IzEnzo 13:1-52
13 Manje e-Antiyokiya kwakukhona abaprofethi+ nabafundisi ebandleni lakhona, uBarnaba kanye noSimeyoni owayebizwa ngokuthi uNigeri, noLukiyu+ waseKhurene, noManayeni owafunda noHerode umbusi wesifunda, noSawulu.
2 Njengoba babekhonza+ uJehova obala futhi bezila ukudla, umoya ongcwele wathi: “Kubo bonke abantu ngihlukaniseleni uBarnaba noSawulu+ ukuze benze umsebenzi engibabizele wona.”
3 Khona-ke bazila ukudla futhi bathandaza bababeka izandla+ bahamba.
4 Ngakho la madoda, ethunywe umoya ongcwele, ehlela eSelukiya, futhi esuka lapho ahamba ngomkhumbi aya eKhupro.
5 Lapho efika eSalami amemezela izwi likaNkulunkulu emasinagogeni amaJuda. AyenoJohane+ futhi njengesikhonzi.
6 Lapho esesidabule sonke isiqhingi aze afika ePhafu, ahlangana nendoda ethile, umthakathi, umprofethi wamanga,+ umJuda ogama lakhe kunguBarjesu,
7 ikanye nomphathi-sifundazwe uSergiyu Pawulu, indoda ekhaliphile. Ibiza uBarnaba noSawulu, le ndoda yafuna ngobuqotho ukuzwa izwi likaNkulunkulu.
8 Kodwa u-Eluma umthakathi (leyo, eqinisweni, yindlela igama lakhe elihunyushwa ngayo) wabaphikisa,+ efuna ukwenza umphathi-sifundazwe afulathele ukholo.
9 USawulu, onguPawulu futhi, egcwala umoya ongcwele, wambukisisa
10 wathi: “O muntu ogcwele yonke inhlobo yokuphamba nayo yonke inhlobo yobugebengu, wena ndodana kaDeveli,+ wena sitha sakho konke okulungileyo, ubungenakuyeka yini ukuhlanekezela izindlela ezilungileyo zikaJehova?
11 Khona-ke, bheka! Isandla sikaJehova siphezu kwakho, futhi uzoba yimpumputhe, ungakuboni ukukhanya kwelanga inkathi ethile yesikhathi.” Ngaso leso sikhathi kwehlela phezu kwakhe inkungu ekhasayo nobumnyama wahamba efuna abantu abazomhola ngesandla.+
12 Khona-ke umphathi-sifundazwe,+ ebona lokho okwakwenzekile, waba yikholwa, njengoba akhexa ngenxa yemfundiso kaJehova.
13 La madoda, kanye noPawulu, manje athatha uhambo lwasolwandle esuka ePhafu afika ePherga ePhamfiliya.+ Kodwa uJohane+ wasuka kuwo wabuyela+ eJerusalema.
14 Nokho, aqhubeka esuka ePherga afika e-Antiyokiya ePhisidiya, angena esinagogeni+ ngosuku lwesabatha, afike ahlala phansi.
15 Usufundiwe uMthetho+ nabaProfethi eningini, izikhulu ezengamele+ zesinagoge zathumela kuwo, zathi: “Madoda, bafowethu, uma likhona izwi lesikhuthazo enifuna ukulisho kubantu, lishoni.”
16 Ngakho uPawulu wasukuma, waqhweba+ ngesandla, wathi:
“Madoda, ma-Israyeli nani abanye enesaba uNkulunkulu, yizwani.+
17 UNkulunkulu walesi sizwe sakwa-Israyeli wakhetha okhokho bethu, futhi waphakamisa lesi sizwe phakathi nobufokazi baso ezweni laseGibhithe wasikhipha ngengalo ephakanyisiweyo.+
18 Enkathini ecishe ibe yiminyaka engamashumi amane+ wabekezelela izenzo zaso ehlane.
19 Ngemva kokubhubhisa izizwe eziyisikhombisa ezweni laseKhanani, walaba izwe lazo ngenkatho:+
20 konke lokho phakathi neminyaka ecishe ibe ngamakhulu amane namashumi amahlanu.
“Ngemva kwalezi zinto wasinika abahluleli kwaze kwaba uSamuweli umprofethi.+
21 Kodwa kusukela ngaleso sikhathi kuqhubeke safuna inkosi,+ ngakho uNkulunkulu wasinika uSawule indodana kaKishi, indoda yesizwe sakwaBhenjamini,+ iminyaka engamashumi amane.
22 Ngemva kokumsusa,+ wasivezela uDavide njengenkosi,+ afakaza ngaye wathi, ‘Ngitholé uDavide indodana kaJese,+ umuntu ovumelana nenhliziyo yami,+ ozokwenza zonke izinto engizifisayo.’+
23 Enzalweni+ yalo muntu ngokwesithembiso sakhe uNkulunkulu ulethe ku-Israyeli umsindisi,+ uJesu,
24 ngemva kokuba uJohane,+ andulela ukungena kwakhe Lowo,+ eshumayele obala kubo bonke abantu bakwa-Israyeli ngobhapathizo njengesibonakaliso sokuphenduka.
25 Kodwa njengoba uJohane ayegcwalisa inkambo yakhe, wayethi, ‘Nicabanga ukuthi ngiyini? Angiyena. Kodwa, bhekani! uyeza emva kwami lowo ozimbadada zezinyawo zakhe ngingakufanelekeli ukuzithukulula.’+
26 “Madoda, bazalwane, nina bantwana bohlu lozalo luka-Abrahama nalabo abanye phakathi kwenu abesaba uNkulunkulu, izwi lale nsindiso liye lathunyelwa kithi.+
27 Ngoba abakhileyo eJerusalema nababusi babo abamazanga Lo,+ kodwa, lapho besebenza njengabahluleli, bagcwalisa izinto ezashiwo abaProfethi,+ okuyizinto ezifundwa ngokuzwakalayo wonke amaSabatha,
28 futhi, nakuba bengatholanga sizathu sokuba afe,+ bafuna kuPilatu ukuba abulawe.+
29 Lapho, manje, sebefeze zonke izinto ezalotshwa ngaye,+ bamehlisa esigxotsheni+ bambeka ethuneni.+
30 Kodwa uNkulunkulu wamvusa kwabafileyo;+
31 izinsuku eziningi wabonakala kulabo ababekhuphuke naye besuka eGalile baya eJerusalema, labo manje asebengofakazi bakhe kubantu.+
32 “Ngakho simemezela kini izindaba ezinhle mayelana nesithembiso esenziwa kokhokho,+
33 zokuthi uNkulunkulu usigcwalisé ngokuphelele kithi bantwana babo njengoba avusa uJesu;+ njengoba nje kulotshiwe ehutsheni lesibili, ‘Wena uyindodana yami, mina ngikuzele namuhla.’+
34 Futhi lelo qiniso lokuthi wamvusa kwabafileyo emiselwe ukuba angabe esabuyela ekonakaleni, uye walisho kanje, ‘Ngizoninika umusa wothando othembekile engawunika uDavide.’+
35 Ngakho uthi futhi kwelinye ihubo, ‘Ngeke uvumele oqotho wakho abone ukonakala.’+
36 Ngoba uDavide,+ yena, esizukulwaneni sakhe wakhonza intando kaNkulunkulu eshiwo ngokucacile futhi wafa wabekwa nokhokho bakhe wabona ukonakala.+
37 Ngakolunye uhlangothi, lowo uNkulunkulu amvusa akakubonanga ukonakala.+
38 “Ngakho-ke makwazeke kini, bafowethu, ukuthi ngaYe lo kumenyezelwa kini ukuthethelelwa kwezono;+
39 nokuthi kukho konke okwakungenakushiwo ukuthi aninacala kukho ngomthetho kaMose,+ wonke umuntu okholwayo kuthiwa akanacala kukho ngaYe lo.+
40 Ngakho-ke qaphelani ukuba lokho okushiwo kubaProfethi kunganehleli,
41 ‘Kubhekeni, nina baklolodi, futhi nimangale ngakho, nishabalale, ngoba ngisebenza umsebenzi ezinsukwini zenu, umsebenzi eningasoze nawukholelwa ngisho noma umuntu enilandisa wona ngokuningiliziwe.’”+
42 Manje lapho bephuma, abantu baqala ukuncenga ukuba lezi zindaba zikhulunywe kubo ngesabatha elilandelayo.+
43 Ngakho ngemva kokuba umkhandlu wesinagoge usuhlakazekile, abaningi kumaJuda nakumaproselithe ayekhulekela uNkulunkulu babalandela oPawulu noBarnaba,+ labo abathi lapho bekhuluma nabo baqala ukubakhuthaza+ ukuba baqhubeke emseni kaNkulunkulu+ ongafanelwe.
44 Ngesabatha elilandelayo cishe wonke umuzi wabuthana ndawonye ukuba uzwe izwi likaJehova.+
45 Lapho amaJuda ebona izixuku, agcwala umhawu+ futhi aziphikisa ngokuhlambalaza izinto ezazikhulunywa uPawulu.+
46 Ngakho, bekhuluma ngesibindi, uPawulu noBarnaba bathi: “Kwakudingekile ukuba izwi likaNkulunkulu likhulunywe kini kuqala.+ Njengoba nilikhaphela kude+ nani futhi ningazahluleli njengabakufanelekelayo ukuphila okuphakade, bhekani! siphendukela ezizweni.+
47 Eqinisweni, uJehova ubeke umyalo phezu kwethu ngala mazwi, ‘Ngikumisé ukuba ube ukukhanya kwezizwe,+ ukuba ube yinsindiso kuze kube semkhawulweni womhlaba.’”+
48 Lapho labo bezizwe bekuzwa lokhu, baqala ukujabula nokukhazimulisa izwi likaJehova,+ futhi bonke labo ababethambekele ngokufanele ekuphileni okuphakade baba ngamakholwa.+
49 Ngaphezu kwalokho, izwi likaJehova laqhubeka liyiswa kulo lonke lelo zwe.+
50 Kodwa amaJuda+ abhebhezela abesifazane ababenedumela elihle ababekhulekela uNkulunkulu namadoda avelele omuzi, futhi babangela ukuba uPawulu noBarnaba bashushiswe,+ babaxoshela ngaphandle kwemingcele yabo.
51 Laba babathuntuthela uthuli lwezinyawo zabo+ baya e-Ikoniyu.
52 Abafundi baqhubeka begcwala injabulo+ nomoya ongcwele.
