Imisebenzi 19 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UPawuli useEfesu

¹ Kwathi uApolo eseKorinte, uPawuli wafika eEfesu esedabule ilizwe elingasenhla, wafumana abafundi abathile khona,

² wathi kubo: Lamamukela yini uMoya oNgcwele mhla likholwayo na? Bathi: Atshi, kasizanga sizwe ukuthi kukhona uMoya oNgcwele.

³ Wathi: Pho, labhaphathizwa ngobhaphathizo bani na? Bathi: Ngobhaphathizo lukaJohane.

⁴ UPawuli wathi: UJohane wabhaphathiza ngobhaphathizo lokuphenduka, etshela abantu ukuba bakholwe kulowo owayezakuza emva kwakhe, okutsho uJesu.

⁵ Bathi ukuzwa lokho, babhaphathizwa ebizweni leNkosi uJesu.

⁶ Wathi uPawuli esebekile izandla zakhe phezu kwabo, uMoya oNgcwele wehlela kubo; bakhuluma ngendimi, bazisela.

⁷ Babengaba litshumi lambili bebonke.

⁸ Wangena esinagogeni, wakhuluma ngesibindi inyanga ezintathu, etshumayela efundisa ngombuso kaNkulunkulu.

⁹ Kodwa kwathi uba abanye besiba lukhuni bengakholwa, bekhuluma kubi ngaleyoNdlela phambi kwabantu, wasuka kubo waqegula abafundi wafundisa insuku ngensuku esikolweni sikaTiranu.

¹⁰ Lokhu kwaqhubeka iminyaka emibili, baze balizwa ilizwi leNkosi bonke abakhileyo eAsiya, amaJuda lamaGriki.

¹¹ UNkulunkulu wenza imisebenzi yamandla engejwayelekanga ngezandla zikaPawuli,

¹² baze bathatha amadukwe lamalembu emzimbeni wakhe, bawesa kwabagulayo; izifo zasuka kubo, labomoya ababi baphuma.

¹³ Kwathi abanye kubaJuda, abayizanuse ezizulayo, bathanda ukuphatha ibizo leNkosi uJesu kulabo abangenwe ngomoya ababi besithi: Ngiyakufungisa uJesu amtshumayelayo uPawuli.

¹⁴ Kwakukhona amadodana ayisikhombisa ompristi omkhulu wabaJuda othiwa nguSikeva, ayekwenza lokho.

¹⁵ Kodwa umoya omubi waphendula wathi: UJesu ngiyamazi, loPawuli ngiyamazi; kodwa lina lingobani?

¹⁶ Lowomuntu owayelomoya omubi wabadumela, wabehlula bonke, wabanqoba, baze baphuma kuleyondlu, bagijima beze, belimele.

¹⁷ Lokhu kwezwakala kubo bonke abakhileyo eEfesu, abaJuda kanye lamaGriki; ukwesaba kwabehlela bonke; kwadunyiswa ibizo leNkosi uJesu;

¹⁸ labanengi abakholwayo beza bezivuma, beziveza obala izenzo zabo.

¹⁹ Abanengi kubo ababesenza imilingo baletha incwadi zabo ndawonye, bazitshisa phambi kwabo bonke; babala imali yazo, bayifumanisa izinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amahlanu esiliva.

²⁰ Ngakho ilizwi leNkosi lakhula, lanqoba.

²¹ Ngemva kwalezizinto uPawuli wazimisela emoyeni ukuya eJerusalema esedabule eMakedoniya leAkaya, wathi: Emva kokufika kwami khona ngimele ukubona iRoma layo.

²² Esethumele eMakedoniya ababili kubasizi bakhe oTimothi loErastu, yena wahlala eAsiya isikhatshana.

Isiphithiphithi sikaDemetriyu

²³ Kodwa ngalesosikhathi kwasuka isiphithiphithi esikhulu mayelana laleyoNdlela.

²⁴ Ngoba umuntu othile othiwa nguDemetriyu, umkhandi wesiliva owenza amathempelana kaDiyana, wazuzisa abakhandi besiliva inzuzo enengi.

²⁵ Wasebaqoqa bona kanye labanye abasebenza umsebenzi onjalo, wathi: Madoda, liyazi ukuthi kulumsebenzi kuvela inotho yethu,

²⁶ njalo liyabona, liyazi futhi ukuba kakusikho lapha eEfesu kodwa kuphose ukuba kube kulo lonke elaseAsiya uPawuli lo ubaphambukisile abantu ngokubenza bakholwe ukuthi kayisibo onkulunkulu abenziwe ngezandla.

²⁷ Kayisikho lokhu kuphela okokuthi umsebenzi wethu lo usengozini, kodwa lethempeli likankulunkulukazi omkhulu uDiyana lalo lizakuthiwa liyinto engesilutho, lobukhulukazi bakhe buzakuphela yena elimkhonzayo lonke elaseAsiya lomhlaba wonke.

²⁸ Bathi bekuzwa lokhu, bathukuthela, bamemeza besithi: Mkhulu uDiyana wabaseEfesu!

²⁹ Umuzi wonke wagcwala isiphithiphithi, batheleka kanyekanye endaweni yokudlalela, babamba uGayu loAristako, abaseMakedoniya, ababehamba loPawuli.

³⁰ UPawuli wafuna ukungena phakathi kwexuku, kodwa abafundi kabamvumelanga.

³¹ Lababusi baseAsiya abathile ababengabangane bakhe, bathumela kuye bemncenga ukuba angalingi ukungena endaweni yokudlalela.

³² Kwathi abanye bamemeza okunye labanye okunye; ngoba ixuku lonke laliyaluzela nje, labanengi babengazi ukuthi babuthene lapho ngenxa yani.

³³ Abathile phakathi kwexuku bachasisela uAleksandro indaba, yena owayeqhutshelwe phambili ngabaJuda; uAleksandro waqhweba ngesandla efuna ukuchasisa ebantwini.

³⁴ Bathi ukuba bezwe ukuthi ungumJuda, bamemeza bonke ngalizwi linye isibanga esingaba ziawa ezimbili besithi: Mkhulu uDiyana wabaseEfesu!

³⁵ Kwathi umabhalane womuzi eselithulisile ixuku wathi: Madoda aseEfesu, kukhona yini phakathi kwabantu ongaziyo ukuthi umuzi waseEfesu ungumlondolozi wethempeli likaDiyana omkhulu lowesithombe esawa sivela ezulwini na?

³⁶ Njengokuba lezizinto zingephikwe, kufanele lithule, lingenzi lutho ngamawala.

³⁷ Ngoba lilethe lamadoda lapha angesibo abaphangi bamathempeli loba abahlambaza unkulunkulukazi wethu.

³⁸ Ngakho uba uDemetriyu kanye labakhandi belensolo ngomuntu, zikhona indawo zokuthethela amacala, bakhona lababusi, kabamangalelane.

³⁹ Kodwa uba lifuna ulutho oluphezu kwalokhu, kuzalungiswa emhlanganweni omisiweyo.

⁴⁰ Ngoba sisengozini yokumangalelwa ngomsindo walamhla ongelasisusa, esingazilandulela ngaso ngalesisiphithiphithi.

⁴¹ Esetshilo lokho wawuchitha umhlangano.