UYOHANE 5
5
Ukuphiliswa kwesigulana eBhetesda
1Kwathi emva koko kwabakho itheko lamaJuda, waza uYesu waya eJerusalem. 2EJerusalem kukho ichibi leegusha elibizwa ngokuba yiBhetesda ngesiHebhere. Ngakulo kukho iivaranda ezintlanu. 3Kuzo kwakulele into eninzi yezigulane – iimfama, neziqhwala, nabafe amacala. [Zazilinde ukuzanya-zanyiswa kwamanzi, 4kuba ngamaxesha athile sasisithi isithunywa seNkosi singene echibini apho, siwazama-zamise amanzi. Sasisithi ke isigulana esingene kuqala echibini emva kokuzanya-zanyiswa kwamanzi, siphile nakusiphi na isifo esasinaso.] 5Ke kwakukho ndoda ithile apho, eyayiminyaka imashumi mathathu anesibhozo igula. 6Kwathi uYesu akuyibona ilele apho, esazi nokuba selinexesha elide igula, wathi kuyo: “Uyafuna na ukuphila?”
7Saphendula isigulane sathi: “Nkosi, andinamntu wakundifaka echibini akuba amanzi egxobhekile. Ndithi ndisazama ukungena, ndisuke ndiphangelwe ngomnye.”
8UYesu wathi kuso: “Phakama! Thatha ukhuko lwakho, uhambe.” 9Kwathi kwangoko waphila loo mntu, waluthatha ukhuko lwakhe, wahamba-hamba.
Oku kwênzeka *ngoMhla wokuPhumla, 10aza amaJuda athi kulowo waphiliswayo: “KungoMhla wokuPhumla namhlanje; akuvumelekanga ukuba uthwale ukhuko lwakho.”
11Waphendula wathi: “Ondiphilisileyo uthe kum: ‘Thatha ukhuko lwakho, uhambe.’ ”
12Ambuza athi: “Ngubani na lowo uthe kuwe: ‘Thatha ukhuko lwakho, uhambe’?”
13Kodwa lowo waphiliswayo wayengamazi okokuba ungubani owamphilisayo, kuba kwakukho abantu abaninzi apho, noYesu wayeselemkile.
14Kwathi emva koko uYesu waphinda wadibana naye *endlwini kaThixo, wathi: “Khangela, uphilile ngoku. Yahlukana nesono, hleze uhlelwe yinto embi kunale.”
15Wahamba ke umntu lowo, waya kuwaxelela amaJuda ukuba nguYesu owamphilisayo. 16Ngenxa yaloo nto ke amaJuda amchasa uYesu, kuba esenza ezi zinto ngoMhla wokuPhumla. 17Wawaphendula ke uYesu wathi: “UBawo uyasebenza kude kube ngoku; nam ke ndiyasebenza.”
18Oku kwabangela okokuba amaJuda afune ngakumbi ukumbulala uYesu. Wayengachithanga uMhla wawo wokuPhumla kuphela, kodwa wayezilinganise nokuzilinganisa noThixo ngokuthi uThixo unguYise.
Igunya loNyana
19Ke ngoko uYesu waziphendulela kumaJuda, wathi: “Ndithi kuni, inene, ayikho into ayenza ngegunya lakhe uNyana; kuphela wenza oko akubona kusenziwa nguYise. Oko akwenzayo uYise, naye uNyana uyakwenza; 20kuba uYise uyamthanda uNyana, embonisa zonke izinto azenzayo. Kwaye uya kumbonisa nezenzo ezikhulu kunezi, nitsho nimangaliswe; 21kuba kwanjengoko uYise abavusayo abafileyo, abadlise ubomi, ngokunjalo noNyana ubadlisa ubomi abo athandayo ukubadlisa. 22Kananjalo uYise akagwebi namnye. Lonke igunya lokugweba ulinika uNyana, 23ukuze bonke bamhlonele uNyana njengoko bamhlonelayo uYise. Lowo ke ungamhlonelanga uNyana, akamhloneli noYise owamthumayo.
24“Ndithi kuni, inene, lowo uwevayo amazwi am, abe ekholwa kulowo undithumileyo, unobomi obungunaphakade. Yena akayi kugwetywa nokugwetywa, kuba selephumile ekufeni wangena ebomini. 25Ndithi kuni, inene, kuza ixesha, kwaye selifikile, lokuba abasemangcwabeni balive ilizwi loNyana kaThixo, bathi abalivileyo badle ubomi. 26UYise, umthombo odlisa ubomi, ukunike noNyana ukudlisa ubomi. 27Kananjalo umnike negunya lokugweba, kuba yena *enguNyana woLuntu. 28Musani ukumangaliswa kuko oku, kuba ixesha liyeza abaya kuthi ngalo bonke abasemangcwabeni balive ilizwi lakhe, 29baphume emangcwabeni, bathi abo benze ubulungisa bavukele ebomini, bathi abo benze inkohlakalo bavukele ekugwetyweni.”
Ubungqina ngoYesu
30“Mna ngokwam andinakwenza nto. Ndigweba njengoko ndiyalelweyo, kwaye ukugweba kwam kufanelekile, kuba andinanjongo yakwenza ntando yam, koko ndenza ukuthanda kwalowo undithumileyo.
31“Ukuba bendizingqinela ngokwam, ubungqina bam ngebuthandabuzeka. 32Kodwa ndinomnye ongqina ngam, kwaye ndiyazi ukuba ubungqina bakhe abuthandabuzeki. 33Senathumela kuYohane; ninabo ke ubungqina bakhe mayela nenyaniso. 34Anditsho kuba mna ndixhomekeke ekungqinelweni ngumntu, koko nditsho ukuze nina nisindiswe. 35UYohane wayesisibane esikhanyisayo, naza nina navuyiswa okwethutyana kukukhanyiselwa nguye. 36Kodwa ndinabo ubungqina obungaphezulu kobo bukaYohane, kuba imisebenzi andithumileyo uBawo ukuba ndiyifeze, ezi zinto kanye ndizenzayo, ziyandingqinela ukuba ndithunywe nguBawo. 37NoBawo ngokwakhe, yena lowo undithumileyo, ungqinile ngam, nangona nina ningazange nilive ilizwi lakhe, ningazange nimbone nokumbona. 38Ilizwi lakhe alibanga nandawo yakuhlala kuni, kuba anikholwa kulowo amthumileyo. 39Niyaziphengulula *iziBhalo, nizicingela okokuba ninobomi obungonaphakade ngokuzifunda; kanti zona zingqina ngam, 40kodwa nina anifuni ukuza kum ukuze nibe nabo obo bomi.
41“Mna andinanze kunconywa ngabantu; 42kodwa nina niyakufuna, kuba kaloku ukumthanda uThixo akukho kuni. 43Mna ndize ndigunyaziswe nguBawo, kodwa nina anindamkelanga. Ukuba ubani uthe weza ngelilelakhe igunya niya kumamkela! 44Beninokuthini kakade ukukholwa njengokuba nisemva kokuncomana nje, ningakukhathalelanga ukunconywa ngulowo unguThixo yedwa? 45Kodwa ke ze ningabi niya kumangalelwa ndim kuBawo. Ummangaleli wenu nguMosis, lowo nithembele kuye. 46Kaloku ukuba benikwamkela okubhalwe nguMosis, ngenindamkela nam, kuba uMosis wabhala ngam. 47Ke ukuba anikwamkeli oko wakubhalayo uMosis, beningathini kakade ukuwamkela amazwi am?”
© Bible Society of South Africa 1996. Used with permission. All rights reserved.