1 Kepha, bazalwane, ngiyanikhumbuza ivangeli enganishumayeza lona nenalamukelayo nenimi kulo,
2 nenisindiswa ngalo, nxa nibambelela ezwini enganishumayeza lona, uma kambe ukukholwa kwenu kungabanga yize.
3 Ngokuba okokuqala nganinika lokho engakwamukela nami ukuthi uKristu wafa ngenxa yezono zethu njengokwemibhalo,
4 nokuthi wembelwa, nokuthi wavuswa kwabafileyo ngosuku lwesithathu njengokwemibhalo,
5 nokuthi wabonwa nguKhefase; wayesebonwa ngabayishumi nambili;
6 emva kwalokho wabonwa ngasikhathi sinye ngabazalwane abadlula amakhulu ayisihlanu, iningi labo lisekhona nakalokhu, kepha abanye sebelele;
7 emva kwalokho wabonwa nguJakobe; ngasemuva wabonwa ngabaphostoli bonke;
8 ekugcineni kwabo bonke wabonwa nayimina enginjengozelwe kungakabi yisikhathi.
9 Ngokuba mina ngingomncinyane kubaphostoli, engingafanele ukuthiwa umphostoli, ngokuba ngazingela ibandla likaNkulunkulu.
10 Kepha ngomusa kaNkulunkulu ngiyikho engiyikho, nomusa wakhe kimi awubanga yize, kodwa ngasebenza kakhulu kunabo bonke; kepha akusimina kodwa ngumusa kaNkulunkulu okimi.
11 Ngakho-ke noma kuyimina noma kuyibona, sishumayela kanjalo, nakholwa kanjalo.
12 Kepha-ke uma uKristu eshunyayelwa ukuthi uvusiwe kwabafileyo, basho kanjani abanye phakathi kwenu ukuthi akukho ukuvuka kwabafileyo na?
13 Kepha uma kungekho ukuvuka kwabafileyo, akavuswanga naye uKristu.
14 Kepha uma uKristu engavuswanga kwabafileyo, ukushumayela kwethu kuyize, nokukholwa kwenu kuyize.
15 Yebo, sifunyanwa singofakazi bamanga ngoNkulunkulu, ngokuba safakaza ngoNkulunkulu ukuthi wamvusa uKristu, angamvusanga kambe, uma kanti abafileyo bengavuswa.
16 Ngokuba uma abafileyo bengavuswa, akavuswanga naye uKristu.
17 Kepha uma uKristu engavuswanga, ukukholwa kwenu akusizi lutho, nisesezonweni zenu.
18 Khona-ke nalabo asebalala bekuKristu babhubhile.
19 Uma singabathembela kuKristu kulokhu kuphila kuphela, singabokukhalelwa kunabantu bonke.
20 Kepha kalokhu uKristu uvusiwe kwabafileyo, engulibo lwabaleleyo.
21 Ngokuba lokhu ukufa kweza ngomuntu, ukuvuka kwabafileyo nakho kweza ngomuntu.
22 Ngokuba njengalokhu ku-Adamu bonke bayafa, ngokunjalo futhi kuKristu bonke bayakuphiliswa.
23 Kepha yilowo nalowo ngesigaba sakhe: uKristu kuqala, bese kuba ngabangabakaKristu ekufikeni kwakhe,
24 andukuba kufike ukuphela, nxa enikela umbuso kuNkulunkulu uYise, lapho esechithile ukubusa konke, nobukhosi bonke, namandla.
25 Ngokuba umelwe ukubusa, aze abeke izitha zonke phansi kwezinyawo zakhe.
26 Isitha sokugcina esiyakuchithwa singukufa.
27 Ngokuba izinto zonke uzithobisele phansi kwezinyawo zakhe.Kepha nxa ethi: “Izinto zonke zithotshisiwe,” kusobala ukuthi ungaphandle kwazo yena ozithobisele phansi kwakhe.
28 Kodwa nxa izinto zonke sezithotshiselwe phansi kwakhe, lapho-ke nayo iNdodana iyakuzithoba phansi kwalowo owathobisa zonke izinto phansi kwayo, ukuze uNkulunkulu abe yikho konke kukho konke.
29 Pho, bayakwenze njani ababhapathizelwa abafileyo na? Uma abafileyo bengavuki nempela, babhapathizelwani ngenxa yabo na?
30 Futhi sizifakelani thina engozini imizuzu yonke na?
31 Bazalwane, ngiyaqinisa ngokubongwa enginakho ngenxa yenu kuKristu Jesu iNkosi yethu, ngiyafa mihla yonke.
32 Uma ngalwa nezilo e-Efesu ngokwabantu, nginanzuzoni? Uma abafileyo bengavuki, masidle, siphuze, ngokuba ngomuso sizakufa.
33 Ningakhohliswa; ukujwayelana nababi konakalisa ukuziphatha okuhle.
34 Phaphamani ngokufaneleyo, ningoni; ngokuba abanye kabamazi uNkulunkulu; ngisho lokhu ukuba nibe namahloni.
35 Kepha omunye uyakuthi: “Abafileyo bavuswa kanjani na? Beza benamzimba muni na?”
36 Wena ongaqondiyo, lokho okuhlwanyelayo wena akutholi ukuphila kungafanga;
37 futhi lokho okuhlwanyelayo awuhlwanyeli umzimba ozakuba khona kepha uhlamvu oluze, noma kungaba ngolukakolweni, noma kungaba ngolokunye;
38 kepha uNkulunkulu ulunika umzimba njengokuthanda kwakhe, yileyo naleyo mbewu owayo umzimba.
39 Inyama yonke ayinhlobonye, kepha enye ngeyabantu, enye yinyama yezilwane, enye yinyama yezinyoni, enye ngeyezinhlanzi.
40 Ikhona nemizimba yasezulwini nemizimba yasemhlabeni; kepha inkazimulo yeyasezulwini iyodwa, neyasemhlabeni iyodwa.
41 Iyodwa inkazimulo yelanga, iyodwa inkazimulo yenyanga, iyodwa inkazimulo yezinkanyezi; yebo, enye inkanyezi yahlukile kwenye inkanyezi ngokukhazimula.
42 Kunjalo nokuvuka kwabafileyo. Kuhlwanyelwa kunokubola, kuvuswa kungenakubola;
43 kuhlwanyelwa kunokudelwa, kuvuswa kunenkazimulo; kuhlwanyelwa kunobuthakathaka, kuvuswa kunamandla.
44 Kuhlwanyelwa kungumzimba wemvelo, kuvuswa kungumzimba womoya. Uma ukhona umzimba wemvelo, ukhona nowomoya.
45 Kanjalo futhi kulotshiwe ukuthi umuntu wokuqala u-Adamu waba ngumphefumulo ophilayo; u-Adamu wokugcina waba ngumoya ophilisayo.
46 Kepha okokuqala akusikho okomoya kodwa okwemvelo; bese kuba ngokomoya.
47 Umuntu wokuqala wavela emhlabeni, engowenhlabathi; umuntu wesibili uvela ezulwini.
48 Njengokuba enjalo owayengowenhlabathi, banjalo nalabo abangabenhlabathi; nanjengokuba enjalo ongowasezulwini, banjalo nabo abangabasezulwini.
49 Futhi njengokuba besinesimo songowenhlabathi, siyakuba nesimo songowasezulwini futhi.
50 Kepha ngisho lokhu, bazalwane, ukuthi inyama negazi akunakulidla ifa elingumbuso kaNkulunkulu; nokubola akulidli ifa elingukungaboli.
51 Bhekani, ngiyanitshela imfihlakalo; asiyikulala sonke, kepha siyakuguqulwa sonke,
52 ngesikhashanyana, ngokuphazima kweso, ngecilongo lokugcina; ngokuba icilongo liyakukhala, abafileyo bavuswe bengenakubola, thina siguqulwe.
53 Ngokuba lokhu okubolayo kumelwe ukwembatha ukungaboli, nalokhu okufayo kumelwe ukwembatha ukungafi.
54 Kepha nxa lokhu okubolayo sekwembethe ukungaboli, nalokhu okufayo sekwembethe ukungafi, kuzakugcwaliseka izwi elilotshiweyo lokuthi: “Ukufa kugingiwe kwaba ngukunqoba.”
55 “Kufa, kuphi ukunqoba kwakho na?Kufa, luphi udosi lwakho na?”
56 Udosi lokufa yisono; amandla esono ngumthetho.
57 Kepha makabongwe uNkulunkulu osinika ukunqoba ngeNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu.
58 Ngakho-ke, bazalwane bami abathandekayo, yibani ngabagxilile, abangaxegiyo, abavame njalo emsebenzini weNkosi, nazi ukuthi ukusebenza kwenu akusilo ize eNkosini.