NgokukaJohane 3

3 ¹Kwakukhona umuntu wabaFarisi ogama lakhe linguNikhodemu, umbusi wamaJuda. ²Lo muntu weza kuJesu ebusuku wathi: “Rabi, siyazi ukuthi ungumfundisi ovela kuBaba wethu, ngokuba akekho ongenza lezi zibonakaliso ozenzayo ngaphandle kokuba uBaba wethu enaye.”

³UJesu waphendula wathi: “Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile, ngithi kuwe: ngaphandle kokuba umuntu azalwe evela phezulu, angeke awubone umbuso kaBaba wethu.” ^a a v3 Igama elithi anōthen lisho kokubili ukuthi ‘evela phezulu’ nokuthi ‘futhi.’ UNikhodemu uzwa ‘futhi’ — yingakho ebuza ngokungena esiswini futhi (v4).

⁴UNikhodemu wabuza wathi: “Angazalwa kanjani umuntu esemdala? Angangena yini esiswini sikanina futhi azalwe?”

⁵UJesu waphendula wathi: “Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile, ngithi kuwe, ngaphandle kokuba umuntu azalwe ngamanzi nangoMoya oNgcwele, angeke angene embusweni kaBaba wethu. ⁶Okuzelwe yinyama kuyinyama, okuzelwe nguMoya oNgcwele kungumoya. ⁷Ungamangali ngokuthi ngithe kuwe, ‘Nimelwe ukuzalwa nivela phezulu.’ ⁸Umoya uphephetha lapho uthanda khona; uyawuzwa umsindo wawo kodwa awazi ukuthi uvelaphi noma uya ngaphi. Kunjalo nakubo bonke abazelwe nguMoya.” ^b b v8 Igama elilodwa lisho kokubili “umoya ophephethayo” kanye no“Moya” — uJesu usebenzisa lowo ongamuzwa kodwa ongewulandele ukuze afanekise lowo onika ukuzalwa kabusha.

⁹UNikhodemu wathi kuye: “Zingenzeka kanjani lezi zinto?”

¹⁰UJesu wamphendula wathi: “Wena ungumfundisi ka-Israyeli kodwa ungaziqondi lezi zinto? ¹¹Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile, ngithi kuwe: sikhuluma esikwaziyo, sifakaza ngalokho esikubonile, kodwa anilwamukeli ubufakazi bethu. ¹²Uma nginitshele izinto zomhlaba ningakholwa, niyokukholwa kanjani uma nginitshela izinto zasezulwini? ¹³Akekho owake wenyukela ezulwini ngaphandle kwalowo owehla ezulwini, iNdodana yomuntu. ¹⁴Njengoba uMose waphakamisa inyoka ehlane, kanjalo iNdodana yomuntu imelwe ukuphakanyiswa, ^c c v14 UMose waphakamisa inyoka yethusi esigxotsheni ehlane ukuze noma yimuphi umIsrayeli olunywe yinyoka ayibheke aphile (Numeri 21:8–9). ¹⁵ukuze wonke okholwa nguye abe nokuphila okuphakade. ¹⁶Ngokuba uBaba wethu walithanda kangaka izwe waze wanikela ngeNdodana yakhe ezelwe yodwa, ukuze wonke okholwa nguye angabhubhi kodwa abe nokuphila okuphakade. ^d d v16 Uthando olwanikela ngeNdodana luluthando lukaBaba. UBaba wethu akazange athumele isihambi ezweni — wanikela ngeNdodana yakhe siqu, uJesu, ukuze sibuyele ekhaya njengabantwana bakhe. ¹⁷Ngokuba uBaba wethu akazange ayithumele iNdodana yakhe ezweni ukuba alahle izwe, kodwa ukuze izwe lisindiswe ngaye. ¹⁸Okholwa nguye akalahlwa; ongakholwayo uvele uselahliwe, ngokuba engakholwanga egameni leNdodana kaBaba wethu ezelwe yodwa. ¹⁹Lesi yisahlulelo: ukukhanya kungenile ezweni, kodwa abantu bathanda ubumnyama kakhulu kunokukhanya ngokuba izenzo zabo bezizimbi. ²⁰Wonke owenza okubi uyakuzonda ukukhanya futhi akezi ekukhanyeni, ukuze izenzo zakhe zingembulwa. ²¹Kodwa owenza iqiniso uyeza ekukhanyeni, ukuze kubonakaliswe ukuthi imisebenzi yakhe yenziwe kuBaba wethu.”

Ukubhabhadisa EJudiya

²²Emva kwalokhu, uJesu nabafundi bakhe baya emaphandleni aseJudiya, lapho ahlala khona nabo, ebhabhadisa. ²³UJohane naye wayebhabhadisa e-Enoni eduze kweSalimi, ngokuba amanzi ayemaningi lapho, abantu beza bebhabhadiswa, ²⁴ngokuba uJohane wayengakafakwa etilongweni. ²⁵Kwavela impikiswano phakathi kwabanye babafundi bakaJohane nomJuda mayelana nokuhlanjululwa. ²⁶Beza kuJohane bathi: “Rabi, lowo muntu owawunaye ngaphesheya kweJordani, lowo owafakaza ngaye—uyabhabhadisa, futhi wonke umuntu uya kuye.”

²⁷UJohane waphendula wathi: “Umuntu angeke athole nento eyodwa ngaphandle kokuba eyinikwe evela ezulwini. ²⁸Nina ngokwenu ningafakaza: ngathi ‘Angisiye uKhristu, kodwa ngithunyiwe ngaphambi kwakhe.’ ²⁹Lowo onomlobokazi ungumkhwenyana—uJesu. Umngane womkhwenyana, omi amlalele, uyajabula kakhulu ngezwi lomkhwenyana. Ngakho intokozo yami isiphelele manje. ^e e v29 UJohane ubiza uJesu ngokuthi uMkhwenyana — lowo uBaba wethu akade emthembisile ukuthi uyokuza azothatha uMlobokazi wakhe, abantu abathandayo. Intokozo kaJohane iyintokozo yomngane ngomshado ofika ekugcineni. ³⁰Yena umelwe ukwanda, kodwa mina ngimelwe ukunciphiswa.”

³¹Ovela phezulu ungaphezu kwabo bonke. Ovela emhlabeni ungowomhlaba futhi ukhuluma ngokomhlaba. Ovela ezulwini ungaphezu kwabo bonke. ³²Ufakaza ngalokho akubonile nakuzwile, kodwa akekho owamukela ubufakazi bakhe. ³³Owamukela ubufakazi bakhe uyaqinisa ukuthi uBaba wethu uqinisile. ³⁴Lowo uBaba wethu amthumileyo ukhuluma amazwi kaBaba wethu, ngokuba unikela ngoMoya oNgcwele ngokungalinganiselwe. ³⁵UBaba wethu uyayithanda iNdodana, futhi unikele zonke izinto esandleni sayo. ^f f v35 Uthando lukaBaba neNdodana olwembulwa kuleli vesi luyimpilo yangaphakathi kaNkulunkulu uqobo — olungunaphakade, olungaguquki, nomthombo wakho konke uBaba wethu akunike iNdodana ukuba ikuyise ezweni. ³⁶Okholwa yiNdodana unokuphila okuphakade; ongayilaleli iNdodana akayikukubona ukuphila—ulaka lukaBaba wethu luhlala phezu kwakhe.