1 Kwathi eseqede onke amazwi akhe ezindlebeni zabantu, wangena eKapernawume.
2 Inceku yenduna yekhulu ethile ethandekayo kuyo yayigula, isizakufa.
3 Isizwile ngoJesu yathuma amalunga abaJuda kuye, imcela ukuba eze ayisindise inceku yayo.
4 Esefikile kuJesu amncenga kakhulu, ethi: “Ifanele ukuba uyenzele lokho,
5 ngokuba ithanda isizwe sakithi; yiyo esakhele isinagoge.*”
6 UJesu wayesehamba nawo.Kepha engasekude nendlu, induna yekhulu yathumela kuye abahlobo, bathi kuye: “Nkosi, ungazihluphi, ngokuba angifanele ukuba ungene phansi kophahla lwami.
7 Ngakho angizibonanga ukuthi ngifanele ukuza kuwe; kepha yisho izwi, khona inceku yami iyakusinda.
8 Ngokuba nami ngingumuntu ophansi kwamakhosi, nginamabutho phansi kwami; ngithi kwelinye: ‘Hamba,’ lihambe; nakwelinye: ‘Woza,’ lize; nasencekwini yami: ‘Yenza lokhu,’ ikwenze.”
9 UJesu ekuzwa lokho wamangala ngayo, waphenduka, wathi esixukwini esimlandelayo: “Ngithi kini: Angizange ngifumane ukukholwa okungaka nakwa-Israyeli.”
10 Ababethunyiwe sebebuyele ekhaya bafumana inceku isindile.
11 Kwathi ngangomuso waya emzini othiwa iNayini; kwahamba naye abafundi bakhe nesixuku esikhulu.
12 Esesondela esangweni lomuzi, bheka, kwaphunyiswa ofileyo, indodana eyodwa kanina, yena engumfelokazi; nabantu abaningi bomuzi babe naye.
13 Yathi iNkosi isimbona, yamhawukela, yathi kuye: “Ungakhali.”
14 Yasondela, yathinta uhlaka; abaluthweleyo base bema. Yayisithi: “Nsizwa, ngithi kuwe: Vuka!”
15 Ofileyo wavuka, waqala ukukhuluma; yamnika unina.
16 Bafikelwa ngukwesaba bonke, bamdumisa uNkulunkulu, bathi: “Kuvele umprofethi omkhulu phakathi kwethu,” nokuthi: “UNkulunkulu ubahambele abantu bakhe.”
17 Kwaphumela leli zwi ngaye kulo lonke iJudiya nakulo lonke langakhona.
18 Abafundi bakaJohane bambikela ngazo zonke lezo zinto.
19 UJohane wayesebiza ababili kubafundi bakhe, wabathumela eNkosini, wathi: “Wena unguye ozayo, noma sobheka omunye na?”
20 Amadoda esefikile kuyo athi: “UJohane uMbhapathizi usithumele kuwe, ethi: ‘Wena unguye ozayo, noma sobheka omunye na?’ ”
21 Ngalowo mzuzu yayiphulukisa abaningi ezifweni nasebuhlungwini nakomoya ababi; nezimpumputhe eziningi yazipha ukubona.
22 Yaphendula, yathi kuwo: “Hambani nimlandise uJohane lokho enikubonile nenikuzwile ukuthi: Izimpumputhe ziyabona, izinyonga ziyahamba, abanochoko bayahlanjululwa, izithulu ziyezwa, abafileyo bayavuswa, abampofu bayashunyayezwa ivangeli;
23 ubusisiwe ongayikukhubeka ngami.”
24 Sezimukile izithunywa zikaJohane, yaqala ukukhuluma ezixukwini ngoJohane, ithi: “Naphuma naya ehlane ukuyobonani na? Umhlanga ontengantengiswa ngumoya na?
25 Kanti naphuma ukuyobonani na? Umuntu owembethe izingubo ezinothonotho na? Bhekani, abembethe okukhazimulayo, betamasa, basezindlini zamakhosi.
26 Kodwa naphuma ukuyobonani na? Umprofethi na? Yebo, ngithi kini: Odlula umprofethi.
27 Nguye okulotshwe ngaye ukuthi:“ ‘Bheka, ngiyathuma isithunywa sami phambi kobuso bakhoesiyakulungisa indlela yakho phambi kwakho.’
28 “Ngithi kini: Kwabazelwe ngabesifazane akakho omkhulu kunoJohane; kepha omncane embusweni kaNkulunkulu mkhulu kunaye.”
29 Abantu bonke, yebo, nabathelisi sebezwile bamvuma uNkulunkulu, babhapathizwa ngombhapathizo kaJohane.
30 Kepha abaFarisi nezazimthetho balenza ize icebo likaNkulunkulu maqondana nabo bengabhapathizwanga nguye.
31 “Pho-ke, abantu balesi sizukulwane ngiyakubafanisa nani na? Bafana nani na?
32 Bafana nabantwana abahlezi esigcawini bememezana bethi:“ ‘Sinibethele imitshingo, anisinanga;salilisela, anikhalanga.’
33 “Ngokuba uJohane uMbhapathizi ufikile engadli sinkwa, engaphuzi wayini; nithi-ke: ‘Unedemoni.’
34 Ifikile iNdodana yomuntu, idla, iphuza, senithi: ‘Bhekani, umuntu oyisiminzi nesiphuzi, umhlobo wabathelisi nezoni.’
35 Kodwa ukuhlakanipha kuvunyiwe ngabantwana bakho bonke.”
36 Omunye wabaFarisi wammema ukuba adle naye; esengene endlini yomFarisi wahlala ekudleni.
37 Bheka, kwakukhona emzini owesifazane oyisoni; wathi esazi ukuthi uhlezi ekudleni endlini yomFarisi, weza nomfuma wamafutha,
38 wema emuva ngasezinyaweni zakhe ekhala, waqala ukumatisa izinyawo zakhe ngezinyembezi, wazesula ngezinwele zekhanda lakhe, wazanga izinyawo zakhe, wazigcoba ngamafutha.
39 Kuthe umFarisi obemmemile ekubona, wazindla wathi: “Uma lo ebengumprofethi, nga emazi lo wesifazane omphathayo ukuba ungubani nokuba unjani, ngokuba uyisoni.”
40 UJesu waphendula, wathi kuye: “Simoni, kukhona engifuna ukukukhuluma kuwe.”Wathi: “Khuluma-ke, Mfundisi.”
41 “Kwakukhona abantu ababili abanamacala kumtshelekisi othile; icala lomunye lalingodenariyu* abangamakhulu ayisihlanu, elomunye amashumi ayisihlanu.
42 Bengenanto yokukhokha, wabayekela bobabili. Ngumuphi kubo konje oyakumthanda kakhulu na?”
43 USimoni waphendula wathi: “Ngithi yilowo amyekela okukhulu.”Wathi kuye: “Unqume kahle.”
44 Ephendukela kowesifazane wathi kuSimoni: “Uyambona lo wesifazane na? Ngingene endlini yakho, awunginikanga amanzi ezinyawo, kepha yena uzimatisile izinyawo zami ngezinyembezi, wazesula ngezinwele zakhe.
45 Awunganganga, kepha lo, yilokhu ngingenile, akayekanga ukwanga izinyawo zami.
46 Ikhanda lami awuligcobanga ngamafutha, kepha lo uzigcobile izinyawo zami ngamafutha.
47 Ngenxa yalokho ngithi kuwe: Izono zakhe eziningi zithethelelwe, ngokuba uthandile kakhulu; kepha othethelelwa okuncane uthanda kancane.”
48 Wayesethi kuye: “Zithethelelwe izono zakho.”
49 Ababehlezi naye ekudleni baqala ukusho phakathi kwabo ukuthi: “Ngubani lo othethelela nezono na?”
50 Kepha wathi kowesifazane: “Ukukholwa kwakho kukusindisile; hamba, ube nokuthula.”