1 Kwakukho mntu uthile ugulayo, uLazaro. WayengowaseBhetani kuloMariya noMarta oodade wabo.
2 UMariya lo ngulowa wayithambisayo iNkosi ngamafutha aqholiweyo, waza wazisula ngeenwele zakhe iinyawo zayo. Lo Lazaro wayegula wayengumnakwabo.
3 Ke ngoko oodade wabo aba bathumela kuYesu, besithi: “Nkosi, umhlobo wakho uyagula.”
4 Akuyiva loo nto, wathi uYesu: “Oku kugula akuyi kuphelela ekufeni, koko kuya kubonakalisa amandla kaThixo, aze uNyana kaThixo abe nodumo.”
5 Ngoko ke, nangona uYesu wayebathanda ooMarta noMariya noLazaro,
6 wahlala iintsuku zambini kuloo ndawo weva ekuyo ngokugula kukaLazaro.
7 Emva koko wathi kubafundi bakhe: “Masiphinde siye kwelakwaJuda.”
8 Ke ngoko bathi kuye abafundi: “Mfundisi, ebesand' ukufuna ukukugibisela ngamatye nje amaJuda, ungáthini ukubuya uye khona?”
9 Wabaphendula uYesu wathi: “Ilanga liyavela, litshone, anditsho? Ke ukuba umntu uhamba emini, akakhubeki; kuba ukhanyiselwa lukhanyiso lweli hlabathi.
10 Kodwa ukuba uhamba ebusuku, uyakhubeka; kuba akukho kukhanya kumkhanyiselayo.”
11 Akuba etshilo, waqokela wathi: “Umhlobo wethu uLazaro ulele; ndisaya kumvusa.”
12 Baza bathi kuye abafundi: “Nkosi, ukuba ulele, uya kuvuka.”
13 Kanti ke uYesu wayethetha okokuba uLazaro uswelekile, kodwa bona babeba uthetha ukuthi ulele ubuthongo.
14 Ke ngoko wabaxelela ngokuphandle, wathi: “ULazaro ufile;
15 kodwa ngenxa yenu ndiyavuya ngokungabikho kwam khona, ukuze nikholwe. Ngoko ke, masiye kuye.”
16 Ke ngoko uTomas, uWele, wathi kwabanye abafundi: “Masiye nathi, size sife kunye naye.”
17 Kwathi akufika uYesu, wafumana ukuba uLazaro seleneentsuku ezine engcwatyiwe.
18 IBhetani yayikufuphi neJerusalem, umgama onganeno kweekhilomitha ezintathu,
19 kwaza kwafika amaJuda amaninzi, eze kukhuza ooMarta noMariya ngokusweleka komnakwabo.
20 Akuva uMarta okokuba uYesu uyeza, wamhlangabeza, kodwa yena uMariya wasala endlwini.
21 Waza wathi uMarta kuYesu: “Nkosi, ukuba ubukho, ngengabhubhanga umnakwethu.
22 Kodwa nangoku ndiyazi ukuba uThixo wokunika nantoni na oyicelayo kuye.”
23 Waza wathi kuye uYesu: “Umnakwenu uya kubuya avuke.”
24 Wathi kuye uMarta: “Ndiyazi okokuba uya kubuya avuke xa kuvuswa bonke abafileyo ngomhla wokugqibela.”
25 Waza wathi kuye uYesu: “Ndim uvuko; ndim ubomi. Lowo ukholwayo kum wodla ubomi nokuba ebefile.
26 Wonke odla ubomi ekholwa kum, soze afe naphakade. Ke wena ngaba uyakholwa koku?”
27 Waza wathi kuye: “Ewe, Nkosi. Sendoyisekile; ndiyavuma okokuba wena unguye *uKrestu, uNyana kaThixo, lowo umelwe kukuza ehlabathini.”
28 Akuba etshilo uMarta, wemka waya kubizela bucala udade wabo uMariya, wathi kuye: “Umfundisi ukho; uyakubiza.”
29 Akukuva oko uMariya, wakhawuleza waphuma, wahlangabeza uYesu.
30 UYesu ke wayengekangeni edolophini, kodwa wayesekuloo ndawo wayedibene kuyo noMarta.
31 Ke amaJuda lawo awayekunye noMariya endlwini, eze kukhuza, athi akubona ephakama kamsinya, aphuma amlandela. Ayeba uya kulila engcwabeni.
32 UMariya waya kulaa ndawo wayekuyo uYesu, wafika waziphosa ezinyaweni zakhe, wathi kuye: “Nkosi, ukuba ubukho, ngengabhubhanga umnakwethu.”
33 Wathi uYesu akumbona elila, namaJuda abeze naye elila, wachukumiseka entliziyweni, wakhathazeka kakhulu,
34 wathi: “Nimngcwabe phi?”Bathi: “Nkosi, yiza sikubonise.”
35 Zehla iinyembezi kuYesu.
36 Ke ngoko amaJuda athi: “Khanikhangele ukumthanda kwakhe!”
37 Ke amanye kuwo athi: “Wawavula nje amehlo emfama, ngaba ebengenako ukwenza ukuba noLazaro angabhubhi?”
38 Esachukumiseke njalo entliziyweni uYesu, waya engcwabeni. Ingcwaba eli lalingumqolomba, livalwe ngelitye.
39 Waza wathi uYesu: “Lisuseni ilitye.”Wathi uMarta, udade bomfi: “Nkosi, selenevumba, kuba seleneentsuku ezine eswelekile.”
40 UYesu wathi kuye: “Bendingatshongo na kuwe okokuba uya kuwabona amandla kaThixo ukuba uyakholwa?”
41 Balisusa ke ilitye, waza uYesu wakhangela phezulu, wathi: “Bawo, ndiyabulela kuba undiva.
42 Mna ke bendisazi ukuba uhlala undiva, kambe ke nditsho ngenxa yale ndimbane yabantu ixhontelene apha, khon' ukuze ikholwe ukuba ndithunywe nguwe.”
43 Akuba etshilo wadanduluka wathi: “Lazaro, phuma engcwabeni!”
44 Waphuma umfi, izandla neenyawo zithandelwe ngamalaphu elinen, ubuso bujikelwe ngeqhiya. Wathi kubo uYesu: “Mkhululeni, nimyeke ahambe.”
45 Into eninzi yaloo maJuda awayeze kukhuza uMariya, ithe yakukubona oko uYesu akwenzileyo, yakholwa kuye.
46 Kodwa athile kuwo abuyela *kubaFarasi, abaxelela oko uYesu akwenzileyo.
47 Ke ngoko abaFarasi nababingeleli abaziintloko babiza intlanganiso *yeBhunga, bathi: “Makuthiweni na? Nanku lo mntu esenza imiqondiso emininzi.
48 Ukuba sithe samyeka waqhuba ngolu hlobo, bonke baya kukholwa kuye, aze eze amaRoma, ayidilize *indlu kaThixo, alutshabalalise uhlanga lwethu.”
49 Omnye wabo, uKayafa, owayengumbingeleli omkhulu ngaloo nyaka, wathi: “Anikayiqondi mpela le nto!
50 Aniqondi na okokuba kunilungele ukuba umntu omnye afele abantu, kunokuba kutshatyalaliswe uhlanga lonke?”
51 Oku akakuthethanga kuphuma kuye. Watsho kuba wayengumbingeleli omkhulu ngaloo nyaka, ebhengeza okokuba uYesu wayeza kulufela uhlanga,
52 engafeli lona kuphela, koko efela bonke abantwana bakaThixo abathe saa, ebahlanganisela ndawonye.
53 Kwathi ke ukususela ngaloo mini iinkokheli zamaJuda zabhunga ukumbulala uYesu.
54 Ke ngoko uYesu akabanga sahamba ekuhleni kwelakwaJuda, kodwa wemka waya ngasentlango, kwidolophu ekuthiwa yeyakwaEfrayim, wahlala khona apho enabafundi bakhe.
55 Itheko lamaJuda ekuthiwa *yiPasika, lalisondele; baza ke baba baninzi abaphuma kuloo mimandla, besiya eJerusalem ngaphambi kwePasika, ukuze bazihlambulule.
56 Babemfuna uYesu; baza bathi bakuhlangana endlwini kaThixo, bamana bebuzana besithi: “Nithini na? Makube akezi ePasikeni?”
57 Ababingeleli abaziintloko nabaFarasi babeyalele okokuba ukuba kukho bani waziyo apho uYesu akhoyo, kufuneka axele, ukuze bambambe.