ULukha 1 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

Isingeniso

¹ Njengoba abanengi sebezamile ukuloba belandisa ngalezizinto ezigcwaliseke phakathi kwethu,

² njengalokho basinika zona labo ababekhona ekuqaleni, bezibonela ngamehlo, beyizikhonzi zelizwi,

³ kube kuhle lakimi, sengizihlolisisile zonke izinto kusukela ekuqaleni, ukuba ngikulobele ngokulandelana, mhlekazi Teyofilu,

⁴ ukuze wazi iqiniso ngalezozinto ozifundisiweyo.

Ukuzalwa kukaJohane kuyabikezelwa

⁵ Ensukwini zikaHerodi inkosi yaseJudiya kwakukhona umpristi othiwa nguZekariya, owesigaba sikaAbija; wayelomkakhe owamadodakazi kaAroni, ibizo lakhe linguElizabethi.

⁶ Babelungile bobabili emehlweni kaNkulunkulu behamba ngayo yonke imilayo lezimiso zeNkosi, bengasoleki.

⁷ Kodwa babengelabantwana, ngoba uElizabethi wayeyinyumba; bobabili basebekhulile.

⁸ Kwathi lesenza inkonzo yobupristi phambi kukaNkulunkulu njengokumiswa kwesikhathi sesigaba sakibo,

⁹ ngomkhuba wobupristi kwaba nguye owakhethelwa ukungena ethempelini leNkosi ukuba ayetshisa impepha.

¹⁰ Lonke ixuku labantu lalikhuleka ngaphandle ngesikhathi sempepha.

¹¹ Kwabonakala kuye isithunywa seNkosi simi ngakwesokunene sealtare lempepha.

¹² UZekariya esibona wethuka, watshaywa luvalo.

¹³ Kodwa isithunywa sathi kuye: Ungesabi, Zekariya, ngoba umkhuleko wakho uzwakele; umkakho uElizabethi uzakukuzalela indodana, uyithe ibizo uthi nguJohane.

¹⁴ Uzakuba lokuthaba lokuthokoza wena; labanengi bazakujabulela ukuzalwa kwakhe.

¹⁵ Ngoba uzakuba mkhulu emehlweni eNkosi; kasoze anathe iwayini lokunye okudakisayo; uzakugcwaliswa ngoMoya oNgcwele esesesiswini sikanina.

¹⁶ Abanengi kwabakoIsrayeli uzakubaphendulela eNkosini uNkulunkulu wabo.

¹⁷ Uzakuhamba phambi kwayo emoyeni lasemandleni kaElija ukuphendulela inhliziyo zaboyise kubantwana, lokuphendulela abangalaleliyo ekuhlakanipheni kwabalungileyo, lokulungisela iNkosi isizwe esilungisiweyo.

¹⁸ UZekariya wathi kuso isithunywa: Ngizakukwazi ngani lokhu na? Ngoba sengilixhegu, lomkami usekhulile.

¹⁹ Isithunywa samphendula sathi: NginguGabriyeli mina, omayo phambi kukaNkulunkulu; ngithunyiwe ukukhuluma lawe lokukubikela lindaba enhle.

²⁰ Khangela, uzakuba yisimungulu, ungakhulumi kuze kube lusuku okuzakwenzeka ngalo lezizinto, ngoba ungakholwanga amazwi ami azagcwaliseka ngesikhathi sawo.

²¹ Abantu babemlindele uZekariya, bamangala ngokuphuza kwakhe ethempelini.

²² Kuthe esephuma, wehluleka ukukhuluma labo; bazi ukuba ubone umbono ethempelini. Wayelokhu ebaqhweba ngesandla, wahlala eyisimungulu.

²³ Kuthe sesiphelile isikhathi sokukhonza kwakhe, wabuyela ekhaya.

²⁴ Emva kwalezinsuku uElizabethi umkakhe wathatha isisu, wazifihla okwezinyanga ezinhlanu esithi:

²⁵ Yenze lokhu kimi iNkosi ensukwini eyangikhangela ngazo ukususa ihlazo lami phakathi kwabantu.

Ukuzalwa kukaJesu kuyabikezelwa

²⁶ Ngenyanga yesithupha isithunywa uGabriyeli sathunywa nguNkulunkulu emzini waseGalili othiwa iNazaretha

²⁷ entombini emsulwa eyayigane indoda ethiwa nguJosefa eyendlu kaDavida; ibizo lentombi lalinguMariya.

²⁸ Sangena sathi kuye: Okuhle, wena othandiweyo! INkosi ilawe.

²⁹ Kodwa yena wethuswa yilelolizwi, wanakana enhliziyweni yakhe ukuthi kambe kungaba yini lokhukubingelela.

³⁰ Isithunywa sathi kuye: Ungesabi, Mariya, ngoba uthandiwe nguNkulunkulu.

³¹ Khangela, uzakuthatha isisu, uzale indodana; uzakuyitha ibizo uthi nguJesu.

³² Yena uzakuba mkhulu, uzakubizwa ngokuthi yiNdodana yoPhezukonke; iNkosi uNkulunkulu izakumnika isihlalo sobukhosi sikayise uDavida;

³³ uzakubusa phezu kwendlu kaJakobe kuze kube nininini, lombuso wakhe kawuzukuba lakuphela.

³⁴ UMariya wathi kuso isithunywa: Lokhu kungenzeka njani, njengoba ngingazi indoda na?

³⁵ Isithunywa sathi kuye: UMoya oNgcwele uzakuba phezu kwakho, lamandla oPhezukonke azakukwambesa; ngakho umntwana ozakuzalwa uzakuthiwa ungcwele, uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu.

³⁶ Khangela, isinini sakho uElizabethi laye ukhulelwe yindodana esemdala; le yinyanga yesithupha kuye obekuthiwa uyinyumba.

³⁷ Ngoba kuNkulunkulu kakulalutho olwahlulayo.

³⁸ UMariya wathi: Khangela, ngiyincekukazi yeNkosi; kakube kimi njengelizwi lakho. Isithunywa sasesisuka kuye.

UMariya uhambela uElizabethi

³⁹ Ngalezonsuku uMariya wasuka waya ngokuphangisa kwelezintaba, emzini waseJuda.

⁴⁰ Wangena endlini kaZekariya, wabingelela uElizabethi.

⁴¹ Kwathi ukuba uElizabethi ezwe ukubingelela kukaMariya, umntwana weqa esiswini sakhe, loElizabethi wagcwaliswa ngoMoya oNgcwele,

⁴² wamemeza ngelizwi elikhulu, wathi: Ubusisiwe wena esifazaneni! Ibusisiwe lenzalo yesisu sakho!

⁴³ Kwenzeke kanjani kimi ukuba ngihanjelwe ngunina weNkosi yami na?

⁴⁴ Ngoba kuthe ilizwi lokubingelela kwakho lifika endlebeni zami, umntwana weqa esiswini sami ngokuthokoza.

⁴⁵ Ubusisiwe yena okholiweyo ukuthi kuzakugcwaliseka lokho okwakhulunywa kuye yiNkosi.

⁴⁶ UMariya wasesithi: Umphefumulo wami uyayidumisa iNkosi,

⁴⁷ lomoya wami uyathokoza ngoNkulunkulu, uMsilisi wami,

⁴⁸ ngoba uhawukele ubuphansi bencekukazi yakhe. Khangela, kusukela khathesi zonke izizukulwana zizakuthi ngibusisiwe.

⁴⁹ Ngoba uSomandla ungenzele izinto ezinkulu; ibizo lakhe lingcwele.

⁵⁰ Isihawu sakhe sikuzo zonke izizukulwana zalabo abamesabayo.

⁵¹ Wenzile amandla ngengalo yakhe; uhlakazile abazigqajayo ekunakaneni kwenhliziyo zabo.

⁵² Wehlisile amakhosi ezihlalweni zawo, uphakamisile abantukazana.

⁵³ Abalambileyo ubasuthise ngezinto ezimnandi, abanothileyo wabaxotsha beze.

⁵⁴ Uyisizile inceku yakhe uIsrayeli, ekhumbula isihawu sakhe,

⁵⁵ njengokuthembisa kwakhe kubokhokho ukuthi uzakuba lesihawu kuAbrahama lasenzalweni yakhe kuze kube nininini.

⁵⁶ UMariya wahlala laye okungaba zinyanga ezintathu, wasebuyela ekhaya.

Ukuzalwa kukaJohane

⁵⁷ Isikhathi sikaElizabethi sokuba abelethe sesiphelele, wabeletha indodana.

⁵⁸ Abakhelene laye lezinini zakhe bezwa ukuthi iNkosi imenzele isihawu esikhulu, bathokoza laye.

⁵⁹ Kwathi ngosuku lwesificaminwembili beza ukusoka umntwana, babethanda ukumutha ibizo likayise bathi nguZekariya.

⁶⁰ Kodwa unina wathi: Atshi bo, uzakuthiwa nguJohane.

⁶¹ Bathi kuye: Kakho loyedwa ezihlotsheni zakho obizwa ngalelibizo.

⁶² Basebeqhweba uyise bambuza ukuthi yena angathanda ukumutha liphi.

⁶³ Wasecela into yokubhalela, wabhala ukuthi: Ibizo lakhe nguJohane. Bamangala bonke.

⁶⁴ Wahle wavuleka umlomo wakhe, lolimi lwakhe lwatshombuluka, wakhuluma edumisa uNkulunkulu.

⁶⁵ Bonke abakhelene laye behlelwa yikwesaba, kwakhulunywa ngazo zonke lezizinto kulo lonke elezintaba elaseJudiya,

⁶⁶ labo bonke abazizwayo bazilondoloza enhliziyweni zabo, besithi: Kambe lumntwana uzakuba yini na? Ngoba isandla seNkosi sasilaye.

⁶⁷ UZekariya uyise wagcwaliswa ngoMoya oNgcwele, wabikezela esithi:

⁶⁸ Kayibongwe iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli. Ngoba ihambele abantu bayo, yabenzela inkululeko.

⁶⁹ Yasivusela uMkhululi olamandla endlini kaDavida inceku yayo,

⁷⁰ njengalokho yakhuluma ngomlomo wabaprofethi bayo abangcwele endulo,

⁷¹ ukuba isikhulule ezitheni zethu lasesandleni sabo bonke abasizondayo,

⁷² ukubenzela isihawu okhokho lokukhumbula isivumelwano sayo esingcwele.

⁷³ Yiso isifungo eyasifunga kubaba uAbrahama,

⁷⁴ ukusinika ukuba sithi sesikhululiwe esandleni sezitha zethu, siyikhonze singelakwesaba

⁷⁵ ngobungcwele langokulunga phambi kwayo zonke insuku zethu.

⁷⁶ Laweke mntwana, uzakuthiwa ungumprofethi woPhezukonke, ngoba uzakuhamba phambi kweNkosi ukulungisa indlela zayo

⁷⁷ lokunika abantu bayo ukwazi kokusiliswa ngokuthethelelwa kwezono zabo;

⁷⁸ ngoba ngobubele bukaNkulunkulu wethu sizakuhanjelwa yikusa kwaphezulu,

⁷⁹ ukubakhanyisela abahlezi emnyameni lasethunzini lokufa, lokuqondisa inyawo zethu endleleni yokuthula.

⁸⁰ Wakhulake umntwana, waba lamandla emoyeni. Wahlala enkangala kwaze kwaba lusuku lokubonakaliswa kwakhe kuIsrayeli.