Imisebenzi 26 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UPawuli uziphendulela phambi kukaFestusi loAgripha

¹ UAgripha wasesithi kuPawuli: Uvunyelwe ukuziphendulela. UPawuli waseselula isandla sakhe, waziphendulela esithi:

² Ngizibona ngilenhlanhla yokuthi kuphambi kwakho, nkosi Agripha, lapho engizakuziphendulela khona lamuhla kukho konke engimangalelwa ngakho ngabaJuda,

³ ikakhulu ngoba uyawazi wonke amasiko lokuphikisana kwabaJuda; ngakho ngiyakuncenga ukuba ungilalele ngesineke.

⁴ Ukuhamba kwami konke kusukela ebutsheni bami, kuqala esizweni sakithi laseJerusalema kuyaziwa yibo bonke abaJuda;

⁵ bayangazi kusukela ekuqaleni, uba bethanda ukufakaza ukuthi ngangihamba ngokwehlelo eliqinileyo lenkolo yakithi ngingumFarisi.

⁶ Kodwa lamuhla ngimi lapha ngithonisiswa ngenxa yethemba lesithembiso esenziwa nguNkulunkulu kubokhokho,

⁷ ezithemba ukufinyelela kuso izizwe zakithi ezilitshumi lambili, zikhonza uNkulunkulu ngesineke ebusuku lemini; ngenxa yalelothemba, nkosi, ngimangalelwe ngabaJuda.

⁸ Kungani ukuba kube yinto engakholekiyo kini ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyabavusa abafileyo na?

⁹ Lami ngokwami ngangisithi ngifanele ukwenza izinto ezinengi eziphambene lebizo likaJesu waseNazaretha;

¹⁰ lokhu ngakwenza eJerusalema; ngafaka abanengi kwabangcwele entolongweni, ngiwatholile amandla kubapristi abakhulu, lalapho bebulawa ngavumelana lokubulawa kwabo.

¹¹ Ngabatshaya emasinagogeni wonke, ngazama ukubenza bahlambaze uKristu; ngahlanya kakhulu ngabo, ngabazingela kwaze kwafika emizini yabezizwe.

¹² Kwathi lapho ngisiya eDamaseko ngamandla langokuthunywa ngabapristi abakhulu,

¹³ emini enkulu, nkosi, ngisendleleni, ngabona ukukhanya kuvela ezulwini, kudlula ukukhanya kwelanga, kwangizingelezela inxa zonke lalabo ababehamba lami.

¹⁴ Kwathi sesiwele phansi, ngezwa ilizwi lisithi ngolimi lwesiHeberu: Sawuli, Sawuli, ungizingelelani na? Kubuhlungu ukukhahlela encijweni.

¹⁵ Mina ngathi: Ungubani, Nkosi, na? INkosi yathi: NginguJesu omzingelayo.

¹⁶ Kodwa sukuma, ume ngenyawo zakho; ngoba ngibonakelele lokho kuwe ukuba ngikumise ukuba ube yisikhonzi lofakazi walezozinto ozibonileyo losezakuzibona ngami,

¹⁷ ngikophule esizweni lesi lakwabezizwe engikuthumela kubo

¹⁸ ukuvula amehlo abo ukuze basuke emnyameni, baphendukele ekukhanyeni, basuke emandleni kaSathane, baphendukele kuNkulunkulu, ukuze bamukeliswe ukuthethelelwa kwezono lendawo phakathi kwalabo abahlukanisiweyo ngokukholwa kimi.

¹⁹ Ngakhoke, nkosi Agripha, kangalanga ukulalela umbono wasezulwini,

²⁰ kodwa ngatshumayela kuqala kwabaseDamaseko labaseJerusalema, lakulo lonke ilizwe laseJudiya lakwabezizwe ukuze baphenduke, babuyele kuNkulunkulu, benze imisebenzi efanele ukuphenduka.

²¹ Ngenxa yalokho abaJuda bangibamba ethempelini, bafuna ukungibulala.

²² Kuze kube lamuhla ngizuzile usizo oluvela kuNkulunkulu, ngakho ngimi lapha ngifakaza kwabancinyane labakhulu, ngingakhulumi lutho ngaphandle kwalokho abakukhulumayo abaprofethi loMose ukuthi kuzakwenzeka,

²³ ukuthi uKristu umele ukuhlupheka lokuthi, ngokuba engowokuqala ekuvukeni kwabafileyo, atshumayele ukukhanya kulesisizwe lakwabezizwe.

²⁴ Kwathi esaziphendulela ngokunjalo, uFestusi wathi ngelizwi elikhulu: Pawuli, uyahlanya, ukufunda okunengi kuyakuhlanyisa.

²⁵ Kodwa uPawuli wathi: Kangihlanyi, mhlekazi Festusi, kodwa ngikhuluma amazwi aliqiniso eliqondileyo.

²⁶ Inkosi iyazi ngalezizinto, ngakho ngikhuluma layo ngesibindi; ngoba ngikholwa ukuthi kalukho lalunye lwalezizinto olufihlakeleyo kuyo; ngoba lokhu kakwenziwanga engosini.

²⁷ Nkosi Agripha, uyakholwa abaprofethi na? Ngiyazi ukuthi uyakholwa.

²⁸ UAgripha wathi kuPawuli: Uthi ngokufitshane nje usuzangenza ngibe ngumKristu.

²⁹ UPawuli wasesithi: Bengingafisa kuNkulunkulu ukuba, loba ngokufitshane loba ngokude, kungabi nguwe wedwa kodwa bonke abangizwayo lamuhla babe njengami, ngaphandle kwalezizibopho.

³⁰ Yasisukuma inkosi lombusi loBernike kanye lalabo ababehlezi labo;

³¹ kwathi sebephumile, bakhulumisana besithi: Lumuntu kenzi lutho olufanele ukufa kumbe ukubotshwa.

³² UAgripha wathi kuFestusi: Lumuntu ubengakhululwa uba ebengalidluliselanga kuKesari.