IZenzo Zabapostile 19:1-41
19 Xa uApolo+ wayeseKorinte, uPawulos wayihamba yonke imimandla ephakathi elizweni waza waya e-Efese.+ Apho wadibana nabanye abafundi,
2 wathi kubo: “Nawufumana na umoya oyingcwele xa naba ngamakholwa?”+ Bathi kuye: “Zange seva nokuba kukho into ekuthiwa ngumoya oyingcwele.”
3 Ngoko wathi: “Nabhaptizwa njani ke?” Bathi: “Ngobhaptizo lukaYohane.”+
4 UPawulos wathi: “UYohane wayebhaptiza abantu ukuze babonise ukuba baguqukile,+ esithi abantu bamele bakholwe kulowo uzayo emva kwakhe,+ uYesu.”
5 Bakuyiva loo nto, babhaptizwa egameni leNkosi uYesu.
6 Xa uPawulos wababeka izandla, bafumana umoya oyingcwele,+ baza bathetha ngeelwimi zasemzini yaye beprofeta.+
7 Xa bebonke babengamadoda amalunga ne-12.
8 UPawulos wangena kwindlu awayekhonzela kuyo amaYuda,+ wathetha ngesibindi, ecacisa kakuhle ngoBukumkani BukaThixo.*+
9 Kodwa xa abanye baba nenkani, bengafuni ukukholwa, bethetha kakubi ngeNdlela YeNkosi+ phambi kwabantu, wabashiya+ waza wahamba nabafundi, washumayela yonke imihla kwiholo yesikolo eyayiyekaTirano.
10 Le nto yenzeka iminyaka emibini, kangangokuba bonke abo babehlala kwiphondo laseAsiya baliva ilizwi leNkosi, amaYuda namaGrike.
11 UThixo waqhubeka esenza imimangaliso emikhulu esebenzisa uPawulos,+
12 kangangokuba kwanamalaphu neefaskoti awazichukumisayo zaziphathelwa abantu abagulayo,+ baze baphile kwizifo zabo, noomoya ababi baphume.+
13 Kodwa amanye amaYuda awayezulazula, ekhupha iidemon azama ukusebenzisa igama leNkosi uYesu kwabo babenoomoya ababi, esithi: “Ndikuyala ngalo Yesu ashumayela ngaye uPawulos.”+
14 Abanye abantu ababesenza le nto yayingoonyana abasixhenxe bakaSkeva, umbingeleli oyintloko wamaYuda.
15 Kodwa umoya ombi wathi kubo: “Ndiyamazi uYesu,+ ibe ndimqhelile uPawulos;+ ningoobani ke nina?”
16 Ngoko loo ndoda yayinomoya ombi yabatsibela, yalwa nabo bonke yaboyisa, kangangokuba babaleka bemka kuloo ndlu behamba ze yaye benzakele.
17 Le nto yafika ezindlebeni zabo bonke abantu, amaYuda namaGrike awayehlala e-Efese; yaye bonke boyika, laza igama leNkosi uYesu laqhubeka lidunyiswa.
18 Abaninzi kuloo makholwa babesiza baze bavume phambi kwabantu izinto ezimbi abazenzileyo.
19 Abaninzi kwabo babesenza imilingo baqokelela zonke iincwadi zabo, bazitshisa phambi komntu wonke.+ Bathi xa bebala ixabiso lazo, bafumanisa ukuba zixabisa amaqhosha esilivere ayi-50 000.
20 Ngoko ilizwi likaYehova* laqhubeka likhula yaye lisiba namandla.+
21 Emva kokuba kwenzeke ezi zinto, uPawulos wagqiba kwelokuba uza kuya eYerusalem+ ukusuka kwakhe eMakedoni+ naseAkhaya, esithi: “Ukufika kwam apho, ndiza kuya naseRoma.”+
22 Ngoko wathumela abantu ababini ababemncedisa, uTimoti+ noErasto,+ eMakedoni, kodwa yena wahlala ixeshana kwiphondo laseAsiya.
23 Ngelo xesha kwabakho isiphithiphithi+ esasinento yokwenza neNdlela YeNkosi.+
24 Kwakukho indoda ekwakusithiwa nguDemetriyo, umkhandi wesilivere owayesenza iitempilana zesilivere zika-Artemis, ebenzela imali abantu ababenobo buchule.+
25 Wababiza bonke, nabanye ababesenza lo msebenzi, wathi: “Madoda, nazi kakuhle ukuba ukuphumelela kwethu kuxhomekeke kweli shishini.
26 Ngoku nizibonele naza nazivela ukuba, lo Pawulos akaphelelanga e-Efese,+ kodwa sele eshumayele phantse kulo lonke iphondo laseAsiya, etshintsha iingqondo zabantu abaninzi, ngokuthi izithixo ezenziwe ngezandla azingabo oothixo.+
27 Ngoko ke ingozi yale nto kukuba akuzukuphela eli shishini lethu lodwa, kodwa netempile yothixokazi omkhulu uArtemis iza kujongwa njengento engenamsebenzi. Ekubeni ekhonzwa kulo lonke iphondo laseAsiya nasemhlabeni wonke, luza koxuthwa ngoku udumo lwakhe.”
28 Athe la madoda akuyiva loo nto, akhwaza esithi: “Mkhulu uArtemis wamaEfese!”
29 Ngoko kwabakho isiphithiphithi esixekweni, yaye bonke abantu bangena bembonzeleka kwindawo yemidlalo, berhuqa uGayo noAristarko+ baseMakedoni, awayehamba nabo uPawulos.
30 UPawulos wayefuna ukuya kwabo bantu kodwa abafundi abazange bamvumele.
31 Kwanabaphathi bamatheko nemidlalo ababengabahlobo bakhe bathumela umyalezo kuye, bemcenga ukuba angazibeki engozini ngokungena kwindawo yemidlalo.
32 Kaloku abanye babethetha le, abanye bethetha leya; kuba abantu ababelapho babedidekile, abaninzi kubo bengazi nokuba bafuna ntoni apho.
33 Ngoko bakhupha uAleksandire phakathi kwabantu, amaYuda emtyhalela phambili, yaye uAleksandire waphakamisa isandla sakhe efuna ukuzithethelela.
34 Kodwa xa bebona ukuba ngumYuda, bakhwaza bonke malunga neeyure ezimbini besithi: “Mkhulu uArtemis wamaEfese!”
35 Emva kokuba usodolophu ekwazile ukuthulisa abantu, wathi: “Madoda ase-Efese, ngubani ongayaziyo into yokuba sisixeko samaEfese esigcine itempile ka-Artemis omkhulu nomfanekiso owawa uvela ezulwini?
36 Ekubeni ke ezi zinto zingenakuphikwa, zolani ningenzi ngokungxama.
37 Kuba nizise la madoda angengomasela eetempile, nangamthukiyo uthixokazi wethu.
38 Ukuba ke uDemetriyo+ nabantu asebenza nabo banomntu abafuna ukummangalela, zikhona iimini zamatyala yaye bakhona nabalawuli bamaphondo; mabamangalelane apho.
39 Kodwa ukuba nifuna into engaphaya koko, loo nto mayigqitywe yintlanganiso esemthethweni.
40 Kuba le nto yenzeke namhlanje ingasenza sibe netyala lokuvusa uqhushululu, kuba asikho isizathu esinaso sokubangela esi siphithiphithi.”
41 Emva kokuba ethethe loo nto, wayichitha loo ntlanganiso.
