NgokukaJohane 1

1 ¹Ekuqaleni wayekhona uLizwi, uLizwi wayenoBaba wethu, uLizwi wayenguNkulunkulu. ²Yena wayekhona ekuqaleni enoBaba wethu. ³Zonke izinto zadalwa ngaye, ngaphandle kwakhe akukho lutho nolulodwa olwadalwa kulokho okwadalwa. ⁴Kuye kwakukhona ukuphila, futhi ukuphila kwakuwukukhanya kwabantu bonke. ⁵Ukukhanya kuyakhanya ebumnyameni, futhi ubumnyama abukunqobanga.

⁶Kwafika umuntu othunywe nguBaba wethu, igama lakhe kwakunguJohane. ⁷Wafika engufakazi, ukuze afakaze ngokukhanya, ukuze bonke bakholwe ngobufakazi bukaJohane. ⁸Wayengeyena ukukhanya, kodwa weza ukuze afakaze ngokukhanya. ⁹Ukukhanya kweqiniso, okukhanyisa wonke umuntu, kwakuza ezweni. ¹⁰Wayesezweni. Izwe lenziwa ngaye, kodwa alimazanga. ¹¹Weza kwabakhe, kodwa abantu bakhe abamemukelanga. ¹²Kodwa bonke abamemukelayo, abakholwa egameni lakhe, wabanika ilungelo lokuba babe ngabantwana bakaBaba wethu, ^a a v12 Labo abemukela uJesu banikwa ilungelo lokuba babe ngabantwana bakaBaba wethu — bebuyiselwe emndenini waLowo owathuma iNdodana yakhe. ¹³abantwana abangazalwanga ngegazi, nangentando yenyama, nangentando yendoda, kodwa bazalwa nguBaba wethu.

¹⁴ULizwi waba yinyama, wahlala phakathi kwethu. Sabona inkazimulo yakhe, inkazimulo yeNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa evela kuYise, igcwele umusa neqiniso. ¹⁵UJohane wafakaza ngaye, ememeza wathi: “Nguyena lo engangisho ngaye: ozayo emva kwami ungaphezu kwami, ngokuba wayekhona ngaphambi kwami.” ¹⁶Ngokuba ekugcwaleni kwakhe sonke semukele, umusa phezu komusa. ¹⁷Ngokuba umthetho wanikwa ngoMose; umusa neqiniso kweza ngoJesu Khristu. ¹⁸Akekho owake wabona uBaba wethu; iNdodana ezelwe yodwa, eseduze noYise, imazisile. ^b b v18 INdodana kuphela ehlala njalo iseduze nenhliziyo kaBaba wethu engasibonisa ukuthi uBaba wethu ungubani ngempela — konke ukubonakala kukaBaba kufika ngoJesu.

Ungubani Wena, Johane?

¹⁹Lobu yibo ubufakazi bukaJohane, lapho amaJuda ethuma abapristi namaLevi eJerusalema ukuba bambuze bathi: “Ungubani wena?” ²⁰Wavuma, akaphikanga, kodwa wavuma wathi: “Mina angisiye uKhristu.”

²¹Base bembuza bathi: “Pho? Wena ungu-Eliya na?” Wathi: “Angisiyena.” “Wena ungumprofethi na?” Waphendula wathi: “Qha.”

²²Khona base bethi: “Ungubani na? Kufanele siphendule labo abasithumileyo. Uthini wena ngawe?”

²³Wathi: “Mina ngiyizwi lomemezayo ehlane, elithi, ‘Lungisani indlela yeNkosi,’ njengokuba umprofethi u-Isaya washo.”

²⁴Labo ababethunyiwe babethunywe ngabaFarisi. ²⁵Bambuza bathi: “Pho ubhapathizelani, uma ungesiye uKhristu, noma u-Eliya, noma umprofethi?”

²⁶UJohane wabaphendula wathi: “Mina ngibhapathiza ngamanzi, kodwa phakathi kwenu kumi omunye eningamazi, ²⁷yena ozayo emva kwami, engingafanele ngisho ukuthukulula umchilo wesicathulo sakhe.” ²⁸Lezi zinto zenzeka eBethaniya ngaphesheya kweJordani, lapho uJohane ayebhapathiza khona.

Bheka, iWundlu

²⁹Ngakusasa, wabona uJesu eza kuye, wathi: “Bheka! IWundlu likaBaba wethu—uJesu—elisusa isono sezwe! ^c c v29 UJohane ubiza uJesu ngokuthi “iWundlu likaBaba wethu” ngokuba nguBaba olungiselela iWundlu — uBaba ofananayo owathembisa u-Abhrahama wathi, ‘UNkulunkulu uyakuzilungiselela yena iwundlu,’ manje egcwalisa leso sithembiso eNdodaneni yakhe. ³⁰Nguyena lo engangisho ngaye: ‘Emva kwami kuza indoda engaphambi kwami, ngokuba yayikhona ngaphambi kwami.’ ³¹Mina bengingamazi, kodwa ngize ngibhapathiza ngamanzi ukuze abonakaliswe ku-Israyeli.” ³²UJohane wafakaza wathi: “Ngabona uMoya oNgcwele wehla ezulwini njengejuba, wahlala phezu kwakhe. ³³Mina bengingamazi, kodwa lowo owangithuma ukuba ngibhapathize ngamanzi wangitshela wathi, ‘Lowo oyakubona uMoya oNgcwele wehla ahlale phezu kwakhe—nguye obhapathiza ngoMoya oNgcwele.’ ³⁴Futhi ngibonile, ngafakaza ukuthi lo uyiNdodana kaBaba wethu.” ^d d v34 Ubufakazi bukaJohane bubiza uJesu ngokuthi iNdodana kaBaba wethu — hhayi nje “indodana kaNkulunkulu” kodwa iNdodana engunaphakade uBaba ayithande kusukela zingakabikho izwe.

Woza Ubone

³⁵Ngakusasa uJohane wayemi futhi nabafundi bakhe ababili, ³⁶wathi ebuka uJesu edlula, wathi: “Bheka! IWundlu likaBaba wethu!” ³⁷Abafundi bobabili bamuzwa ekhuluma lokhu, base belandela uJesu.

³⁸UJesu waphenduka, wababona belandela, wabuza wathi: “Nifunani?” Bathi: “Rabi” (okungukuthi Mfundisi), “uhlala kuphi?”

³⁹Wathi kubo: “Wozani nizobona.” Base behamba, babona lapho ehlala khona, bahlala naye ngalolo suku—cishe ngehora lesine ntambama.

⁴⁰Omunye kulaba ababili abezwa uJohane ekhuluma, balandela uJesu, kwakungu-Andreya, umfowabo kaSimoni Petru. ⁴¹Waqala wathola umfowabo uSimoni, wathi kuye: “Simtholile uMesiya” (okungukuthi uKhristu).

⁴²Wamletha kuJesu. UJesu wambuka wathi: “Wena unguSimoni indodana kaJohane. Uyakubizwa ngokuthi uKhefase” (okungukuthi uPetru).

⁴³Ngakusasa, uJesu wanquma ukuya eGalile. Wathola uFiliphu, wathi kuye: “Ngilandele.”

⁴⁴UFiliphu wayevela eBhethisayida, umuzi ka-Andreya noPetru. ⁴⁵UFiliphu wathola uNathaniyeli, wathi kuye: “Simtholile lowo uMose abhala ngaye eMthethweni nakubaprofethi—uJesu, indodana kaJosefa, waseNazaretha.”

⁴⁶UNathaniyeli wathi: “Kungavela yini okuhle eNazaretha?” UFiliphu wathi: “Woza ubone.”

⁴⁷UJesu wabona uNathaniyeli esondela, wathi ngaye: “Bheka—umIsrayeli weqiniso, okungekho nkohliso kuye!”

⁴⁸UNathaniyeli wambuza wathi: “Ungazi kanjani?” UJesu waphendula wathi: “Ngaphambi kokuba uFiliphu akubize, usengaphansi komkhiwane, ngikubonile.”

⁴⁹UNathaniyeli wamphendula wathi: “Rabi, wena uyiNdodana kaBaba wethu! Wena uyiNkosi yakwa-Israyeli!”

⁵⁰UJesu wamphendula wathi: “Ukholwa ngokuba ngithe ngikubonile ngaphansi komkhiwane na? Uyakubona izinto ezinkulu kunalezi.” ⁵¹Wathi kuye: “Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile, ngithi kini, niyakubona izulu livulekile, nezingelosi zikaBaba wethu zenyuka zehla phezu kweNdodana yomuntu.” ^e e v51 UJesu ukhumbuza umbono kaJakobe eBethele (uGenesise 28:12), lapho izingelosi zazihamba phakathi kwezulu nomhlaba ngesikhwelo — manje osekugcwaliseke kuye.