Ekuqaleni, kungekadalwa, wayeselekho uLizwi. ULizwi lo wayekunye noThixo, naye ngokwakhe enguThixo. Yena wayekunye noThixo kwasekuqalekeni. Izinto zonke zadalwa ngaye; ngaphandle kwakhe akubangakho nto idaliweyo. Indalo yonke yaba nobomi ngaye, baza obo bomi baba lukhanyiso eluntwini. Olu khanyiso lukhanya ebumnyameni; kwaye ubumnyama abuzange bukoyise ukukhanya kwalo.
UThixo wathuma mntu uthile, ogama linguYohane. Yena weza kungqina, engqinela ukukhanya, ukuze bonke bakholwe ngenxa yobungqina bakhe. Yena uYohane ngokwakhe wayengelulo ukhanyiso, koko weza kungqina ngalo. Lowo ulukhanyiso lwenene olukhanyisela wonke umntu, wayesiza ehlabathini.
Wafika ke yena ehlabathini; kanti, nangona ihlabathi labakho ngaye nje, alimqondanga. Weza kwelakowabo, aza amawabo akamamkela. Kodwa bonke abâmamkeláyo, bezinikele kuye ngokupheleleyo, wabanika igunya lokuba ngabantwana bakaThixo. Ababanga ngabantwana bakaThixo ngokuzalwa bengabomlibo othile, okanye ngokuzalwa ngendlela yemvelo; nguThixo ngokwakhe obazeleyo.
ULizwi ke waba ngumntu, waza wahlala phakathi kwethu. Sabubukela ubungangamsha bakhe awabunikwa nguYise, njengoko ekukuphela koNyana wakhe; ubungangamsha ke obuphuphuma ububele nenyaniso.
UYohane wangqina ngoLizwi; wavakalisa esithi: “Lo ngulowo bendithetha ngaye xa bendisithi: ‘Lowo uza emva kwam mkhulu kunam, kuba wayeselekho ndingekabikho mna.’ ”
Ngokuphuphuma kobubele bukaLizwi, thina sonke saphiwa iintsikelelo ezingenasiphelo. Nakuba uThixo wasinika umthetho ngoMosis, ubabalo nenyaniso wasinika ngoYesu Krestu. Akukho namnye umntu owakha wambona uThixo. Abantu bamazi uThixo ngokumaziswa nguNyana okukuphela kwakhe, yena okwanguThixo, ohlala ehleli esenyongweni kuYise.
Nabu ke ubungqina bukaYohane, oko amaJuda aseJerusalem athumela ababingeleli *nabaLevi kuye, okokuba ambuze athi: “Ungubani na?”
Watsho ngokuphandle, engafihlisi, wathi: “Mna andinguye *uKrestu.”
Bambuza besithi: “Ungubani ke? Ngaba unguEliya?”
Yena wathi: “Hayi andinguye.”
Bona bathi: “Ngaba unguye laa Mshumayeli?”
Waphendula wathi: “Hayi, andinguye.”
Ke ngoko bathi kuye: “Sixelele okokuba ungubani na, ukuze sibe nokubaphendula abo basithumileyo. Ngaba uthini na wena ngawe ngokwakho?”
Waphendula uYohane, ecaphula kumazwi *omshumayeli uIsaya, esithi:
“Mna ndililizwi lodandulukayo entlango, lisithi:
‘Yilungiseleleni indlela iNkosi.’ ”
Kwakukho nababethunywe *ngabaFarasi. Bona bambuza uYohane besithi: “Ungáthini ke ukubhaptiza, ungenguye uKrestu, okanye uEliya, okanye laa Mshumayeli?”
Wabaphendula uYohane wathi: “Mna ndinibhaptiza ngamanzi. Kambe ke phakathi kwenu kumi eningamaziyo. Yena uza emva kwam, kodwa mna andifanele kukhulula nomtya lo wezihlangu zakhe.”
Oku kwênzeka eBhetani, ngaphesheya kweJordan, apho uYohane wayebhaptiza khona.
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