KwabaseFiliphi 1:1-30
1 Mina Phawuli loThimothi esiyizinceku zikaKhristu uJesu, kini lonke abangcwele abaseFiliphi abamanyene loKhristu uJesu, lakubabonisi lezinceku ezikhonzayo:
2 Umusa omkhulu lokuthula okuvela kuNkulunkulu uBaba wethu kanye laseNkosini uJesu Khristu kakube kini.
3 Ngiyambonga ngaso sonke isikhathi uNkulunkulu nxa ngilikhumbula,
4 ngimbonga kuyo yonke imithandazo yami yokulincengela lonke. Ngiyathokoza loba nini lapho engithandaza khona ngilincengela,
5 ngenxa yokuthi kusukela ngelanga lokuqala kuze kube khathesi, belincedisa ukuthi izindaba ezinhle ziqhubekele phambili.
6 Nanku engileqiniso lakho: ukuthi lowo owaqalisa umsebenzi omuhle kini uzawuqedisa kuze kube lilanga likaKhristu uJesu.
7 Kuqondile ukuthi ngicabange lokho ngani lonke, njengoba ngilithanda kakhulu enhliziyweni yami, lina elihlanganyela lami emuseni omkhulu ngesikhathi ngisejele ngibotshiwe lalapho ngivikela izindaba ezinhle futhi ngizimisa ziqine ngokusemthethweni.
8 UNkulunkulu ungufakazi wami wokuthi lonke ngiyalikhanuka kakhulu ngothando olukhulu olunjengolukaKhristu uJesu.
9 Kanti njalo nanku engiqhubeka ngikuthandazela: ukuthi uthando lwenu luqhubeke lusanda kakhulu, libe lolwazi oluqondileyo lokuqedisisa konke,
10 lokuthi libe leqiniso lokuthi yiziphi izinto eziqakatheke kakhulu ukuze lingabi lasici njalo lingabakhubi abanye kuze kufike ilanga likaKhristu;
11 kanye lokuthi ligcwaliswe ngezithelo zokulunga ezitholakala ngoJesu Khristu, uNkulunkulu abesekhazinyuliswa futhi adunyiswe.
12 Engifuna likwazi bafowethu yikuthi izinto ezingehleleyo sezenze ukuthi izindaba ezinhle ziqhubekele phambili,
13 okokuthi ukubotshwa kwami ngenxa kaKhristu sekusaziwa emphakathini yibo bonke abaLindi Benkosi labo bonke abantu nje.
14 Khathesi abafowethu abanengi eNkosini sebelesibindi ngenxa yokubotshwa kwami. Batshengisa ukuthi balesibindi esikhulu sokukhuluma ilizwi likaNkulunkulu bengesabi.
15 Abanye batshumayela ngoKhristu ngenxa yomona lombango, kodwa abanye bakwenza ngenhliziyo emhlophe.
16 Laba abakwenza ngenhliziyo emhlophe batshumayela ngoKhristu ngenxa yothando ngoba bayakwazi ukuthi ngibekwe ukuthi ngivikele izindaba ezinhle;
17 kodwa abatshumayela ngenxa yomona bafuna ukuncintisana, kabahlosanga okuhle ngoba bafuna ukungidalela uhlupho ngesikhathi ngibotshiwe.
18 Besekuphetha ngani? Ngokuthi uKhristu uyatshunyayelwa ngazo zonke izindlela, kungelani lokuthi bakwenza bezenzisa loba ngeqiniso, futhi lokho kuyangithokozisa. Ngizaqhubeka ngithokoza sibili
19 ngoba ngiyakwazi ukuthi lokhu kuzakwenza ngisindiswe ngenxa yokuthi liyangithandazela lingincengela futhi umoya kaJesu Khristu uyangisekela,
20 njengoba nje ngilethemba njalo ngikhangelele ukuthi kangisoze ngiyangiswe loba sekutheni. Kodwa ngayo yonke inkululeko yami yokukhuluma, uKhristu usezakhazinyuliswa ngomzimba wami njengenjayelo, kungelani lokuthi ngiyaphila kumbe ngifile.
21 Phela mina nxa ngiphila ngiphilela uKhristu njalo nxa ngisifa yimi engincedakalayo.
22 Nxa ngiqhubeka ngiphila enyameni, lezi yizo izithelo zomsebenzi wami; kodwa engikukhethayo angikuvezi.
23 Kangikwazi ukuthi ngikhetheni phakathi kwezinto lezi ezimbili ngoba ngiyafisa sibili ukukhululwa lokuba loKhristu, okuyinto engcono kakhulu.
24 Kodwa kuqakatheke kakhulu ukuthi ngiqhubeke ngiphila enyameni ngenxa yenu.
25 Ngakho njengoba ngingakuthandabuzi lokho, ngiyakwazi ukuthi ngizaqhubeka ngisenyameni futhi ngilani lonke ukuze lithuthuke njalo lijabule ekukholweni,
26 ukuze intokozo yenu enkulu iphuphume kuKhristu uJesu ngenxa yami lapho sengilani futhi.
27 Lina nje ziphatheni kuhle* ngendlela efanele izindaba ezinhle ezimayelana loKhristu, ukwenzela ukuthi loba ngibuyile kini ngizolibona kumbe ngingabuyanga, ngizwe ngani njalo ngikwazi ukuthi limi liqinile, limoya munye futhi limphefumulo munye,* lisebenzela ukholo lwezindaba ezinhle lindawonye,
28 lingethuswa ngabaliphikisayo loba sekutheni. Yona kanye into le ifakazela ukuthi bona bazabhujiswa kodwa lina lizasindiswa; njalo lokhu kuvela kuNkulunkulu.
29 Phela seliphiwe isibusiso ngenxa kaKhristu, esokuthi phezu kokumkholwa, liphinde limhluphekele,
30 ngoba liphakathi kokulwa elangibona ngiphakathi kwakho lami, futhi eselisizwa khathesi ukuthi ngilokhu ngiphakathi kwakho.
