UPawulos Womeleza Amakholwa
UPawulos uthetha kude kudlule phakathi kobusuku, uze umfana olele efestileni awe evela kudidi lwesithathu afe; uPawulos wehla, athi mbende phezu kwakhe, aze aphile. Kamva, esazi ukuba imixokelelwane imlindele eJerusalem, uxelela amadoda amakhulu ase-Efese ukuba agcine umhlambi kaBawo wethu. Balila kuba bengasayi kuphinda balubone ubuso bakhe.
20 1Yakuba iphelile ingxokozelo, uPawulos wathumela ukubiza abafundi, wabakhuthaza, wabavalelisa, waza wemka wesuka waya kwelaseMakedoni. 2Akuba ecande kuloo mimandla, ewakhuthaza ngokupheleleyo amakholwa, wafika kwelaseGrike. 3Wahlala iinyanga ezintathu; waza, xa amaYuda ayembhungela elungiselela ukuya kwelaseSiriya ngenqanawa, wagqiba ekubeni abuye acande kwelaseMakedoni. 4Wayephelekwa nguSopatros unyana kaPiro waseBhereya, noAristarko noSekundo baseTesalonika, noGayo waseDarbhe, noTimoti, kwanoTikiko noTrofimo baseAsiya. 5Aba bahamba kuqala, basilinda eTrowa. 6Thina sahamba ngenqanawa sivela eFilipu emva kwemihla yezonka ezingenagwele, safika kubo eTrowa ngeentsuku ezintlanu, sahlala khona iintsuku ezisixhenxe.
Umfana Ovuswayo eTrowa
7Ngosuku lokuqala lweveki, sakuhlanganisana ukuba siqhekeze isonka, uPawulos wathetha nabo; elungiselela ukumka ngengomso, wahlala ethetha kwada kwaphakathi kobusuku. 8Zazizininzi izibane egumbini eliphezulu apho sasihlanganisene khona. 9Kwaye kukho umfana ogama linguEutiko owayehleli efestileni, etshona ebuthongweni obunzulu njengoko uPawulos wayehlala ethetha. Oyisiwe bubuthongo, wawa evela kudidi lwesithathu, waza wachotshelwa efile. 10Wehla uPawulos, wathi mbende phezu kwakhe, emwola wathi: “Musani ukukhwankqa, kuba ubomi bakhe busekuye.”
11Wabuya wenyuka, waqhekeza isonka, wadla, wathetha nabo ixesha elide, kwada kwasa, waza wemka. 12Baza bamsa ekhaya umfana ephila, bathuthuzeleka kakhulu.
Uhambo Oluya eMileto
13Thina sahamba kuqala ngenqanawa saya eAso, silungiselela ukumkhwelisa uPawulos; kuba wayegqibile ukuhamba ngomhlaba. 14Waza, akuhlangana nathi eAso, samkhwelisa, safika eMitilene. 15Sisuka apho ngenqanawa, safika malungana neKiyo ngengomso, saza sema eSamo ngomhla olandelayo, safika eMileto ngomhla ozayo. 16UPawulos wayegqibile ekubeni ayidlule ngenqanawa iEfese, engafuni ukuhlala ixesha eAsiya; kuba wayengxamele ukufika eYerusalem, ukuba kunokwenzeka, ngomhla wepentekoste.
17Esuka eMileto wathumela eEfese, wabiza amadoda amakhulu ebandla ukuba eze kuye. 18Akufika kuye, wathi: “Niyazi indlela endandihlala ngayo phakathi kwenu lonke ixesha, kuthabathela kuwo umhla wokuqala endandingena ngawo kwelaseAsiya, 19ndikhonza iNkosi yethu uYesu ngokuzithoba okupheleleyo, nangeenyembezi, nangezilingo ezandivelelayo ngenxa yamayelenqe amaYuda ngakum, 20ukuba andizifihlanga nto inokuniluncedo, ndasuka ndayivakalisa ndanifundisa ekuhleni nakwindlu ngendlu, 21ndingqinela kuwo omabini amaYuda namaGrike: inguquko ebhekisa kuBawo wethu nokholo eNkosini yethu uYesu. 22Ngoku, ndibotshwe nguMoya, ndibheke eYerusalem, ndingazi okundilindileyo khona, 23ngaphandle nje kokuba uMoya oyiNgcwele uyandixelela kuzo zonke izixeko, ukuba imixokelelwane neentlungu ziyandilinda. 24Kodwa andibuxabisi ubomi bam, ndingabuxabiseli kum, ndinqwenela nje kuphela ukugqiba uhambo lwam, nolungiselelo endaluzuzayo eNkosini yethu uYesu, ndingqinela iindaba ezilungileyo zobabalo lukaBawo wethu.
25Ngoku ndiyazi ukuba akukho namnye kuni phakathi kwenu endandihamba ndishumayela ubukumkani bukaBawo wethu, oya kubuya abone ubuso bam. 26Ngoko ndiyangqina kuni namhlanje ukuba msulwa mna egazini labo bonke, a a v26 ‘Msulwa egazini labo bonke’: uPawulos uthi ukuba ukho apha olahlekileyo ngokomoya, akungenxa yokuba engalunyukiswanga nguye — akazifihlanga nto. 27kuba andizithintelanga ekunivakaliseleni lonke icebo likaBawo wethu. 28Zilumkeleni nina nawo onke umhlambi awanimisela kuwo uMoya oyiNgcwele ukuba ningabaveleli, ukuze nibe ngabalusi bebandla likaBawo wethu, awalizuza ngegazi loNyana wakhe. b b v28 IsiGrike sifunda ngokoqobo sithi “ngegazi lowakhe,” nto leyo iFHB eyithethayo njengokuba “uNyana wakhe” — uBawo wethu walizuza ibandla ngexabiso legazi loNyana wakhe. UPawulos utsho le nyaniso inye kumaRoma 8:32: uBawo wethu akamgodobango uNyana wakhe, kodwa wamnikela ngenxa yethu sonke. 29Ndiyazi ukuba emva kokumka kwam, kuya kungena phakathi kwenu iingcuka ezingwanyalala, ezingawuyekiyo umhlambi. 30Kuya kuvela amadoda phakathi kwenu, ethetha izinto ezigqwethiweyo, ukuze abatsale abafundi babalandele. 31Ngoko lumkani, nikhumbula ukuba iminyaka emithathu, ubusuku nemini, andiyekanga ukunilumkisa ngamnye kuni ngeenyembezi. 32Ngoku ke ndininikela kuBawo wethu nakwilizwi lobabalo lwakhe, elinako ukunakha nokuninika ilifa phakathi kwabo bonke abangcwalisiweyo. 33Andikhanukanga silivere nokuba yigolide nokuba ziingubo zamntu. 34Nina ngokwenu niyazi ukuba ezi zandla zasebenzela iimfuno zam, neemfuno zabo babekunye nam. 35Kuzo zonke izinto ndanibonisa ukuba, sisebenza nzima ngolu hlobo, simelwe kukubanceda ababuthathaka, sikhumbula amazwi eNkosi yethu uYesu, awathi yena ngokwakhe: Kunoyolo ngakumbi ukupha kunokwamkeliswa.”
36Akuba ethethe ezi zinto, waguqa ngamadolo nabo bonke, wathandaza. 37Balila bonke; bamwola uPawulos, bamanga, 38bebuhlungu kakhulu kakhulu ngenxa yamazwi akhe—okuthi abasayi kubuya babone ubuso bakhe—baza bamphelekelela waya enqanaweni.
