulodwa engalutsho ngimi phambi kwabo ukuthi: Ngokuvuka kwabafileyo mina ngiyathonisiswa yini lamuhla.

²² Kodwa uFelike elokwazi okupheleleyo ngaleyoNdlela wabahlehlisa esithi: Nxa uLisiya induna enkulu isifikile, ngizakuyiquma indaba yenu.

²³ Walaya induna yekhulu ukuba agcinwe, kodwa abe lenkululeko, kungalelwa muntu wabangane bakhe ukumsiza.

UPawuli utshumayela kuFelike ngoKristu

²⁴ Emva kwensuku ezithile uFelike weza loDrusila umkakhe owayengumJudakazi, wabiza uPawuli, wamuzwa ekhuluma ngokukholwa okukuKristu Jesu.

²⁵ Esakhuluma ngokulunga, langokuzibamba, langokulahlwa okuzayo, uFelike watshaywa luvalo, wathi: Ake uhambe okwakhathesi; nxa ngizuza ithuba ngizakukubiza.

²⁶ Wayethemba futhi ukuthi uzakunikwa imali nguPawuli; ngakhoke wayehlezi embiza, ekhuluma laye.

²⁷ Kodwa sekudlule iminyaka emibili, uFelike walandelwa nguPorkiyu Festusi, uFelike efisa ukuthokozisa abaJuda wamtshiya uPawuli ebotshiwe.