Imisebenzi 15 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

Umhlangano wabaphostoli eJerusalema

¹ Kwehla amadoda athile evela eJudiya, afundisa abazalwane athi: Uba lingasokwa ngomlayo kaMose, lingesiliswe.

² Kuthe ukuba kuvele ukuphambana lokuphikisana okukhulu phakathi kwabo loPawuli loBarnabasi, kwamiswa ukuba uPawuli loBarnabasi labanye abathile benyukele eJerusalema kubaphostoli labadala ngalindaba.

³ Ngakhoke kwathi sebevalelisiwe libandla badabula iFenekiya leSamariya, belandisa ngokuphenduka kwabezizwe, benzela abazalwane ukuthokoza okukhulu.

⁴ Sebefikile eJerusalema bamukelwa libandla labaphostoli labadala, balandisa konke uNkulunkulu ayekwenzile ngabo.

⁵ Kodwa abanye abakholwayo abangabehlelo labaFarisi basukuma, bathi: Kufanele ukuba basokwe, balaywe ukugcina umlayo kaMose.

⁶ Kwasekubuthana abaphostoli labadala, ukuze bayihlole lindaba.

⁷ Kwathi sebephikisene kakhulu, wasukuma uPetro wathi kubo: Bazalwane, liyazi ukuthi ensukwini zokuqala uNkulunkulu wangikhetha phakathi kwenu ukuba ngomlomo wami abezizwe, balizwe ilizwi levangeli, bakholwe.

⁸ UNkulunkulu owaziyo inhliziyo wabafakazela ngokubanika uMoya oNgcwele njengathi;

⁹ futhi kehlukanisanga phakathi kwethu labo, ehlambulula inhliziyo zabo ngokukholwa.

¹⁰ Ngakhoke limlingelani uNkulunkulu ngokubeka ijokwe entanyeni yabafundi okhokho kanye lathi esingabanga lamandla okulithwala na?

¹¹ Kodwa sikholwa ukuthi sisiliswa ngomusa weNkosi uJesu ngandlelanye labo.

¹² Ixuku lonke lathula; lalalela uBarnabasi loPawuli belandisa ngezibonakaliso langezimangaliso uNkulunkulu ayezenze ngabo phakathi kwabezizwe.

¹³ Sebeqedile ukukhuluma, uJakobe wathi: Bazalwane, ngilalelani.

¹⁴ USimiyoni uselandisile ngokwehlela kukaNkulunkulu ekuqaleni phakathi kwabezizwe ukuba azuzele ibizo lakhe abantu.

¹⁵ Lamazwi abaprofethi ayavumelana lalokhu, njengokuba kulotshiwe ukuthi:

¹⁶ Ngemva kwalokho ngizakubuya, ngiyakhe futhi indlu kaDavida ewileyo, ngizakwakha okudilikileyo kwayo, ngiyimise,

¹⁷ ukuze abaseleyo babantu kanye lezizwe zonke bayifune iNkosi ababizwe ngebizo lami,

¹⁸ kutsho iNkosi eyenza ukuba lezizinto zaziwe kwasekuqaleni.

¹⁹ Ngakho mina ngithi asingabakhathazi labo kwabezizwe abaphendukela kuNkulunkulu,

²⁰ kodwa asibalobele ukuba bazile amanyala ezithombe, lokufeba, lokukhanyiweyo, legazi.

²¹ Ngoba uMose ulabo abamtshumayelayo emizini yonke kusukela ezizukulwaneni zasendulo, uyafundwa emasinagogeni amaSabatha wonke.

²² Kwasekusiba kuhle kubaphostoli lakwabadala kanye lebandla lonke ukuba kukhethwe amadoda phakathi kwabo athunywe eAntiyoki kanye loPawuli loBarnabasi; basebethuma uJudasi othiwa nguBarsaba loSilasi, amadoda amakhulu phakathi kwabazalwane;

²³ basebeloba ngesandla sabo ukuthi: Thina abaphostoli labadala labazalwane, siyabingelela abazalwane abangabezizwe eAntiyoki, leSiriya, leKilikhiya.

²⁴ Njengokuba sizwile ukuthi abantu abathile abavela kithi balikhathazile ngamazwi, bedunga ingqondo zenu ngesingabalayanga khona,

²⁵ kube kuhle kithi sihlangene ukuba siwakhethe amadoda athile siwathume kini kanye labathandekayo bethu uBarnabasi loPawuli,

²⁶ abantu abadele ukusila kwabo ngenxa yebizo leNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu.

²⁷ Ngakhoke sithumile uJudasi loSilasi abazakulitshela lezizinto ngomlomo.

²⁸ Ngoba kube kuhle kuMoya oNgcwele lakithi ukuba singalethwesi umthwalo omkhulu ngaphandle kwalezizinto ezifunekayo

²⁹ zokuthi lizile okuhlatshelwe izithombe, legazi, lokukhanyiweyo, lokufeba; uba lizilondoloza kulezizinto, lobe lenze kuhle. Salani kuhle.

³⁰ Ngakho sebethunyiwe basuka behlela eAntiyoki. Sebelihlanganisile ibandla, balinika incwadi.

³¹ Sebeyifundile bathokoza ngokululeka kwayo.

³² UJudasi loSilasi, njengokuba labo babengabaprofethi, balaya abazalwane ngamazwi amanengi, babaqinisa.

³³ Sebehlale khona isikhathi, bavaleliswa ngokuthula ngabazalwane, ukuba babuyele kulabo ababethunywe yibo. [

³⁴ Kodwa kwaba kuhle kuSilasi ukuba asale khona.]

³⁵ Kodwa uPawuli loBarnabasi basala eAntiyoki, befundisa betshumayela ilizwi leNkosi kanye labanye abanengi.

Ukwahlukana kukaPawuli loBarnabasi

³⁶ Emva kwensuku ezithile uPawuli wasesithi kuBarnabasi: Ake sibuye sihambele abazalwane emizini yonke lapho esatshumayela khona ilizwi leNkosi, sibone ukuba bahlezi njani.

³⁷ UBarnabasi wafuna ukuba bathathe uJohane othiwa nguMarko bahambe laye.

³⁸ Kodwa uPawuli wathi kakufanele ukuba bahambe laye owabatshiya ePamfiliya, kaze aya labo emsebenzini.

³⁹ Kwasekuvela ukuphikisana okukhulu, basebesahlukana; uBarnabasi wathatha uMarko, wahamba laye ngomkolo, baya eKuprosi.

Uhambo lwesibili lukaPawuli

⁴⁰ Kodwa uPawuli wakhetha uSilasi, esenikelwe emuseni weNkosi ngabazalwane wasuka wahamba.

⁴¹ Wadabula iSiriya leKilikhiya eqinisa amabandla.