NgokukaLuka 16

16 ¹Wathi futhi kubafundi bakhe: "Kwakukhona isicebi esasinomphathi owayemangalelwa ngokuchitha impahla yaso. ²Sambiza sathi kuye: 'Yini le engiyizwayo ngawe? Landisa ngokuphatha kwakho, ngokuba ngeke usakwazi ukuphatha.'

³"Umphathi wathi phakathi kwakhe: 'Ngizokwenzenjani? Inkosi yami ingithathela isikhundla sami. Anginamandla okulima, futhi nginamahloni okuphanza.' ⁴Ngiyakwazi engizokwenza, ukuze lapho ngiphelelwa yilo msebenzi, abantu bangamukele emakhaya abo.' ⁵Wabiza labo ababenesikweletu enkosini yakhe, oyedwa ngoyedwa, wabuza owokuqala: 'Ukweleta kangakanani inkosi yami?' ⁶Wathi: 'Izilinganiso eziyikhulu zamafutha eminqumo.' Wathi kuye: 'Thatha incwadi yakho yesikweletu, uhlale phansi ngokushesha, ubhale amashumi amahlanu.' ⁷Wabe esebuza omunye: 'Wena-ke, ukweleta kangakanani?' Wathi: 'Izilinganiso eziyikhulu zikakolweni.' 'Thatha incwadi yakho yesikweletu,' wathi kuye, 'ubhale amashumi ayisishiyagalombili.'

⁸"Inkosi yamncoma umphathi ongathembekile ngokwenza ngokuhlakanipha, ngokuba abantwana balesi sikhathi bahlakaniphe kakhulu esizukulwaneni sabo kunabantwana bokukhanya. ⁹Ngithi kini, zenzeleni abangane ngengcebo yalo mhlaba, ukuze lapho iphela, banamukele ezindlini eziphakade. ¹⁰Othembekile kokuncane kakhulu uthembekile nakokukhulu; ongathembekile kokuncane kakhulu akathembeki nakokukhulu. ¹¹Ngakho uma ningazange nithembeke engcebeni yalo mhlaba, ubani oyoniphathisa ingcebo yeqiniso? ¹²Futhi uma ningathembekanga ezintweni zomunye, ubani oyoninika okungokwenu? ¹³Ayikho inceku yasekhaya engakhonza amakhosi amabili. Iyozonda enye ithande enye, noma ibambelele kwenye idelele enye. Aninakukhonza bobabili uBaba wethu nengcebo."

¹⁴AbaFarisi, ababethanda imali, bezwa konke lokhu, bamhleka usulu.

¹⁵Wathi kubo: "Nina nizenza abalungileyo phambi kwabantu, kodwa uBaba wethu uyazazi izinhliziyo zenu. Lokho okudunyiswayo phakathi kwabantu kuyisinengiso kuBaba wethu."

¹⁶"UMthetho nabaProfethi kwaba khona kwaze kwaba nguJohane; kusukela lapho, izindaba ezinhle zombuso kaBaba wethu ziyamenyezelwa, futhi wonke umuntu uphokophelela kuwo ngamandla. ¹⁷Kodwa kulula ukuba izulu nomhlaba kudlule kunokuba kuwe uphawu olulodwa loMthetho."

¹⁸"Othi ehlukanise nomkakhe abe eseshada nomunye uyaphinga; ukushada nowesifazane olahliwe yindoda yakhe nakho kuwukuphinga."

Isicebi noLazaro

¹⁹"Kwakukhona isicebi esasigqoka izibubende nelineni elicolekileyo, sidla ngokutamasa okukhulu usuku ngalunye. ²⁰Kwakukhona nompofu ogama lakhe linguLazaro owayebekwe esangweni laso, egcwele izilonda, ²¹efisa ukudla imvuthuluka eyayiwa etafuleni lesicebi; ngisho nezinja zazifika zikhotha izilonda zakhe. ²²Wafa umpofu; izingelosi zamthwala zamyisa ohlangothini luka-Abrahama. Nesicebi naso safa, sangcwatshwa, ^a a v22 Uhlangothi luka-Abrahama: umfanekiso wamaJuda wendawo yokududuzwa lapho abalungileyo babephumula khona emva kokufa, belindele ukuvuka kwabafileyo. ²³esethuneni, esehlushwa, waphakamisa amehlo akhe wabona u-Abrahama ekude, noLazaro ohlangothini lwakhe. ^b b v23 IHayidesi lingumbuso wabafileyo, indawo yokulinda ephakathi kokufa nokwahlulelwa kokugcina — ayifani nendawo yokugcina yokwahlulelwa. ²⁴Wamemeza wathi: 'Baba Abrahama, ngihawukele. Thuma uLazaro ukuba agxamuze isihloko somunwe wakhe emanzini apholise ulimi lwami, ngokuba ngisebuhlungu obukhulu kuleli langabi.'

²⁵"Kodwa u-Abrahama wathi: 'Ndodana, khumbula: wawamukela izinto ezinhle ekuphileni kwakho, noLazaro ngokunjalo wamukela ezimbi. Manje yena uyaduduzwa lapha, wena usebuhlungu. ²⁶Ngaphezu kwakho konke lokhu, kukhona igebe elikhulu elehlukanisa phakathi kwethu nani, ukuze labo abafuna ukuwela besuka lapha beze kini bangakwazi, nalabo abalapho bangakwazi ukuwela beze kithi.'

²⁷"Wathi: 'Ngakho-ke ngiyakuncenga, baba, ukuba umthume endlini kababa, ²⁸ngokuba nginabafowethu abahlanu—akabaxwayise, ukuze nabo bangezi kule ndawo yokuhlushwa.'

²⁹"Kodwa u-Abrahama wathi: 'BanoMose nabaProfethi; mababalalele.'

³⁰Wathi: 'Qha, baba Abrahama, kodwa uma othile ovela kwabafileyo eya kubo, bayophenduka.'

³¹Wathi kuye: 'Uma bengalaleli uMose nabaProfethi, ngeke bavunyiswe ngisho noma othile evuka kwabafileyo.'"