IZenzo 19

19 ¹Ngesikhathi uApholo eseKorinte, uPawulu wadabula izwe elingaphakathi wafika e-Efesu, lapho afica khona abafundi abathile. ²Wababuza wathi: “Namukela yini uMoya oNgcwele mhla nikholwa?” Baphendula bathi: “Cha, asizange sisezwe ukuthi ukhona uMoya oNgcwele.”

³Wabe esebuza wathi: “Pho nabhapathizelwa kukuphi na?” Bathi: “Embhapathizweni kaJohane.”

⁴UPawulu wathi: “UJohane wabhapathiza ngombhapathizo wokuphenduka, etshela abantu ukuba bakholwe kulowo oza emva kwakhe—uJesu.”

⁵Bathi bekuzwa lokhu, babhapathizwa egameni leNkosi uJesu. ⁶Kwathi uPawulu esebeka izandla phezu kwabo, uMoya oNgcwele wehlela phezu kwabo; bakhuluma ngezilimi baprofetha. ⁷Base bebonke amadoda acishe abe yishumi nambili.

⁸UPawulu wangena esinagogeni, wakhuluma ngesibindi izinyanga ezintathu, ebonisana enxenxa ngombuso kaBaba wethu. ⁹Kwathi abanye besebalukhuni, benqaba ukukholwa behlambalaza iNdlela phambi kwesixuku, wasuka kubo, wathatha abafundi, waba esebonisana nsuku zonke endlini yezifundo kaThiranu. ¹⁰Lokhu kwaqhubeka iminyaka emibili, kangangokuba bonke ababehlala e-Asiya, kungaba amaJuda noma amaGreki, balizwa izwi leNkosi uJesu.

¹¹UBaba wethu wenza izimangaliso ezingavamile ngezandla zikaPawulu, ¹²kangangokuba ngisho namaduku nezembatho ezazithinta isikhumba sakhe kwakuyiswa kwabagulayo, izifo zibashiya, nemimoya emibi iphuma kubo.

¹³Abanye abakhiphi bemimoya emibi abangamaJuda abazulazulayo nabo bazama ukubiza igama leNkosi uJesu phezu kwalabo ababenemimoya emibi, bathi: “Ngiyaniyala ngoJesu ashumayela ngaye uPawulu.” ¹⁴Kwakukhona amadodana ayisikhombisa ompristi omkhulu ongumJuda ogama lakhe linguSikheva ayekwenza lokhu.

¹⁵Kodwa umoya omubi wabaphendula wathi: “UJesu ngiyamazi, noPawulu ngiyamqaphela, kodwa nina ningobani na?” ¹⁶Indoda eyayinomoya omubi yabagxumela, yabehlula bonke, yabanqoba, kangangokuba babaleka kuleyo ndlu behamba ze belimele. ¹⁷Lokhu kwaziwa ngabo bonke amaJuda namaGreki ababehlala e-Efesu. Bonke babanjwa uvalo, negama leNkosi uJesu ladunyiswa kakhulu. ¹⁸Abaningi balabo ababesebe ngamakholwa beza, bevuma bedalula izenzo zabo. ¹⁹Abaningi ababenze imilingo baletha imiqulu yabo ndawonye bayishisa phambi kwabo bonke. Babala intengo yayo bafica ukuthi ifinyelela kumaholo ezinsuku ezingama-50 000. ^a a v19 Isiqephu ngasinye sesiliva sasiyidrakma—cishe iholo losuku lwesisebenzi. Imiqulu eshisiwe yayilingana namaholo ezinsuku ezingaba yizinkulungwane ezingamashumi amahlanu. ²⁰Ngakho izwi leNkosi uJesu laqhubeka likhula ngamandla linqoba.

²¹Kwathi lokhu sekwenziwe, uPawulu wanquma emoyeni wakhe ukudabula iMakedoniya ne-Akhaya aye eJerusalema, ethi: “Emva kokuba sengibe khona, kumele ngiyibone neRoma.” ²²Wathuma ababili kubasizi bakhe, uThimothewu no-Erastu, eMakedoniya, kanti yena wasala e-Asiya isikhashana eside. ²³Ngaleso sikhathi kwavela isiphithiphithi esikhulu mayelana neNdlela. ²⁴Ngokuba indoda egama layo linguDemetriyu, umkhandi wesiliva owayenza izindlwana zesiliva zika-Aritemi, yayinikeza abakhandi abaningi umsebenzi omningi. ^b b v24 U-Aritemi wase-Efesu wayengunkulunkulukazi omkhulu wonina womuzi. Ithempeli lakhe laliwodwa wezimangaliso eziyisikhombisa zomhlaba wasendulo futhi liyinhliziyo yomnotho womuzi. ²⁵Wababuthela ndawonye kanye nezisebenzi zemisebenzi efanayo, wathi: “Madoda, niyazi ukuthi ingcebo yethu ivela kulo msebenzi. ²⁶Niyabona niyezwa ukuthi lo Pawulu usenxenxile waphambukisa abantu abaningi kakhulu—hhayi e-Efesu kuphela kodwa phose kuyo yonke i-Asiya—ebatshela ukuthi onkulunkulu abenziwe ngezandla abasibo onkulunkulu nhlobo. ²⁷Ingozi akusikhona nje kuphela ukuthi umsebenzi wethu ulahlekelwe yigama lawo elihle, kodwa nokuthi ithempeli likankulunkulukazi omkhulu u-Aritemi liyekwaba yize, naye, okhonzwa yiyo yonke i-Asiya nomhlaba, ahlutshulwe ubukhulu bakhe.”

²⁸Bathi bekuzwa lokhu, bathukuthela bamemeza bathi: “Mkhulu u-Aritemi wama-Efesu!” ²⁹Umuzi wagcwala isiphithiphithi; bagijimela ndawonye enkundleni, behudula uGayu no-Aristarko, abaseMakedoniya, abangane bakhe bohambo lukaPawulu. ³⁰Kwathi uPawulu efuna ukungena esixukwini, abafundi abamvumelanga. ³¹Ngisho nezinye izikhulu zesifundazwe, abangane bakhe, zathumela izwi zimncenga ukuba angazibeki engozini ngokungena enkundleni. ³²Phakathi naleso sikhathi abanye babememeza okunye, abanye okunye—umhlangano wawusesiphithiphithini, abaningi babengazi ukuthi babebuthene ngani. ³³Abanye esixukwini bafundisa u-Aleksandru, amaJuda amqhubela phambili; waqhweba ngesandla sakhe, efuna ukuzivikela phambi kwabantu. ³⁴Bathi beqaphela ukuthi ungumJuda, bamemeza ngazwi linye cishe amahora amabili, bethi: “Mkhulu u-Aritemi wama-Efesu!”

³⁵Kwathi unobhala womuzi esethulisile isixuku, wathi: “Madoda ase-Efesu, ngubani ongaziyo ukuthi umuzi wama-Efesu ungumgcini wethempeli lika-Aritemi omkhulu nowomfanekiso owawa uvela ezulwini? ^c c v35 Abaningi babekholwa ukuthi le nto engcwele yayiyitshe lezinkanyezi elalithe lawa livela esibhakabhakeni—okwathathwa njengobufakazi bomusa ka-Aritemi phezu komuzi. ³⁶Njengoba lezi zinto zingenakuphikwa, kumele nithule nizole ningenzi lutho ngamawala. ³⁷Ngokuba nilethe lawa madoda lapha angebona abaphangi bamathempeli futhi angebona abahlambalazi bankulunkulukazi wethu. ³⁸Ngakho uma uDemetriyu nabakhandi abakanye naye benecala ngomuntu othile, izinkantolo zivuliwe nababusi bezwe bakhona—mabamangalelane lapho. ³⁹Kodwa uma nifuna okunye okuthe xaxa, kuyoxazululwa emhlanganweni ojwayelekile. ⁴⁰Sisengozini yokubekwa icala ngesiphithiphithi sanamuhla, njengoba singenaso isizathu esiyokwazi ukusichaza lesi sidumo.” ⁴¹Esekushilo lokhu, wawuhlakaza umhlangano.