NgokukaMathewu 12

12 ¹Ngaleso sikhathi uJesu wadabula emasimini amabele ngeSabatha. Abafundi bakhe babelambile, baqala ukukha izikhwebu bazidla. ²Bekubona lokhu, abaFarisi bathi kuye: “Bheka—abafundi bakho benza okungavunyelwe ngeSabatha.”

³Wathi kubo: “Anikufundanga yini lokho akwenza uDavide ngesikhathi elambile yena nalabo ababenaye?” ⁴ukuthi wangena kanjani endlini kaBaba wethu wadla izinkwa zokubukwa, okwakungavunyelwe kuye nakulabo ababenaye, ezazibekelwe abapristi kuphela? ⁵“Noma anikufundanga yini eMthethweni ukuthi ngeSabatha abapristi ethempelini bayawephula iSabatha kodwa abanacala? ⁶Ngithi kini, kukhona lapha okukhulu kunethempeli. ⁷Ukuba benazi ukuthi kuchazani ukuthi ‘Ngifuna isihawu, hhayi umhlatshelo,’ ngabe anibalahlanga abangenacala. ⁸Ngokuba iNdodana yomuntu iyiNkosi yeSabatha.”

Isihawu sikaBaba wethu siyaphulukisa ngeSabatha

⁹Wasuka lapho wangena esinagogeni labo. ¹⁰Kwakukhona lapho umuntu onesandla esishwabene. Bambuza bathi: “Kuvunyelwe yini ukuphulukisa ngeSabatha?”—benethemba lokummangalela.

¹¹Wathi kubo: “Ngubani kini onemvu, uma iwela emgodini ngeSabatha, ongeke ayibambe ayikhiphe? ¹²Umuntu ubaluleke kangakanani kunemvu! Ngakho kuvunyelwe ukwenza okuhle ngeSabatha.” ¹³Wayesethi kuye: “Yelula isandla sakho.” Waselula, sabuyiselwa esimweni saso, saphila njengesinye.

¹⁴Kodwa abaFarisi baphuma bakha icebo lokumbhubhisa.

Inceku ethandekayo kaBaba wethu

¹⁵UJesu, ekwazi lokhu, wasuka lapho. Abaningi bamlandela, wabaphulukisa bonke, ¹⁶wabayala ukuba bangatsheli muntu ngaye. ¹⁷Lokhu kwenzeka ukuze kugcwaliseke okwakhulunywa ngumprofethi u-Isaya:

¹⁸“Bheka, inceku yami—uJesu— engiyikhethile, othandekayo wami, othokozisa umphefumulo wami. Ngizobeka uMoya wami phezu kwakhe, futhi uyakumemezela ubulungiswa ezizweni. ¹⁹Akayikuxabana noma amemeze, futhi akekho oyokuzwa izwi lakhe ezitaladini. ²⁰Umhlanga ofecekile akayikuwuphula, nentambo entuthayo akayikuyicima, aze alethe ubulungiswa ekunqobeni; ²¹futhi egameni lakhe izizwe ziyakubeka ithemba lazo.”

Umbuso owahlukene ngokwawo ngeke ume

²²Khona-ke bamlethela umuntu owayephethwe yidemoni, eyimpumputhe eyisimungulu, wamphulukisa, waze wakwazi ukukhuluma nokubona. ²³Zonke izixuku zamangala zathi: “Kungaba yiNdodana kaDavide yini lo?” ²⁴Kodwa bekuzwa lokhu, abaFarisi bathi: “Lo muntu ukhipha amademoni ngoBhelzebuli kuphela, inkosana yamademoni.”

²⁵Eyazi imicabango yabo, wathi kubo: “Wonke umbuso owahlukene ngokwawo uyachitheka, futhi lonke idolobha noma indlu eyahlukene ngokwayo ngeke ime. ²⁶Uma uSathane ekhipha uSathane, uzahlukanisile ngokwakhe. Pho umbuso wakhe uyakuma kanjani? ²⁷Uma ngikhipha amademoni ngoBhelzebuli, amadodana enu wona awakhipha ngobani? Ngakho wona ayakuba ngabahluleli benu. ²⁸Kodwa uma ngikhipha amademoni ngoMoya kaBaba wethu, umbuso kaBaba wethu usufikile kini. ²⁹Noma umuntu angangena kanjani endlini yesiqhwaga athathe impahla yaso, ngaphandle kokuba aqale asibophe isiqhwaga? Khona-ke uyakuyiphanga indlu yaso.

³⁰Ongenami umelene nami, nongabuthi kanye nami uyahlakaza. ³¹Ngakho ngithi kini, zonke izono nokuhlambalaza kuyakuthethelelwa abantu, kodwa ukuhlambalaza uMoya ngeke kuthethelelwe. ³²Noma ngubani okhuluma okubi ngeNdodana yomuntu uyakuthethelelwa; kodwa okhuluma okubi ngoMoya oNgcwele akayikuthethelelwa—kungaba kulesi sikhathi noma esikhathini esizayo.

³³Yenzani umuthi ube muhle nezithelo zawo zibe nhle, noma umuthi ube mubi nezithelo zawo zibe zimbi, ngokuba umuthi waziwa ngezithelo zawo. ³⁴Nina nzalo yezinyoka! Ningakhuluma kanjani izinto ezinhle nibe nibabi? Ngokuba umlomo ukhuluma lokho okugcwele enhliziyweni. ³⁵Umuntu omuhle ukhipha okuhle engcebweni enhle; umuntu omubi ukhipha okubi engcebweni embi. ³⁶Ngithi kini, ngosuku lokwahlulela abantu bayakulandisa ngawo wonke amazwi angenasizathu abawakhulumayo, ³⁷ngokuba ngamazwi akho uyakulungisiswa, nangamazwi akho uyakulahlwa.”

Isibonakaliso sikaJona

³⁸Khona-ke abanye ababhali nabaFarisi bathi: “Mfundisi, sifuna ukubona isibonakaliso kuwe.”

³⁹Waphendula wathi: “Lesi sizukulwane esibi nesiphingayo sifuna isibonakaliso. Asiyikunikwa sibonakaliso ngaphandle kwesibonakaliso sikaJona umprofethi. ⁴⁰Njengoba uJona wayesiswini senhlanzi enkulu izinsuku ezintathu nobusuku obuthathu, kanjalo neNdodana yomuntu iyakuba enhliziyweni yomhlaba izinsuku ezintathu nobusuku obuthathu. ⁴¹Abantu baseNineve bayakuvuka ekwahlulelweni kanye nalesi sizukulwane basilahle, ngokuba baphenduka ngokushumayela kukaJona, kanti kukhona lapha okukhulu kunoJona. ⁴²Indlovukazi yaseNingizimu iyakuvuka ekwahlulelweni kanye nalesi sizukulwane isilahle, ngokuba yavela emikhawulweni yomhlaba ukuzozwa ukuhlakanipha kukaSolomoni—kanti bheka, kukhona lapha okukhulu kunoSolomoni.

⁴³Lapho umoya ongcolile uphuma emuntwini, uhamba udabula izindawo ezomile ufuna ukuphumula, kodwa awukutholi. ⁴⁴Khona-ke uthi: ‘Ngiyakubuyela endlini yami engiyishiyile.’ Lapho ufika, uyifica ingenalutho, ishaneliwe, ilungisiwe. ⁴⁵Khona-ke uhamba uthathe eminye imimoya eyisikhombisa emibi kunawo; ingena ihlale khona, nalowo muntu ube sesimweni esibi kunesakuqala. Kuyakuba njalo nakulesi sizukulwane esibi.”

Umndeni weqiniso kaBaba wethu

⁴⁶Esakhuluma nezixuku, unina nabafowabo bema ngaphandle, befuna ukukhuluma naye. ⁴⁷Othile wathi kuye: “Bheka, unyoko nabafowenu bemi ngaphandle, befuna ukukhuluma nawe.”

⁴⁸Waphendula lowo owamtshela wathi: “Ngubani umama, futhi ngobani abafowethu?”

⁴⁹Eselulela isandla sakhe kubafundi bakhe, wathi: “Nampa umama nabafowethu! ⁵⁰Ngokuba noma ngubani owenza intando kaBaba osezulwini nguye umfowethu nodadewethu nomama.”