Umsebenzi Wabathunywa 16 FHB Father's Heart Bible™

16 ¹UPawulos wahamba waya eDerbe naseListra. Kwakukho umfundi apho ogama linguTimoti, unyana womfazi ongumYuda okholwayo, kodwa uyise ebengumGrike. ²Wayethandwa kakuhle ngabazalwana baseListra naseIkoniyo. ³UPawulos wayenqwenela ukuba ahambe naye, ngoko wamthabatha wamalusa, ngenxa yawo amaYuda awayehlala kwezo ndawo, kuba bonke babesazi ukuba uyise ebengumGrike. ⁴Besithi bahamba ngaloo mizi, benikela izigwebo ababezenzile abapostile namadoda amakhulu eYerusalem, ukuba bazigcine. ⁵Ngoko amabandla omelezwa elukholweni, esanda ngobuninzi bawo imihla ngemihla.

UBawo Ubabizela eMakedoni

⁶Bawela ummandla waseFrigiya nowaseGalati, ekubeni uMoya oyiNgcwele wayebalele ukushumayela ilizwi kwelaseAsiya. ⁷Bakufika eMisiya, bafuna ukungena eBhitiniya, kodwa uMoya kaYesu akavuma. ⁸Ngoko begqitha eMisiya, behla baya eTrowa. ⁹UPawulos wabona umbono ebusuku: kwakumi indoda engumMakedoni imtarhuzisa, isithi: “Wela uze eMakedoni, usincede.” ¹⁰Akuba ewubonile umbono, safuna kwaoko ukumka siye eMakedoni, sigqiba kwelokuba uBawo wethu ubesibizile ukuba sibashumayeze iindaba ezilungileyo.

ULidiya Uvula Intliziyo Yakhe eFilipi

¹¹Ngoko sanduluka sivela eTrowa, saya ngqo eSamotrake, ngengomso saya eNeyapolis, ¹²sisuka apho saya eFilipi, umzi ongundabamlonyeni waloo mmandla waseMakedoni, umzi waseRoma. Sahlala apho iintsuku ezithile.

¹³Ngomhla wesabatha saphuma ngaphandle kwesango saya emlanjeni, siba kukho indawo yokuthandaza. Sahlala phantsi sathetha nabafazi ababehlanganisene khona. ¹⁴Umfazi othile ogama linguLidiya, waseTiyatira, owayethengisa ingubo emfusa, nowayemnqula uBawo wethu, ebephulaphule. INkosi yayivula intliziyo yakhe ukuba awaphulaphule amazwi kaPawulos. ¹⁵Akuba ebhaptiziwe yena nabendlu yakhe, wasibongoza, esithi: “Ukuba nindigweba ndithembekile kuyo iNkosi, ngenani endlwini yam nihlale.” Wasicenga.

Bavalelwa Entolongweni Ngenxa Yevangeli

¹⁶Xa besiya endaweni yokuthandaza, sahlangana nentombazana eyikhoboka enomoya wokuvumisa; yayifumanela abaniniyo inzuzo enkulu ngokuvumisa. ¹⁷Yamlandela uPawulos nathi, idanduluka isithi: “La madoda ngabakhonzi bakaThixo Osenyangweni, abanixelela indlela yosindiso.” ¹⁸Yayisenza oku iintsuku ezininzi. UPawulos, ekruqukile kakhulu, waguquka wathi kuloo moya: “Ndiyakuyalela egameni likaYesu Krestu ukuba uphume kuyo.” Waphuma kwangoko.

¹⁹Bakubona abanini bayo ukuba ithemba labo lenzuzo seliphelile, bababamba ooPawulos noSilas, babarhuqela endaweni yentengiso phambi kwabaphathi. ²⁰Bakuba befikile nabo kubagwebi, bathi: “La madoda angamaYuda, ayawudunga umzi wethu. ²¹Avakalisa amasiko angavumelekileyo kuthi maRoma ukuba siwamkele okanye siwenze.”

²²Isihlwele saxhokonxeka saba nxamnye nabo, baza abagwebi bazikrazula iingubo zooPawulos noSilas, bayalela ukuba babethwe ngeentonga. ²³Bakuba bebabethe kakhulu, babaphosa entolongweni, beyalela umgcini wentolongo ukuba abagcine ngokuqinisekileyo. ²⁴Ewuthe wawuwiselwe loo mthetho, wabavalela kwigumbi elingaphakathi, wawakhonkxa iinyawo zabo esikhuxelweni.

²⁵Malunga nophakathi kobusuku, ooPawulos noSilas bebethandaza bevuma neengoma kuBawo wethu, amakhonkxwa ebaphulaphule. ²⁶Kwasuka ngequbuliso kwabakho unyikimo olukhulu, lwazishukumisa iziseko zentolongo; zavuleka kwangoko iingcango zonke, zaxekeka iintambo zabo bonke. ²⁷Wavuka umgcini wentolongo, wabona iingcango zentolongo zivulekile, warhola ikrele lakhe efuna ukuzibulala, ecinga ukuba amakhonkxwa abalekile. ²⁸Kodwa uPawulos wadanduluka esithi: “Musa ukuzenzakalisa, kuba sonke silapha!”

²⁹Umgcini wentolongo wacela izibane, wangxama wangena phakathi, wawa ethuthumela phambi kooPawulos noSilas. ³⁰Waza wabakhuphela ngaphandle wathi: “Nkosi zam, mandenze ntoni na ukuze ndisindiswe?”

³¹Bathi bona: “Kholwa kuyo iNkosi uYesu, uya kusindiswa, wena nabendlu yakho.” ³²Bebelithetha ilizwi leNkosi kuye nakubo bonke abasendlwini yakhe. ³³Ngelo lixa lobusuku, wabathabatha wabahlamba imivumbo yabo; waza wabhaptizwa kwangoko yena nabendlu yakhe bonke. ³⁴Wabanyusela endlwini yakhe, wabeka ukudla phambi kwabo, wavuya kunene yena nabendlu yakhe bonke ngenxa yokukholwa kuBawo wethu.

³⁵Ke kaloku kwakusa, abagwebi bathumela amapolisa, besithi: “Khulula loo madoda.”

³⁶Umgcini wentolongo waxelela uPawulos, esithi: “Abagwebi bathumela umthetho wokuba nikhululwe. Phumani ngoku nihambe ngoxolo.”

³⁷Kodwa uPawulos wathi kubo: “Basibethe ekuhleni singagwetywanga, singamaRoma athi, basiphosa entolongweni. Ngoku bafuna ukusikhupha ngasese na? Hayi! Mababuye bona ngokwabo basikhuphe.”

³⁸Amapolisa axela la mazwi kubagwebi, abo baza boyika bakuva ukuba bangamaRoma. ³⁹Beza, bazicamagushela kubo, babakhupha, babacela ukuba bawushiye umzi. ⁴⁰Ngoko baphuma entolongweni baya endlwini kaLidiya. Bakuba bebabonile abazalwana, babavuselela, bahamba.