ImiSebenzi 19:1-41
19 U-Apholo wathi eseKhorinte, uPhawuli wahamba ngomgwaqo okhatshana lolwandle waze wayafika e-Efesu. Eselapho wathola abanye abafundi
2 wathi kubo: “Lawuthola yini umoya ongcwele ngesikhathi lisiba ngamakholwa?” Bamphendula bathi: “Kasikaze sizwe ukuthi kulomoya ongcwele.”
3 Yikho wathi: “Pho labhabhathizwa ngaluphi ubhabhathizo?” Bathi: “Ngobhabhathizo lukaJohane.”
4 UPhawuli wathi: “UJohane wabhabhathiza ngobhabhathizo olutshengisa ukuthi umuntu usephendukile, etshela abantu ukuthi bakholwe kulowo owayezakuza ngemva kwakhe, uJesu.”
5 Bekuzwa lokho babhabhathizwa ebizweni leNkosi uJesu.
6 UPhawuli wathi esebabeke izandla, umoya ongcwele wehlela phezu kwabo baqalisa ukuphrofetha lokukhuluma ngezindimi zakwamanye amazwe.
7 Amadoda la ayengaba ngu-12.
8 Okwenyanga ezintathu wayengena esinagogeni atshumayele ngesibindi, ekhuluma izinkulumo futhi ebonisana labo ngendlela esuthisayo, ebatshela ngoMbuso kaNkulunkulu.
9 Kodwa abanye baba yiziqholo, bala ukukholwa njalo bakhuluma kubi ngaleyoNdlela phambi kwexuku. Ngakho wathatha abafundi wasuka kubo, wayakhuluma izinkulumo nsuku zonke ewolu yesikolo sikaThiranu.
10 Lokhu wakwenza okweminyaka emibili, bonke ababehlala esabelweni sase-Asiya baze balizwa ilizwi leNkosi, abangamaJuda labangamaGrikhi.
11 UNkulunkulu waqhubeka esenza izimanga zezimanga ngezandla zikaPhawuli.
12 Ngitsho lamalembu ayethinta umzimba wakhe kanye layewathandela ayehanjiswa kwabagulayo, basile emikhuhlaneni, lamadimoni aphume.
13 Kodwa lamanye amaJuda ayehamba ekhipha amadimoni azama ukusebenzisa ibizo leNkosi uJesu kulabo ababelamadimoni, esithi: “NgoJesu lowo uPhawuli atshumayela ngaye ngikulaya ukuthi uphume.”
14 Amadodana ayisikhombisa omphristi okhokhelayo ongumJuda okuthiwa nguSkeva lawo ayekwenza lokho.
15 Kodwa idimoni lathi kuwo: “UJesu ngiyamazi loPhawuli ngimjayele; pho lina lingobani?”
16 Indoda eyayiledimoni yasiweqela yalwa lawo wonke yawehlula, aphuma endlini ebaleka enqunu futhi elimele.
17 AmaJuda lamaGrikhi wonke ayehlala e-Efesu akwazi lokhu. Wonke esaba njalo ibizo leNkosi uJesu laqhubeka likhazinyuliswa.
18 Abanengi abasebengamakholwa babebuya bavume futhi bakhulume phambi kwabantu lokho ababekwenza.
19 Labanye abanengi ababesenza amasalamusi babuthelela amabhuku abo bawatshisa phambi kwabantu bonke. Bathi bebala intengo yawo bathola ukuthi yayizinhlamvu zemali yesiliva ezingu-50 000.
20 Ngakho ilizwi likaJehova laqhubeka likhula futhi linqoba ngendlela emangalisayo.
21 Sekwenzakele lokho uPhawuli wazimisela emoyeni wakhe ukuthi nxa esedabule eMakhedoniya le-Akhaya wayezakuya eJerusalema. Wathi: “Ngingafika khona, kumele ngiye laseRoma.”
22 Yikho wathuma abancedisi bakhe ababili, uThimothi lo-Erastu, wathi kabaye eMakhedoniya. Kodwa yena wasala okwesikhathi esithile esabelweni sase-Asiya.
23 Ngalesosikhathi kwaba lokuxokozela ngenxa yaleyoNdlela,
24 ngoba kwakulendoda okuthiwa nguDemetriyu eyayingumkhandi wesiliva, isenza amathempeli amancane ka-Athemisi. Yayiwenza ngesiliva njalo yayilethela abakhandi besiliva imali enengi.
25 Yababuthanisa labanye ababesenza izinto ezinjengalezo, yathi: “Madoda, likwazi mhlophe ukuthi inotho yethu siyithola kubhizimusi yonale.
26 Khathesi liyabona futhi liyezwa ukuthi phose kuso sonke isabelo sase-Asiya, hatshi nje lapha e-Efesu, uPhawuli lo wenze ixuku elikhulu lakholwa, elidukisa esithi onkulunkulu abenziwe ngezandla kayisibo onkulunkulu beqiniso.
27 Kanti njalo kulengozi yokuthi abantu bazacina sebekhuluma kubi ngebhizimusi yethu, lethempeli likankulunkulukazi omkhulu u-Athemisi libe yinto engatsho lutho, aphelelwe yibukhazikhazi bakhe, yena okhonzwa esabelweni sonke sase-Asiya lasemhlabeni wonke.”
28 Amadoda la athi esizwa lokho azonda aphuphuma, aqalisa ukumemeza esithi: “Mkhulu u-Athemisi wabase-Efesu!”
29 Ngakho kwaba lesiphithiphithi edolobheni lonke, bonke batheleka enkundleni yemidlalo bedonsa uGayu lo-Aristakhu, amadoda aseMakhedoniya ayehamba loPhawuli.
30 UPhawuli yena wayezimisele ukuyangena lapho abantu ababekhona, kodwa abafundi bamalisa.
31 Ngitsho labanye abaphathi bemikhosi lemidlalo ababengabangane bakhe bathumela ilizwi kuye bemncenga ukuthi angaqali ukungena enkundleni yemidlalo.
32 Ixuku lona laseliphithene amakhanda, abanye bememeza lokhu abanye lokhuya, njalo abanengi babengakwazi lokuthi babuthaneleni.
33 Yikho bakhipha u-Alekizanda exukwini, amaJuda emfuqela phambili. U-Alekizanda waphakamisa isandla ethulisa abantu, efuna ukukhuluma labo azivikele.
34 Kodwa bathi benanzelela ukuthi wayengumJuda, bonke baqalisa ukumemeza kanye kanye okwamahola angaba mabili, besithi: “Mkhulu u-Athemisi wabase-Efesu!”
35 Umphathi wedolobho wacina elithulisile ixuku wasesithi: “Bantu base-Efesu, kambe ukhona sibili umuntu ongakwaziyo ukuthi idolobho le-Efesu lingumlondolozi wethempeli lika-Athemisi omkhulu kanye lesithombe esawa sivela ezulwini?
36 Njengoba engekho ongakuphika lokhu, bekani amaphaphu phansi, lingawalazeli.
37 Lapha lilethe abantu abangagqekezi amathempeli njalo abangamthukiyo unkulunkulukazi wethu.
38 Ngakho nxa uDemetriyu labanye akhanda labo isiliva belomuntu abamethesa icala, akhona amalanga okuthetha amacala futhi labosibalukhulu bezabelo* bakhona. Kabamangalelane kubo.
39 Kodwa nxa lifuna okunye okwedlula lokhu, isinqumo kufanele senziwe emhlanganweni wezakhamizi obizwa yiziphathamandla,
40 ngoba sisengozini yokwetheswa icala lokuvukela umbuso ngenxa yalokhu okwenzakale lamuhla, njengoba singela sizatho esingasitsho sokuthi kungani ixuku leli lixokozela.”
41 Esetsho njalo watshela ixuku ukuthi lichitheke.
Amabala angaphansi
^ Laba kwakungosibalukhulu bezabelo zeRoma. Khangela iNgcazelo Yamabala.
