IZenzo 5

5 ¹Kwakukhona indoda egama layo lingu-Ananiya, kanye nomkakhe uSafira, eyathengisa isiqephu somhlaba. ²Wazigodlela ingxenye yemali, umkakhe ekwazi lokho, waletha ingxenye kuphela, wayibeka ezinyaweni zabaphostoli. ³Kodwa uPhethro wathi: “Ananiya, kungani uSathane egcwalise inhliziyo yakho ukuba uqambele uMoya oNgcwele amanga, uzigodlele ingxenye yentengo yomhlaba? ⁴Bewungewakho yini umhlaba ngesikhathi ungakathengiswa? Nasemva kokuthengiswa, imali yayingeyakho yini ukuba uyiphathe? Kungani ucebe lokhu enhliziyweni yakho? Awuqambelanga abantu amanga, kodwa uqambele uBaba wethu.” ^a a v4 Lapho uPhethro ethi ukuqambela uMoya oNgcwele amanga kungukuqambela uBaba wethu amanga, ubonisa ukuthi uMoya unguNkulunkulu ngokugcwele — akuwona amandla nje, kodwa unguMuntu onobunkulunkulu.

⁵Ekuzwa lawa mazwi, u-Ananiya wawa phansi wafa; kwabamba ukwesaba okukhulu bonke abakuzwayo. ⁶Izinsizwa zasukuma, zasonga isidumbu sakhe, zamkhiphela ngaphandle, zamngcwaba. ⁷Emva kwamahora amathathu, umkakhe wangena, engazi ukuthi kwenzekeni. ⁸UPhethro wambuza: “Ngitshele, nawuthengisa umhlaba ngale mali?” Wathi: “Yebo, ngaleyo mali.”

⁹UPhethro wathi kuye: “Kungani nivumelene ukulinga uMoya kaBaba wethu? Bheka, izinyawo zalabo abangcwabe umyeni wakho zisemnyango, bazokukhiphela nawe ngaphandle.”

¹⁰Masinyane wawa ezinyaweni zakhe wafa. Izinsizwa zangena, zamfica esefile, zamkhiphela ngaphandle, zamngcwaba eceleni komyeni wakhe. ¹¹Kwehlela ukwesaba okukhulu phezu kwebandla lonke naphezu kwabo bonke abezwa ngalezi zinto.

Izibonakaliso nezimangaliso ngabaphostoli

¹²Izibonakaliso eziningi nezimangaliso zenzeka phakathi kwabantu ngezandla zabaphostoli. Babehlangana ndawonye bonke eVulandini lukaSolomoni. ¹³Kwakungekho noyedwa kwabanye owayenesibindi sokuzihlanganisa nabo, kodwa abantu babebahlonipha kakhulu. ¹⁴Kwakhula nakakhulu inani lamakholwa ayengezwa eNkosini—izixuku zamadoda nabesifazane, ¹⁵kangangokuthi babephumisa abagulayo emigwaqweni, bababeka emicamelweni nasemacansini, benethemba lokuthi okungenani isithunzi sikaPhethro singawela phezu kwabanye babo lapho edlula. ¹⁶Izixuku zafika nazivela emizini ezungeze iJerusalema, ziletha abagulayo nalabo abahlushwa yimimoya engcolile, baphulukiswa bonke.

Baboshwa, bakhululwa, babuyela

¹⁷Umpristi omkhulu wasukuma, nabo bonke ababenaye, iqembu labaSadusi, bagcwala umhawu. ¹⁸Bababamba abaphostoli, babafaka etilongweni lomphakathi. ¹⁹Kodwa ebusuku ingelosi kaBaba wethu yavula iminyango yetilongo, yabakhiphela ngaphandle, yathi: ²⁰“Hambani, nime ethempelini, nikhulume ebantwini wonke amazwi alokhu Kuphila.”

²¹Bekuzwa lokhu, bangena ethempelini ngovivi, baqala ukufundisa. Kwathi umpristi omkhulu nalabo ababenaye befika, babizela ndawonye umkhandlu—umhlangano wonke wamalunga akwa-Israyeli—bathumela etilongweni ukuba balethwe. ²²Kodwa abalindi, lapho befika, abatholanga muntu lapho; babuyela emuva babika: ²³“Sifice itilongo likhiyiwe kahle, abalindi bemi eminyango, kodwa sithe sivula, asitholanga muntu ngaphakathi.”

²⁴Bekuzwa lokhu, induna yabalindi bethempeli nabapristi abakhulu badideka, bezibuza ukuthi lokhu kwakuzophelelaphi. ²⁵Kwafika othile wabika: “Bhekani, amadoda enawafaka etilongweni ami ethempelini efundisa abantu!” ²⁶Induna nezikhonzi zahamba zabaletha, kungekho ukusebenzisa amandla, ngoba zazesaba ukuthi abantu bangabakhanda ngamatshe. ²⁷Bathe sebebalethile, bababeka phambi komkhandlu. Umpristi omkhulu wababuza, ²⁸wathi: “Saniyala ngokuqinile ukuba ningafundisi ngaleli gama, kodwa seniyigcwalisile iJerusalema ngemfundiso yenu, nihlose ukwehlisela igazi lale ndoda phezu kwethu.”

²⁹Kodwa uPhethro nabaphostoli baphendula bathi: “Kumelwe silalele uBaba wethu kunabantu. ³⁰UNkulunkulu wobaba bethu wamvusa uJesu, enambulala ngokumlengisa esihlahleni. ³¹UBaba wethu wamphakamisela ngakwesokunene sakhe njengoMbusi noMsindisi, ukuze anike u-Israyeli ukuphenduka nokuthethelelwa kwezono. ³²Singofakazi balezi zinto, kanjalo noMoya oNgcwele, uBaba wethu amnika labo abamlalelayo.”

³³Bekuzwa lokhu, bathukuthela bagana unwabu, bafuna ukubabulala. ³⁴Kodwa umFarisi ogama lakhe linguGamaliyeli, umfundisi womthetho owayehlonishwa yibo bonke abantu, wasukuma emkhandlwini, wayala ukuba la madoda akhishelwe ngaphandle isikhashana. ³⁵Wathi kubo: “Madoda akwa-Israyeli, cabangani kahle ngalokho enizokwenza kula madoda. ³⁶Ngaphambi kwalokhu, kwavela uTewuda, ezisho ukuthi ungumuntu othile; amadoda angaba ngama-400 amlandela. Wabulawa, abalandeli bakhe bahlakazeka bonke, kwaphelela ezeni. ³⁷Emva kwakhe, kwasukuma uJuda umGalile ngesikhathi sokubalwa kwabantu, wahugela abantu emuva kwakhe. Naye wafa, bonke abamlandela bahlakazeka. ³⁸Manje ngithi kini: dedani kula madoda, niwayeke. Uma leli cebo noma lo msebenzi uvela ebantwini, uzokwehluleka. ³⁹Kodwa uma kuvela kuBaba wethu, ngeke nikwazi ukubachitha; ningazithola nilwa noBaba wethu.” Ngakho banxenxeka nguye.

⁴⁰Benxenxekile nguye, babiza abaphostoli, bababhaxabula, babayala ukuba bangakhulumi egameni likaJesu, base bebakhulula. ⁴¹Ngakho basuka emkhandlwini, bethokoza ngokuba babonakale befanelwe ukuhlazwa ngenxa yegama. ⁴²Zonke izinsuku, ethempelini nasezindlini ngezindlu, abazange bayeke ukufundisa nokushumayela izindaba ezinhle: uKhristu nguJesu.