NgokukaLuka 1

1 ¹Njengoba abaningi sebezamile ukuhlela ukulandisa okuhlelekile kwezinto esezigcwalisekile phakathi kwethu. ²njengalokhu labo ababeyizibonela kwasekuqaleni nezinceku zezwi basinikela lokhu kulandisa, ³nami, njengoba sengihlolisise konke ngokucophelela kwasekuqaleni, nganquma ukukubhalela kona ngokulandelana, wena Theyofilu ohloniphekileyo, ⁴ukuze wazi iqiniso lezinto ozifundisiweyo.

UBaba Wethu Uthembisa UZakariya Indodana

⁵Ezinsukwini zikaHerode, inkosi yaseJudiya, kwakukhona umpristi ogama lakhe linguZakariya, wesigaba sobupristi buka-Abiya. Umkakhe u-Elizabethe wayengowohlanga luka-Aroni. ^a a v5 Abapristi babehlelwe baba yizigaba ezingamashumi amabili nane ezazikhonza ngokushintshana ethempelini; isigaba sika-Abiya sasingesesishiyagalombili. ⁶Bobabili babelungile phambi kukaBaba wethu, behamba ngokungasoleki kuyo yonke imiyalo nezimiso zakhe. ⁷Kodwa babengenamntwana, ngokuba u-Elizabethe wayeyinyumba, futhi bobabili base bebadala kakhulu.

⁸Kwathi esakhonza njengompristi phambi kukaBaba wethu ngesikhathi sokukhonza kwesigaba sakhe, ⁹ngokwesiko labapristi, inkatho yamkhetha ukuba angene endlini engcwele yakhe ashise impepho. ¹⁰Sonke isixuku sabantu sasikhuleka ngaphandle ngesikhathi sokushiswa kwempepho. ^b b v10 Impepho yayishiswa ngaphakathi endlini engcwele njalo ekuseni nakusihlwa, kuthi abantu babuthane ngaphandle ukuze bakhuleke ngalezo zikhathi.

¹¹Kwabonakala kuye ingelosi kaBaba wethu, imi ngakwesokunene se-altare lempepho. ¹²UZakariya wethuka lapho eyibona, wafikelwa ukwesaba. ¹³Ingelosi yathi kuye: “Ungesabi, Zakariya—umkhuleko wakho uzwakele. Umkakho u-Elizabethe uzokuzalela indodana; uyiqambe igama uthi uJohane. ¹⁴Uyoba nenjabulo nokuthokoza; abaningi bayojabula ngokuzalwa kwakhe. ¹⁵Uyoba mkhulu phambi kukaBaba wethu, akanakuze aliphuze iwayini noma eminye iziphuzo ezidakayo, futhi uyogcwaliswa uMoya oNgcwele kwasesiswini sikanina. ¹⁶Uyophendulela abaningi babantwana bakwa-Israyeli kuBaba wabo. ¹⁷Uyohamba phambi kukaBaba wethu ngomoya namandla ka-Eliya, ephendulela izinhliziyo zoyise ebantwaneni babo, nabangalaleliyo ekuhlakanipheni kwabalungileyo, ukuze alungiselele uBaba wethu isizwe esimlungele.”

¹⁸UZakariya wathi engelosini: “Ngiyokwazi ngani lokhu? Ngimdala, nomkami useqhubekile eminyakeni.”

¹⁹Ingelosi yamphendula: “Mina nginguGabriyeli, omi phambi kukaBaba wethu, engithunyiwe ukukhuluma nawe nokukulethela lezi zindaba ezinhle. ²⁰Manje-ke uyothula, ungakwazi ukukhuluma, kuze kube yilolo suku lapho kwenzeka khona lezi zinto, ngokuba awukholwanga amazwi ami, ayogcwaliseka ngesikhathi sawo.”

²¹Phakathi naleso sikhathi abantu babelinde uZakariya, bemangala ukuthi kungani elibala kangaka endlini engcwele. ²²Kwathi lapho ephuma, akakwazanga ukukhuluma nabo, base beyazi ukuthi ubone umbono endlini engcwele. Waqhubeka ebaqhweba, wahlala eyisimungulu. ²³Kwathi lapho seziphelile izinsuku zokukhonza kwakhe, waya ekhaya. ²⁴Emva kwalezi zinsuku umkakhe u-Elizabethe wakhulelwa, wazifihla izinyanga ezinhlanu, ethi, ²⁵“Yilokhu uBaba wethu angenzele kona, ngezinsuku angibheka ngazo, ukuze asuse ihlazo lami phakathi kwabantu.”

UBaba Wethu Uthumela UGabriyeli KuMariya

²⁶Ngenyanga yesithupha uBaba wethu wathuma ingelosi uGabriyeli emzini waseGalile othiwa iNazaretha, ²⁷entombini eyayithembise ukwenda endodeni egama layo linguJosefa, yendlu kaDavide; igama lentombi linguMariya. ²⁸Yeza kuye yathi: “Sawubona, wena othole umusa! UBaba wethu unawe.”

²⁹Kodwa wakhathazeka kakhulu ngamazwi ayo, wazindla ukuthi lesi kungaba yisibingelelo esinjani. ³⁰Ingelosi yathi kuye: “Ungesabi, Mariya, ngokuba uthole umusa kuBaba wethu. ³¹Uyokhulelwa esiswini sakho uzale indodana, uyiqambe igama uthi uJesu. ³²Uyoba mkhulu, abizwe ngokuthi iNdodana yoPhezukonke, futhi uBaba wethu uyomnika isihlalo sobukhosi sikayise uDavide, ³³uyobusa phezu kwendlu kaJakobe kuze kube phakade; umbuso wakhe awuyikuphela.”

³⁴UMariya wathi engelosini: “Lokhu kuyokwenzeka kanjani, njengoba ngiyintombi engazani nandoda?”

³⁵Ingelosi yamphendula: “UMoya oNgcwele uyokwehlela phezu kwakho, namandla oPhezukonke ayokusibekela; ngakho umntwana ongcwele oyozalwa uyobizwa ngokuthi iNdodana kaBaba wethu. ³⁶Bheka, isihlobo sakho u-Elizabethe naye ukhulelwe indodana ebudaleni bakhe—le yinyanga yesithupha kuye obekuthiwa uyinyumba. ³⁷Ngokuba akukho lutho oluyokwehlula uBaba wethu.”

³⁸UMariya wathi: “Ngiyincekukazi kaBaba wethu; makwenzeke kimi njengokusho kwakho.” Ingelosi yayisimshiya.

UMariya Uvakashela U-Elizabethe

³⁹Ngalezo zinsuku uMariya wasukuma waphuthuma waya ezweni lezintaba, emzini wakwaJuda, ⁴⁰wangena endlini kaZakariya wabingelela u-Elizabethe. ⁴¹Kwathi lapho u-Elizabethe ezwa isibingelelo sikaMariya, umntwana waxhuma esiswini sakhe, wagcwaliswa uMoya oNgcwele. ⁴²Wamemeza ngezwi elikhulu, wathi: “Ubusisiwe wena phakathi kwabesifazane, futhi sibusisiwe isithelo sesisu sakho! ⁴³Kungani lokhu kunikwa mina, ukuba unina weNkosi yami eze kimi? ⁴⁴Ngokuba bheka, kuthe lapho ngizwa isibingelelo sakho, umntwana osesiswini sami waxhuma ngenjabulo. ⁴⁵Ubusisiwe lowo owakholwayo ukuthi kuyogcwaliseka lokho uBaba wethu akukhulumayo kuye.”

Ingoma Yokudumisa KaMariya

⁴⁶UMariya wathi: “Umphefumulo wami uyamkhulisa uBaba wethu, ⁴⁷umoya wami uyajabula kuBaba wethu, uMsindisi wami, ⁴⁸ngokuba ubhekile ubuphansi bencekukazi yakhe. Ngokuba kusukela manje zonke izizukulwane ziyongibiza ngokuthi ngibusisiwe; ⁴⁹ngokuba uSomandla wenze izinto ezinkulu kimi, futhi lingcwele igama lakhe. ⁵⁰Isihawu sakhe sikulabo abamesabayo, izizukulwane ngezizukulwane. ⁵¹Ubonakalise amandla ngengalo yakhe; ubahlakazile abazidlayo emicabangweni yezinhliziyo zabo; ⁵²Ubehlisile abanamandla ezihlalweni zabo zobukhosi, waphakamisa abathobekileyo; ⁵³Ubasuthisile abalambileyo ngezinto ezinhle, kodwa abacebileyo ubamukisile belambatha. ⁵⁴Ulekelele inceku yakhe u-Israyeli, ekukhumbuleni isihawu sakhe, ⁵⁵njengokusho kwakhe kobaba bethu, ku-Abhrahama nasenzalweni yakhe kuze kube phakade.”

⁵⁶UMariya wahlala naye izinyanga ezingaba ntathu, wabe esebuyela ekhaya kwakhe.

Kuzalwa UJohane

⁵⁷Kwathi sekufika isikhathi sika-Elizabethe sokubeletha, wazala indodana. ⁵⁸Omakhelwane bakhe nezihlobo bezwa ukuthi uBaba wethu umbonise isihawu esikhulu, bajabula kanye naye. ⁵⁹Kwathi ngosuku lwesishiyagalombili beza ukuzosoka umntwana, babezomqamba igama bathi uZakariya ngokukayise, ⁶⁰kodwa unina waphendula wathi: “Qha; uyobizwa ngokuthi uJohane.”

⁶¹Bathi kuye: “Akekho esihlotsheni sakho obizwa ngaleli gama.” ⁶²Base beqhweba uyise, bebuza ukuthi uZakariya ufuna umntwana abizwe ngokuthini.

⁶³Wacela isibhebhe wabhala wathi: “Igama lakhe nguJohane.” Bamangala bonke. ⁶⁴Masinyane wavuleka umlomo wakhe, nolimi lwakhe lwakhululeka, wakhuluma, edumisa uBaba wethu. ⁶⁵Ukwesaba kwehlela phezu kwabo bonke omakhelwane babo, zakhulunywa zonke lezi zinto kulo lonke izwe lezintaba laseJudiya. ⁶⁶Bonke abezwayo bazigcina lezi zinto ezinhliziyweni zabo, bethi: “Pho, uyoba yini lo mntwana?” Ngokuba isandla sikaBaba wethu sasinaye.

UZakariya Uyaprofetha

⁶⁷Uyise uZakariya wagcwaliswa uMoya oNgcwele, waprofetha, wathi: ⁶⁸“Makabusiswe uBaba wethu ka-Israyeli, ngokuba ubahambele wabahlenga abantu bakhe, ⁶⁹wasivusela uMsindisi onamandla endlini yenceku yakhe uDavide, ⁷⁰njengokukhuluma kwakhe ngomlomo wabaprofethi bakhe abangcwele endulo, ⁷¹ukuba sisindiswe ezitheni zethu nasesandleni sabo bonke abasizondayo; ⁷²ukubonisa isihawu esathenjiswa obaba bethu nokukhumbula isivumelwano sakhe esingcwele, ⁷³isifungo asifunga kubaba wethu u-Abhrahama, sokusipha, ⁷⁴ukuba thina, sesikhululiwe esandleni sezitha zethu, simkhonze ngaphandle kokwesaba, ⁷⁵ngobungcwele nangokulunga phambi kwakhe zonke izinsuku zethu. ⁷⁶Nawe, mntwana, uyobizwa ngokuthi umprofethi woPhezukonke; ngokuba uyohamba phambi kweNkosi ukulungisa izindlela zayo, ⁷⁷ukunika abantu bakhe ulwazi lwensindiso ngokuthethelelwa kwezono zabo, ⁷⁸ngenxa yesihawu esimnene sikaBaba wethu, okuyothi ngaso ukuphuma kwelanga okuvela phezulu kusihambele, ^c c v78 'Ukuphuma kwelanga okuvela phezulu' kuyigama likaJesu — ukukhanya okuntwelayo uBaba wethu akuthumela kulabo abasebumnyameni, ukuze kusihole sibuyele ekhaya. ⁷⁹ukukhanyisa kulabo abahlezi ebumnyameni nasethunzini lokufa, ukuhola izinyawo zethu zingene endleleni yokuthula.”

⁸⁰Umntwana wakhula, waqina emoyeni, wahlala ehlane kwaze kwaba yilolo suku lapho aziveza khona obala ku-Israyeli.