UMSEBENZI WABATHUNYWA 19
19
UPawulos e-Efese
1Ngexesha uApolo wayeseKorinte, uPawulos yena wacanda phakathi kuloo mimandla, waya kufika e-Efese. Apho wafumana iqela labalandeli bakaYohane, 2wababuza wathi: “Namamkela na uMoya oyiNgcwele ukuzinikela kwenu?”
Baphendula bathi: “Asizange sive nokuva ukuba kukho uMoya oyiNgcwele.”
3UPawulos wababuza wathi: “Phofu lubhaptizo luni enabhaptizwa ngalo?”
Bona bathi: “Lubhaptizo lukaYohane.”
4UPawulos wabachazela wathi: “Ubhaptizo lukaYohane lona lwalusalatha inguquko. Yena wayebaxelela abantu ukuba bazinikele kulowo wayesiza emva kwakhe; nguYesu ke lowo.”
5Bakuyiva le ntetho, babhaptizwa egameni leNkosi uYesu. 6UPawulos wababeka izandla, batsho bamamkela uMoya oyiNgcwele, baza bathetha iilwimi, belithetha ilizwi likaThixo. 7Babengamadoda amalunga neshumi elinambini.
8Ngesithuba seenyanga ezintathu uPawulos wayesiya *endlwini yesikhungo yamaJuda, ethetha, exoxa nabo abantu ngesibindi, ezama ukuboyisela ekulawulweni nguThixo. 9Kodwa abanye babo baba neenkani, abavuma ukuzinikela, basuka bayingcikiva iNdlela yeNkosi esidlangalaleni. Ngoko ke uPawulos wabashiya, wathatha abalandeli bakaYesu, waza wafundisa imihla ngemihla esikolweni sikaTirano. 10Le nto ke wayiqhuba isithuba seminyaka emibini, bada bonke abantu ababehlala kwelo phondo laseAsiya, amaJuda kwanamaGrike, baliva ilizwi leNkosi.
Oonyana bakaSkeva
11Amandla kaThixo âbonakala ngezinto ezingaqhelekanga ezazisenziwa nguPawulos. 12Neetshefu ezi kwaneefaskoti ezichukumise umzimba kaPawulos zazibaphilisa abagulayo, kude kuphume neendimoni. 13AmaJuda athile awayejikeleza ekhupha iindimoni, nawo akhe azama ukusebenzisa igama leNkosi uYesu. Ayesithi kwiindimoni: “Ndikuyala ngegama likaYesu, lo ushunyayelwa nguPawulos.” 14Aba babesenza le nto yayingoonyana abasixhenxe bombingeleli oyintloko womJuda owayenguSkeva igama.
15Kodwa indimoni yathi kubo: “Ndiyamazi uYesu, noPawulos ndiyamazi; nina ke ningoobani?”
16Ke kaloku indoda leyo yayinendimoni yabahlasela yabongamela, ibadlakazelisa kangangokuba baphuma apho kuloo ndlu bagqotsa bengxwelerhekile, neempahla zabo zivukuvuku. 17Onke amaJuda neentlanga ezazihlala apho e-Efese zasiva esi siganeko, zaza zoyika kakhulu; laza igama leNkosi uYesu lanikwa imbeko ladunyiswa. 18Amakholwa amaninzi azinikezela, ezivuma ezixela esidlangalaleni izinto azenzileyo. 19Uninzi lwâbo babesenza imilingo lwaziqokelela lwazitshisela esidlangalaleni iincwadi zalo. Bawabala bawadibanisa amaxabiso ezo ncwadi, bazifumana zikwisithuba samashumi amahlanu amawaka eerandi. 20Ngamandla eNkosi ilizwi leNkosi lanwenwezela, lakhula, laya lisomelela ngokomelela ngale ndlela.
Udushe e-Efese
21Emva koko uPawulos wazimisela ukucanda kwelaseMakedoni nelaseAkaya, aze agqithele eJerusalem. “Ndakuba ndiyile khona, kufuneka ndiyibone neRoma,” wakha watsho. 22Ke kaloku wathumela eMakedoni uTimoti noErasto abancedisi bakhe, lo gama athe yena wolula ukuhlala kwiphondo laseAsiya.
23Kungeli xesha ke apho kwavumbuluka udushe e-Efese ngenxa yeNdlela yeNkosi. 24UDemetriyo umfo owayebumba imifanekiso yendlu yesithixokazi *uArtemis ngesiliva, wayewenzela ingeniso enkulu ngolu shishino amagcisa aqeshwe nguye. 25Wenza imbizo ke ekwabakho kuyo abaqeshwa kwakunye nabanye ababesenza umsebenzi okwanjengowakhe, wathi kubo: “Madoda, niyazi ukuba impumelelo yethu ixhomekeke kolu shishino. 26Niyabona nizivela ngokwenu into eyenziwa yile nkewu uPawulos. Uthi *oothixo abenziwe ngabantu àbangabo konke, yaye uphumelele ekuboyiseni abantu abaninzi jikelele kule Efese, phantse wawugqiba ummandla waseAsiya uphela. 27Ilapha ke ingozi, kule ndawo yokuba ushishino olu lwethu lufumane igama elibi. Kanti asikokuphela kwaloo nto, ikwakho nale ndawo yokuba nendlu yesithixokazi uArtemis ayiyi kwazelwa nto, ukanti nesidima sesithixokazi saseAsiya – nditsho esinqulwa lihlabathi liphela – siya kuphanza.”
28Iwaphulaphule la mazwi indimbane leyo, yakhathazeka kakhulu, yadanduluka yathi: “Mkhulu uArtemis wamaEfese!” 29Le ntshukumo yatyhutyha yonke idolophu. Bahlasela uGayo noAristarko baseMakedoni ababehamba kunye noPawulos, babaqweqwedisela kwiqonga lemidlalo. 30UPawulos wafuna ukungena phakathi kwesihlwele eso, ukuze athethe naso, kodwa amakholwa akamvumelanga. 31Abathile kumagosa ephondo laseAsiya, ababenobuhlobo noPawulos, nabo bamthumela umyalezo, bemcebisa ukuba angayi phaya eqongeni lemidlalo. 32Kwangeli xesha ke intlanganiso xa iyonke yayisisiphithi-phithi nje. Kaloku abanye babekhwaza bethetha le, bambi bekhwaza bethetha leya; kuba kaloku uninzi lwaluhamba nje nezihlwele, lungazi nokuba indibano le yeyantoni na. 33Abanye abantu bamchazela ngale nto yenzekayo uAlesandire, kuba amaJuda ayegqatse yena phambili. UAlesandire wawangawangisa ngesandla ukuba kuthi cwaka, efuna ukulamla. 34Kodwa bathi bakumqonda ukuba ungumJuda, batsho ngazwinye, besenza intswahla, bekhwaza, bephinda-phinda besithi: “Mkhulu uArtemis wamaEfese!” Kwada kwaphela iiyure ezimbini besenza loo nto.
35Kwathi ngelikade unobhala wedolophu wada wanako ukusithomalalisa isihlwele. Wathi: “MaEfese, wonke ubani uyazi ukuba le dolophu yase-Efese ngumgcini wendlu yesikhulukazi uArtemis, nowomfanekiso oqingqiweyo owavela ezulwini. 36Akukho bani unako ukuziphikisa ezi zinto. Ngoko ke zolani, ningenzi nto ngokungakhathali. 37La madoda nize nawo apha, nangona angebanga zinto zingcwele zendlu yonqulo okanye anyelise isithixokazi sethu. 38Ukuba uDemetriyo nezicaka zakhe banesityholo ngakubani, ikho imihla eyaziwayo yenkundla, neziphathamandla zikhona; bangamangalelana khona. 39Kodwa ukuba kukho enye into, inokulungiswa yintlanganiso esemthethweni yabemi. 40Kaloku ngenxa yale nto yehle namhlanje, sisengozini yokutyholwa ngokwenza ingxushungxushu. Asinandlela yakuziphendulela ngolu dushe, singenaso nesizathu esibambekayo.” 41Akuba etshilo, wayichitha intlanganiso.
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UMSEBENZI WABATHUNYWA 19: XHO96
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© Bible Society of South Africa 1996. Used with permission. All rights reserved.