KwabaseRoma 11:1-36
11 Yikho-ke ngiyabuza ngithi, uNkulunkulu wabalahla yini abantu bakhe? Ngitsho sibili! Lami ngingum-Israyeli, ngingowenzalo* ka-Abrahama futhi ngivela esizwaneni sakoBhenjamini.
2 UNkulunkulu kazange abalahle abantu bakhe ayebazi kusukela kuqala. Kanti kalikwazi ukuthi imibhalo ithini ngo-Elija? Wancenga uNkulunkulu esola abako-Israyeli esithi:
3 “Jehova sebebulele abaphrofethi bakho badiliza lama-alithare akho. Yimi ngedwa esengisele futhi khathesi sebezama ukungibulala.”
4 Kodwa uNkulunkulu wamphendula wathini? Wathi kuye: “Ngilabantu bami abangu-7 000 abangazange bamguqele uBhali.”
5 Ngakho lakhathesi bakhona abaseleyo abakhethwa ngenxa yomusa omkhulu.
6 Manje nxa bekhethwa ngenxa yomusa omkhulu, akusayi ngemisebenzi ngoba ngabe bekunjalo umusa omkhulu ubungasoze ube ngumusa omkhulu.
7 Pho sithini? Yona kanye into abako-Israyeli ababeyidinga ngabomvu kabazange bayithole kodwa abakhethiweyo bayithola. Abanye bonke baba lezinhliziyo ezilukhuni,
8 njengoba nje kubhaliwe ukuthi: “UNkulunkulu usebanike umoya wobuthongo obukhulu lamehlo angaboniyo lendlebe ezingezwayo kuze kube lamuhla.”
9 Kanti njalo uDavida uthi: “Itafula yabo kayibe ngumjibila, lesilaha, lesikhubekiso kanye lesijeziso sabo.
10 Kakube mnyama emehlweni abo ukuze bangaboni, wenze lokuthi bahlale begobise imihlane yabo.”
11 Yikho ngiyabuza ngithi, Kanti bakhubeka bawa okokuthi ngeke baphinde bavuke yini? Hatshi! Kodwa isiphambeko sabo senze abantu bezizweni bathola insindiso, njalo lokhu kwenza amaJuda abe lomhawu.
12 Nxa isiphambeko sabo siletha inotho emhlabeni, lokwehla kwabo kuletha inotho ebantwini bezizweni, kutsho ukuthi kuzakuba lenotho enengi kakhulu nxa inani labo selenele!
13 Khathesi ngikhuluma lani lina bantu bezizweni. Njengoba ngingumphostoli kwabezizweni, ngikhazimulisa* inkonzo yami
14 ukuze ngibone ukuthi ngingaba lendlela yini yokwenza ukuthi abantu bakithi* bahawukele, ngisindise abanye phakathi kwabo.
15 Nxa ukuxotshwa kwabo kusenza ukuthi umhlaba ubuyisane loNkulunkulu, ukwamukelwa kwabo kuzabenza bathole ukuphila, kube angathi bavela kwabafileyo.
16 Phezu kwalokho, nxa ingxenye yenhlama eyizithelo zokuqala ingcwele, lenhlama yonke ingcwele, njalo nxa impande ingcwele, izingatsha lazo zingcwele.
17 Loba kunjalo, nxa ezinye izingatsha zephulwa, wena waxhunyelwa esihlahleni sama-oliva lanxa wawungum-oliva weganga, wasuwuthola lawe umhluzi okhulisayo wempande yom-oliva,
18 ungazikhukhumezi phambi kwezingatsha ezephulwayo. Nxa kuyikuthi uyazikhukhumeza phambi kwazo, khumbula ukuthi kayisuwe othwele impande kodwa impande yiyo ekuthweleyo.
19 Yikho usungathi: “Izingatsha zephulwa ukuze mina ngixhunyelwe esihlahleni.”
20 Liqiniso sibili lelo! Zephulwa ngenxa yokuthi zazingelakholo, kodwa wena umi ngokholo. Ungazikhukhumezi, kodwa yesaba
21 ngoba nxa uNkulunkulu engaziyekelanga izingatsha ezazivele zingezesihlahla sama-oliva kasoze akuyekele lawe.
22 Ngakho cabangisisa ngomusa kaNkulunkulu kanye lesijeziso sakhe. Asebawayo bayajeziswa kodwa wena uthola umusa kaNkulunkulu nxa kuphela uhlala usemuseni wakhe. Ungayekela ukwenza njalo, lawe uzaqunywa.
23 Nxa bangaqalisa ukuba lokholo bazaxhunyelwa esihlahleni ngoba uNkulunkulu uyenelisa ukuphinda abaxhumele kuso.
24 Nxa wena waqunywa esihlahleni sama-oliva esingeseganga wasuxhunyelwa esihlahleni sama-oliva esilinywayo, into engayisiyo yemvelo, kuzakuba lula kakhulu ukuthi ababevele bezingatsha zesihlahla sama-oliva baphinde baxhunyelwe kulesosihlahla ababekuso!
25 Bafowethu, ngifuna liyazi imfihlo le engcwele ukuze lingaziboni lihlakaniphile: Abanye abantu bako-Israyeli sebelezinhliziyo ezilukhuni. Bazakuba njalo inani labantu bezizweni lize lenele,
26 futhi ngaleyondlela bonke abako-Israyeli bazasindiswa, njengoba nje kubhaliwe ukuthi: “Umkhululi* uzavela eZiyoni, enze ukuthi uJakhobe atshiye izenzo zakhe ezimbi.
27 Nxa sengisuse izono zabo, ngizakwenza isivumelwano labo.”
28 Ezindabeni ezinhle, bayizitha ukuze lina lincedakale, kodwa ekukhetheni kukaNkulunkulu, bangabathandwayo ngenxa yabokhokho babo.
29 UNkulunkulu kasoze azisole ngezipho zakhe langalabo ababizayo.
30 Lake langamlaleli uNkulunkulu kodwa khathesi selenzelwe isihawu ngenxa yokungalaleli kwabo.
31 Ngakho laba kabalalelanga, futhi lokho kwenze lina lathola isihawu ukuze bona ngokwabo baphinde benzelwe isihawu.
32 UNkulunkulu usebavumele bonke ukuthi babe njengezibotshwa ngenxa yokungalaleli kwabo ukuze bonke abenzele isihawu.
33 Inotho kaNkulunkulu lokuhlakanipha kwakhe kanye lolwazi kujule kakhulu! Izahlulelo zakhe ngeke zidingisiswe zitholakale njalo izindlela zakhe kazilandeleleki!
34 “Ngubani oseyazi ingqondo kaJehova njalo ngubani ongumeluleki wakhe?”
35 Kumbe, “ngubani owake wapha uNkulunkulu okuthile osekumele yena akubuyisele kulowomuntu?”
36 Phela izinto zonke zivela kuye, zikhona ngaye njalo zenzelwe yena. Kakhazinyuliswe kuze kube nini lanini. Ameni.
Amabala angaphansi
^ NgesiGrikhi, “ngingowenhlanyelo.”
^ Kumbe, “ngikhulisa.”
^ Kumbe, “benyama yami.”
^ Kumbe, “Umsindisi.”
