IzEnzo 19:1-41

Kwathi u-Apholo eseKorinte, uPawulu esedabule izwe eliphezulu, wafika e-Efesu; Wathi kubo: “Namukele uMoya oNgcwele selokhu nakholwa na? Base bethi kuye: “Asikaze sizwe ukuthi kukhona uMoya oNgcwele.” Wathi kubo: Pho nabhabhathizwa kuyiphi na? Basebesithi: Kubhabhathizo lukaJohane. UPawuli wasesithi: UJohane wabhabhathiza umbhabhathizo wokuphenduka, esithi ebantwini ukuthi bakholwe kuye ozayo emva kwakhe, onguKristu Jesu. Kwathi ukuzwa lokho, babhapathizwa egameni leNkosi uJesu. UPawuli esebeke izandla phezu kwabo, uMoya oNgcwele wehlela phezu kwabo; bakhuluma ngezilimi, baprofetha. Amadoda onke ayengaba ishumi nambili. Wayesengena esinagogeni, wakhuluma ngesibindi izinyanga ezintathu, ekhuluma eqinisekisa ngombuso kaNkulunkulu. Kodwa kwathi abanye bezenza lukhuni bengakholwa, bekhuluma kubi ngaleyoNdlela phambi kwexuku, wasuka kubo, wehlukanisa abafundi, ekhuluma insuku ngensuku esikolo sikaTiranu. Lokho kwenzeka iminyaka emibili; kangangokuthi bonke abakhileyo e-Asiya balizwa izwi leNkosi, amaJuda namaGreki. UNkulunkulu wenza imisebenzi yamandla emangalisayo ngezandla zikaPawuli. Kwaze kwathathwa amaduku nezigqoko emzimbeni wakhe kwabagulayo, izifo zasuka kubo, namademoni aphuma kubo. Abathile kubaJuda abakhipha imimoya emibi ababezulazula bazama ukubiza igama leNkosi uJesu phezu kwababenamademoni, bathi: “Siyanifungisa uJesu amshumayelayo uPawulu. Kwakukhona amadodana ayisikhombisa kaSkeva umJuda nompristi omkhulu, ayekwenza lokho. Umoya omubi waphendula wathi: UJesu ngiyamazi, noPawulu ngiyamazi; kodwa nina ningobani? Umuntu okuye umoya omubi weqela phezu kwabo, wabanqoba, wabahlula, baze babaleka kuleyondlu benqunu, belimele. Lokho kwaziwa yibo bonke abakhileyo e-Efesu abaJuda namaGreki; ukwesaba kwabehlela bonke, ladunyiswa igama leNkosi uJesu. Nabaningi abakholwayo beza, bazivuma, babika izenzo zabo. Abaningi kwababenza imilingo babuthela ndawonye izincwadi zabo, bazishisa phambi kwabo bonke; babala intengo yazo, bathola izinhlamvu zesiliva eziyizinkulungwane ezingamashumi ayisihlanu. Kanjalo izwi likaNkulunkulu landa ngamandla, lanqoba. Kwathi seziphelile lezi zinto, uPawulu wazimisela emoyeni, esedabulile iMakedoniya ne-Akhaya, ukuya eJerusalema, wathi: “Emva kokufika kwami khona ngimelwe ukubona neRoma. Wathuma eMakedoniya ababili kwabamkhonzayo, uThimothewu no-Erastu; kepha yena wahlala isikhathi e-Asiya. Ngalesosikhathi kwavela isiphithiphithi esingesincinyane mayelana laleyoNdlela. Ngokuba umuntu othile ogama lakhe linguDemetriyu, umkhandi wesiliva, owenza amathempelana esiliva kaDiyana, wayeletha izingcweti inzuzo enkulu; Wababizela ndawonye kanye nezisebenzi zaleyo misebenzi, wathi: “Madoda, niyazi nina ukuthi ingcebo yethu kulo msebenzi. Futhi niyabona, niyezwa, ukuthi kungesikho e-Efesu kuphela, kodwa cishe kulo lonke elase-Asiya, uPawuli lo udukise abantu abaningi, waphambukisa, wathi abasibo onkulunkulu abenziwe ngezandla; Ngakho kayisikho lokhu kuphela umsebenzi wethu osengozini yokudelelwa; kodwa nokuba ithempeli likankulunkulukazi omkhulu uDiyana liyakuchithwa, nobukhosi bakhe buchithwe, okhulekelwa yi-Asiya yonke nomhlaba wonke. Sebezwile lawa mazwi bagcwala ulaka, bamemeza bathi: “Mkhulu uDiyana wabase-Efesu! Umuzi wonke wagcwala isiphithiphithi, baphuthuma enkundleni yemidlalo nganhliziyonye babamba uGayu no-Aristarku abaseMakedoniya ababehamba noPawulu. Kwathi uPawulu esefuna ukungena esixukwini, abafundi abamvumelanga. Abanye bababusi base-Asiya, ababengabangane bakhe, bathumela kuye, bemncenga ukuba angazinikeli enkundleni yemidlalo. Ngakho abanye bamemeza okunye labanye okunye, ngoba umhlangano waphithizela; abaningi babengazi ukuthi babebuthene ngani. Basebekhipha uAleksandro exukwini, abaJuda bamqhubela phambili. U-Aleksandru waqhweba ngesandla, efuna ukuziphendulela kubantu. Kodwa sebekwazi ukuthi ungumJuda, bonke ngazwi linye bamemeza kungathi amahola amabili, Mkhulu uDiyana wabaseEfesu! Kwathi umabhalane esezithulisile izixuku, wathi: Madoda ase-Efesu, ngumuphi umuntu ongazi ukuthi umuzi wabase-Efesu ungumkhulekeli kankulunkulukazi omkhulu uDiyana nowesithombe esawa kuJupiter? Ngakho njengoba lezizinto zingephikwe, kufanele nithule, ningenzi lutho ngamawala. Ngokuba nilethile lawa madoda, angesibo abaphangi bamabandla, nabangabahlambalazi unkulunkulukazi wenu. Ngakho-ke uma uDemetriyu nezingcweti ezikanye naye benendaba nomuntu, umthetho uvuliwe, bakhona nababusi; mabamangalelane. Kepha uma nibuza utho ngezinye izinto, luyakunqunywa emhlanganweni osemthethweni. Ngoba sisengozini yokumangalelwa ngesiyaluyalu salamuhla, kungekho sizathu esingalandisa ngaso ngalo mbuthano. Eseshilo lokho walichitha ibandla.