Umsebenzi Wabathunywa 7 FHB Father's Heart Bible™

7 ¹Wandula ke umbingeleli omkhulu wabuza wathi: “Ziyinyaniso na ezi zinto?”

²Wathi uStefano: “Madoda, bazalwana noobawo, phulaphulani: uBawo wethu wobuqaqawuli wabonakala kubawo wethu uAbraham eseMesopotami, engekahlali kwaHaran,

³wathi kuye: ‘Phuma ezweni lakho nasezizalwaneni zakho, uye ezweni endiya kukubonisa lona.’

⁴Waphuma ke ezweni lamaBhabhilon, wahlala kwaHaran. Emveni kokufa kukayise, uBawo wethu wamsusa apho, wamsa kweli lizwe nihleli kulo ngoku. ⁵Akamnikanga lifa kulo, nokuba bubungakanani benyawo; kodwa wamthembisa ngalo, naye nembewu yakhe emva kwakhe, ukuba abe yimfuyo yakhe, nangona wayengenamntwana. ⁶Watsho uBawo wethu ukuthi imbewu yakhe iya kuba ngabaphambukeli ezweni elingelolabo, ibakhonze bona, baphathwe kakubi iminyaka emakhulu mane.

⁷‘Ndolugweba uhlanga abolukhonza,’ watsho uBawo wethu, ‘size emva koko baphume, bandinqule kule ndawo.’

⁸Wamnika umnqophiso wolwaluko. UAbraham wazala uIsake, wamalusa ngosuku lwesibhozo; uIsake wazala uYakobi, uYakobi wazala oobawo abalishumi elinababini.

⁹Oobawo bammonela uYosefu, bamthengisa ukuba ase eYiputa; kodwa uBawo wethu wayenaye, ¹⁰wamhlangula kwiinkxwaleko zakhe zonke, wamnika ubabalo nobulumko phambi koFaro, ukumkani waseYiputa, owamenza umphathi phezu kweYiputa nendlu yonke kaFaro. ¹¹Kwafika indlala neembandezelo ezinkulu kuyo yonke iYiputa neKanan, baza oobawo bethu baswela ukudla. ¹²Uthe akuva uYakobi ukuba kukho ingqolowa eYiputa, wathuma oobawo bethu khona okokuqala. ¹³Kutyelelo lwesibini, uYosefu wazityhila kubazalwana bakhe, waza uFaro wazi ngosapho lukaYosefu. ¹⁴UYosefu wathumela wabiza uyise uYakobi nemizalwane yakhe yonke, imiphefumlo engamashumi asixhenxe anamihlanu iyonke.

¹⁵UYakobi wehla waya eYiputa, wafa khona, yena noobawo bethu. ¹⁶Babuyiselwa kwaShekem, bangcwatywa engcwabeni awalithenga ngesilivere uAbraham koonyana bakaHamore kwaShekem.

¹⁷Lakusondela ixesha lesithembiso uBawo wethu awasinika uAbraham, banda abantu baphinda eYiputa, ¹⁸wada kwavela phezu kweYiputa omnye ukumkani owayengamazi uYosefu. ¹⁹Lo kumkani waxhaphaza abantu bakowethu, waphatha kakubi oobawo bethu, ebanyanzela ukuba baphosele phandle iintsana zabo ukuze zife.

²⁰Ngelo xesha wazalwa uMoses, emhle emehlweni kaBawo wethu. Wonyuselwa iinyanga ezintathu endlwini kayise. ²¹Uthe akuphoswa phandle, intombi kaFaro yamthabatha, yamkhulisa njengonyana wayo. ²²UMoses waqeqeshwa kubo bonke ubulumko bamaYiputa, waba namandla ekuthetheni nasekwenzeni.

²³Akuba eminyaka ingamashumi amane, wagqiba ukuba atyelele abazalwana bakhe, oonyana bakaSirayeli. ²⁴Ebona omnye wabo ephethwe kakubi, wamhlangula lowo ucinezelweyo, wamphindezelela, wamxabela umYiputa. ²⁵Wayecinga ukuba abazalwana bakhe baya kuqonda ukuba uBawo wethu ubanika usindiso ngesandla sakhe; kodwa abaqondanga.

²⁶Ngengomso wabafikela besilwa, waza wazama ukubaxolelanisa, esithi: ‘Madoda, ningabazalwana. Yini na ukuba nonana?’ ²⁷Kodwa lowo wayephethe kakubi ummelwane wakhe wamtyhala uMoses, esithi: ‘Ngubani okumise ukuba ube ngumphathi nomgwebi phezu kwethu? ²⁸Ufuna ukundibulala njengoko wambulala umYiputa izolo na?’ ²⁹Ngeli lizwi uMoses wabaleka, wahlala njengomphambukeli ezweni laseMidiyan, apho wazala khona oonyana ababini.

³⁰Emveni kweminyaka engamashumi amane, kwabonakala kuye isithunywa entlango yentaba iSinayi, selangatyeni letyholo elivutha umlilo. ³¹Wabona uMoses, wamangaliswa; waza akusondela ukuba akhangele, kwafika ilizwi likaBawo wethu, lisithi:

³²‘NdinguThixo wooyihlo—uThixo ka-Abraham, noIsake, noYakobi.’ Wangcangcazela uMoses, esoyika ukukhangela. ³³Wathi kuye uBawo wethu: ‘Khulula iimbadada ezinyaweni zakho, kuba indawo omi kuyo ingumhlaba ongcwele.’ ³⁴Ndikubonile nokukubona ukubandezeleka kwabantu bam eYiputa, ndakuva ukugula kwabo, ndehla ukuze ndibahlangule. Hamba ngoku—ndikuthume eYiputa.

³⁵Lo Moses, abamcekisayo besithi: ‘Ngubani okumise ukuba ube ngumphathi nomgwebi?’—nguye lo uBawo wethu amthumayo ukuba abe ngumphathi nomkhululi, ngesandla sesithunywa esabonakala kuye etyholweni. ³⁶Le ndoda yabakhupha, yenza imimangaliso nemiqondiso ezweni laseYiputa, naseLwandle oluBomvu, nasentlango iminyaka engamashumi amane. ³⁷Nguye lo Moses owathi koonyana bakaSirayeli: ‘UBawo wethu uya kunivelisela umprofeti onjengam, kubazalwana benu.’ ³⁸Nguye lo owayesebandleni entlango nesithunywa esithetha naye entabeni iSinayi, kwanoobawo bethu—wamkela amazwi aphilileyo ukuba asinike wona.

³⁹Oobawo bethu abavuma ukumthobela; bamcekisa, baza ezintliziyweni zabo babuyela eYiputa, ⁴⁰besithi kuAron: ‘Senzele oothixo abaya kusikhokela. Kaloku lo Moses, owasikhuphayo ezweni laseYiputa, asazi okwenzeke kuye.’ ⁴¹Benza ithole ngaloo mihla, banikela umbingelelo kwisithixo eso, baza bavuya ngoko kwenziwe zizandla zabo. ⁴²Kodwa uBawo wethu wabafulathela, wabanikela ukuba banqule umkhosi wasezulwini, njengoko kubhaliwe encwadini yabaprofeti: “Nandizisela na izilwanyana ezixheliweyo nemibingelelo iminyaka engamashumi amane entlango, nina ndlu kaSirayeli? ⁴³Nathwala intente kaMoloki nenkwenkwezi kathixo wenu uRefan, imifanekiso eniyenzileyo ukuze ninqule; ngoko ndiya kunifudusela ngaphaya kweBhabhilon.

⁴⁴Oobawo bethu babenentente yobungqina entlango, njengoko lowo wathetha noMoses wamyalela ukuba ayenze, ngokomfuziselo awayewubonile. ⁴⁵Oobawo bethu, nabo, bayingenisa kunye noYoshuwa ekuthabatheni ilizwe leentlanga awazigxothayo uBawo wethu phambi kwabo. Kwaba njalo kwada kwayimihla kaDavide, ⁴⁶owafumana ubabalo kuBawo wethu, waza wacela ukumfumanela indawo yokuhlala uBawo wethu. ⁴⁷Kodwa nguSolomon owamakhela indlu. ⁴⁸Kanti oPhezukonke akahlali ezindlwini ezenziwe ngezandla zabantu, njengoko watshoyo umprofeti:

⁴⁹“Izulu liyitrone yam, nomhlaba sisihlalo seenyawo zam. Yindlu enjani na eniya kundakhela yona, utsho uBawo wethu, yiyiphi na indawo yokuphumla kwam? ⁵⁰Asisosandla sam na esazenzayo zonke ezi zinto?”

⁵¹“Nina bantu bantamo ilukhuni, eningalukanga ntliziyweni nasezindlebeni, nisoloko niwuchasa uMoya oyiNgcwele—njengooyihlo, kwanjalo nani. ⁵²Nguwuphi na umprofeti abangamtshutshisanga ooyihlo? Babulala abo baxela kwangaphambili ukuza koLungisa—enithe nina ngoku namngcatsha nambulala. ⁵³Nina enawamkela umthetho ngezithunywa, kodwa anawugcina.”

⁵⁴Ke bakuba beva ezi zinto, bavutha ngumsindo, baza bamgedlela amazinyo. ⁵⁵Kodwa uStefano, ezele nguMoya oyiNgcwele, wakhangela ezulwini, wabubona ubuqaqawuli bukaBawo wethu, noYesu emi ngasekunene kukaBawo wethu. ^a a v55 UStefano ubona uYesu emi ecaleni likaBawo wethu ezulwini—uNyana obekwe iwonga ngasekunene kukaYise, owahlukileyo kuBawo kodwa ebelana naye ngobuqaqawuli bakhe.

⁵⁶Wathi: “Khangelani, ndibona amazulu evulekile, noNyana woLuntu emi ngasekunene kukaBawo wethu.”

⁵⁷Kodwa bakhala ngezwi elikhulu, bazivingca iindlebe zabo, baza bagaleleka kuye bonke. ⁵⁸Bamkhuphela ngaphandle komzi, bamxuluba ngamatye. Amangqina abeka iingubo zawo ezinyaweni zomfana ogama linguSawule.

⁵⁹Bathi besamxuluba ngamatye, uStefano wadanduluka wathi: “Nkosi Yesu, yamkele umoya wam.” ^b b v59 Esifa, uStefano uphathisa uYesu umoya wakhe—wona kanye umthandazo uYesu awawuthandaza kuBawo esemnqamlezweni (Luka 23:46). Ukuwuthandaza kuYesu kukumvuma njengeNkosi.

⁶⁰Waza waguqa ngamadolo, wadanduluka ngezwi elikhulu, wathi: “Nkosi, musa ukubabekela esi sono.” Akutsho walala.