Umsebenzi Wabathunywa 19 FHB Father's Heart Bible™

19 ¹Ngexa uApolos wayeseKorinte, uPawulos wawucanda ummandla wangaphakathi, wafika e-Efese, apho wafumana khona abafundi abathile. ²Wababuza wathi: “Namamkela na uMoya oyiNgcwele oko nakholwayo?” Baphendula bathi: “Hayi, asithanga sive nokuba ukho uMoya oyiNgcwele.”

³Wandula wabuza wathi: “Nabhaptizelwa entweni ke?” Bathi: “Elubhaptizweni lukaYohane.”

⁴Wathi uPawulos: “UYohane wabhaptiza ngobhaptizo lwenguquko, exelela abantu ukuba bakholwe kulowo wayeza emva kwakhe—uYesu.”

⁵Bakuva oku, babhaptizwa egameni leNkosi uYesu. ⁶Uthe uPawulos ewabeka izandla phezu kwabo, wafika kubo uMoya oyiNgcwele; bathetha ngeelwimi, baprofeta. ⁷Babengamadoda alishumi elinababini bebonke.

⁸UPawulos wangena endlwini yesikhungu, wathetha ngenkalipho iinyanga ezintathu, ebonisana nabantu ebacenga ngobukumkani bukaBawo wethu. ⁹Bakuba abanye babantamo ilukhuni, bengavumi ukukholwa, beyihlaza iNdlela phambi kwesihlwele, wemka kubo, wabathabatha abafundi, waza waba nembuzwano nabantu imihla ngemihla endlwini yokufundisa kaTiranu. ¹⁰Oku kwaqhubeka iminyaka emibini, ngenxa yoko bonke ababehleli kwelaseAsiya, amaYuda kwanamaGrike, baliva ilizwi leNkosi uYesu.

¹¹UBawo wethu wenza imimangaliso ebalulekileyo ngezandla zikaPawulos, ¹²ngokokude naba ngqwembe nezivatho zokusebenza ezibe zithinta ulusu lwakhe, ziphathelwe abagulayo, kuphele izifo kubo, kuphume noomoya abangendawo kubo.

¹³Kwabakho namaYuda athile ayehamba ekhupha iidemon, nawo afuna ukulibiza igama leNkosi uYesu phezu kwabo babephethwe ngoomoya abangendawo, esithi: “Ndiniwisela umthetho ngoYesu lowo ashunyayelwayo nguPawulos.” ¹⁴Oonyana abasixhenxe bombingeleli omkhulu ongumYuda, ogama linguSkeva, baye besenza oku.

¹⁵Kodwa umoya ongendawo wabaphendula wathi: “UYesu ndiyamazi, noPawulos ndiyamnakana, ke nina ningoobani na?” ¹⁶Waza loo mntu ubenomoya ongendawo waxhuma phezu kwabo, wabeyisa bonke, waba namandla phezu kwabo, baza basaba kuloo ndlu behamba ze, belimele. ¹⁷Oku kwaziwa ngamaYuda onke kwanamaGrike awayehleli e-Efese. Baphatheka luloyiko bonke, lanconywa kunene igama leNkosi uYesu. ¹⁸Beza nabaninzi kwabo babesekholiwe, bevuma bezityhila iintlondi zabo. ¹⁹Abaninzi kwabo ababesebenza ubugqi bazisa ndawonye imiqulu yabo, bayitshisa phambi kwabo bonke. Babala ixabiso layo, bafumana ukuba lingangemivuzo yemihla engamashumi amahlanu amawaka. ^a a v19 Icandelo ngalinye lesilivere laliyidrarhima—malunga nomvuzo wemini womsebenzi. Imiqulu etshisiweyo yayilingana nemivuzo yeentsuku ezingamashumi amahlanu amawaka. ²⁰Ngaloo ndlela ilizwi leNkosi uYesu lahlala likhula ngamandla, loyisa.

²¹Kwakuba oko kugqityiwe, uPawulos wagqiba entliziyweni yakhe ukuba acande kwelaseMakedoni nakwelaseAkaya, aye eYerusalem, esithi: “Emva kokuba ndibe khona, ndimelwe kukubona neRoma.” ²²Wathumela ababini kubancedisi bakhe, uTimoti noErasto, kwelaseMakedoni, waza yena wahlala kwelaseAsiya ixesha elithile. ²³Ngelo xesha kwavela isiphithiphithi esikhulu ngenxa yeNdlela. ²⁴Kuba indoda ethile egama linguDemetriyo, ingumkhandi wesilivere, eyayisenza iitempile zesilivere zika-Artemis, yabe iphethe izicaka ezininzi. ^b b v24 U-Artemis wase-Efese wayenguthixokazi omkhulu ongunina walo mzi. Itempile yakhe yayingenye yemimangaliso esixhenxe yehlabathi lamandulo, nentliziyo yezoqoqosho zaloo mzi. ²⁵Wababizela ndawonye, kwanabasebenzi ababesebenza iintlobo ezinjalo, wathi: “Madoda, niyazi ukuba ubutyebi bethu buvela kolu rhwebo. ²⁶Niyabona, niyeva ukuba lo Pawulos uye wabarhwebesha, wababuyisa abantu abaninzi kunene—kungekuphela nje e-Efese, kodwa kuphantse kube lelaseAsiya liphela—ebaxelela ukuba oothixo abenziweyo ngezandla ngoothixo bokungabi nto. ²⁷Akungobungozi kodwa nje bokuba urhwebo lwethu lulahlekwe ligama lalo elihle, kodwa nokuba itempile yothixokazi omkhulu u-Artemis iya kuba yinto engento, naye, lowo unqulwa likwelaseAsiya liphela nehlabathi, ehlulwe ubukhulu bakhe.”

²⁸Bakuva oku, bavutha ngumsindo, bamemeza besithi: “Mkhulu u-Artemis wama-Efese!” ²⁹Umzi wazala sisiphithiphithi; bagaleleka ndawonye kwindawo yemidlalo, betsala uGayo noAristarko, amaMakedoni, abahambi bakaPawulos. ³⁰Uthe uPawulos efuna ukungena phakathi kwesihlwele, abafundi abamvumelanga. ³¹Kananjalo nabanye abaphathi bephondo, abahlobo bakhe, bathumela kuye, bemkhunga ukuba angazenzi isichenge ngokungena kwindawo yemidlalo. ³²Ke abanye babekhwaza bekhwaza into ethile, abanye enye—ibandla laliziphithiphithi, abaninzi babo bengazi nokuba bahlanganiselwani na. ³³Abathile esihlweleni bamyala uAleksandire, lowo amaYuda ayemtyhalela phambili; wanqwala ngesandla sakhe, enga angazithethelela phambi kwabantu. ³⁴Bakubona ukuba ungumYuda, bamemeza ngazwi-nye malunga neeyure ezimbini, besithi: “Mkhulu u-Artemis wama-Efese!”

³⁵Wakuba umabhalane womzi esizolisile isihlwele, wathi: “Madoda ase-Efese, ngubani na ongaziyo ukuba umzi wama-Efese ngumgcini wetempile yothixokazi omkhulu u-Artemis, kwanomfanekiso owawayo uvela emazulwini? ^c c v35 Abaninzi babekholwa ukuba le nto ingcwele yayiyinkwenkwezi ewileyo evela esibhakabhakeni—kuthathwa njengobungqina bokubabalwa kwalo mzi ngu-Artemis. ³⁶Njengoko ezi zinto zingenakuphikwa, nimelwe kukuthi cwaka, ningenzi nto ngobungxamo. ³⁷Kuba nizise apha la madoda angengabo abaphangi bazitempile, engengabo nabanyelisi bothixokazi wethu. ³⁸Ngoko ke ukuba uDemetriyo nabakhandi abalingane bakhe banetyala ngomntu othile, iinkundla ziyasebenza, nabathetheli bakho—mabamangalelane khona. ³⁹Kodwa ukuba nifuna enye into, iya kuthethwa ebandleni elimisiweyo. ⁴⁰Sisesichengeni sokumangalelwa ngesiphithiphithi sanamhlanje, ekubeni singenasizathu sokuyithethelela le ntlokoma.” ⁴¹Akuba etshilo, walindulula ibandla.