< John 1 >

1 From the first he was the Word, and the Word was in relation with God and was God.
Ekuqaleni wayekhona uLizwi, njalo uLizwi wayeloNkulunkulu, njalo uLizwi wayenguNkulunkulu.
2 This Word was from the first in relation with God.
Yena lo wayeloNkulunkulu ekuqaleni.
3 All things came into existence through him, and without him nothing was.
Zonke izinto zenziwa ngaye, njalo ngaphandle kwakhe kakulalutho lolulodwa olwenziwayo lolo olwenziweyo.
4 What came into existence in him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Impilo yayikuye, njalo impilo yayiyikukhanya kwabantu,
5 And the light goes on shining in the dark; it is not overcome by the dark.
lokukhanya kukhanya emnyameni, kodwa ubumnyama kabukwemukelanga.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Kwavela umuntu ethunywe nguNkulunkulu, obizo lakhe linguJohane;
7 He came for witness, to give witness about the light, so that all men might have faith through him.
yena lo wezela ubufakazi, ukuze afakaze ngokukhanya, ukuze bonke bakholwe ngaye.
8 He himself was not the light: he was sent to give witness about the light.
Yena wayengayisikho ukukhanya, kodwa ukuze afakaze ngokukhanya.
9 The true light, which gives light to every man, was then coming into the world.
Kwakuyikukhanya okuqotho, okukhanyisa wonke umuntu oza emhlabeni.
10 He was in the world, the world which came into being through him, but the world had no knowledge of him.
Wayekhona emhlabeni, njalo umhlaba wenziwa ngaye, kodwa umhlaba kawumazanga.
11 He came to the things which were his and his people did not take him to their hearts.
Weza kokwakhe, kodwa abakhe kabamemukelanga.
12 To all those who did so take him, however, he gave the right of becoming children of God — that is, to those who had faith in his name:
Kodwa bonke abamemukelayo, wabapha amandla okuthi babe ngabantwana bakaNkulunkulu, labo abakholwa ebizweni lakhe;
13 Whose birth was from God and not from blood, or from an impulse of the flesh and man's desire.
abazalwa kungeyisikho ngegazi, langentando yenyama, langentando yendoda, kodwa nguNkulunkulu.
14 And so the Word became flesh and took a place among us for a time; and we saw his glory — such glory as is given to an only son by his father — saw it to be true and full of grace.
ULizwi wasesiba yinyama, wahlala phakathi kwethu, njalo sabona inkazimulo yakhe, inkazimulo injengeyozelwe yedwa kaYise, egcwele umusa leqiniso.
15 John gave witness about him, crying, This is he of whom I said, He who is coming after me is put over me because he was in existence before me.
UJohane wafakaza ngaye, wamemeza wathi: Nguye lo ebengisitsho ngaye ukuthi: Lowo ozayo emva kwami uphambi kwami; ngoba wayekhona kuqala kulami.
16 From his full measure we have all been given grace on grace.
Lekugcwaleni kwakhe thina semukele sonke, futhi umusa ngomusa;
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and the true way of life are ours through Jesus Christ.
ngoba umlayo wanikwa ngoMozisi, umusa leqiniso kweza ngoJesu Kristu.
18 No man has seen God at any time; the only Son, who is on the breast of the Father, he has made clear what God is.
Kakho owake wabona uNkulunkulu; iNdodana ezelwe yodwa, esesifubeni sikaYise, yiyo emvezileyo.
19 And this is the witness of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to him with the question, Who are you?
Njalo lobu yibufakazi bukaJohane, mhla amaJuda ethuma abapristi lamaLevi bevela eJerusalema ukuze bambuze ukuthi: Wena ungubani?
20 He said quite openly and straightforwardly, I am not the Christ.
Wasevuma, kaphikanga; futhi wavuma wathi: Kangisuye uKristu mina.
21 And they said to him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not. Are you the prophet? And his answer was, I am not.
Bambuza futhi bathi: Kuyini pho? Wena unguElija yini? Wasesithi: Kangisuye. Wena ungulowomProfethi yini? Wasephendula wathi: Hatshi.
22 So they said to him, Who are you then? We have to give some answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?
Basebesithi kuye: Ungubani? Ukuze sibaphe impendulo abasithumileyo; uthini ngawe?
23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the waste land, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.
Wathi: Mina ngiyilizwi lomemezayo enkangala: Lungisani indlela yeNkosi, njengoba uIsaya umprofethi watsho.
24 Those who had been sent came from the Pharisees.
Lalabo ababethunyiwe babevela kubaFarisi.
25 And they put this question to him, saying, Why then are you giving baptism if you are not the Christ, or Elijah, or the prophet?
Basebembuza, bathi kuye: Ubhabhathizelani pho, uba wena ungeyisuye uKristu, loElija, lalowomProfethi?
26 John's answer was: I give baptism with water; but there is one among you of whom you have no knowledge;
UJohane wabaphendula, wathi: Mina ngibhabhathiza ngamanzi; kodwa phakathi kwenu kumi, lina elingamaziyo;
27 It is he who is coming after me; I am not good enough to undo his shoes.
nguye ozayo emva kwami, ophambi kwami, engingafanele mina ukuthukulula umchilo wenyathela lakhe.
28 These things took place at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was giving baptism.
Lezizinto zenzeka eBethabara ngaphetsheya kweJordani, lapho uJohane ayebhabhathiza khona.
29 The day after, John sees Jesus coming to him and says, See, here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Kusisa uJohane wabona uJesu esiza kuye, wathi: Khangelani iWundlu likaNkulunkulu, elisusa isono somhlaba.
30 This is he of whom I said, One is coming after me who is put over me because he was in existence before me.
Nguye lo mina ebengilitshela ngaye ukuthi: Emva kwami kuza indoda, eyayikhona phambi kwami, ngoba yayikhona kuqala kulami.
31 I myself had no knowledge of him, but I came giving baptism with water so that he might be seen openly by Israel.
Lami bengingamazi; kodwa ukuze abonakaliswe kuIsrayeli, ngalokho mina ngizile ngibhabhathiza ngamanzi.
32 And John gave this witness, saying, I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove and resting on him.
UJohane wasefakaza, esithi: Ngibonile uMoya esehla ezulwini njengejuba, wahlala phezu kwakhe.
33 I had no knowledge who he was, but he who sent me to give baptism with water said to me, The one on whom you see the Spirit coming down and resting, it is he who gives baptism with the Holy Spirit.
Lami bengingamazi; kodwa owangithumayo ukubhabhathiza ngamanzi, yena wathi kimi: Lowo ozabona uMoya esehlela phezu kwakhe ahlale kuye, nguye obhabhathiza ngoMoya oNgcwele.
34 This I saw myself and my witness is that he is the Son of God.
Mina ngibonile, ngafakaza ukuthi lo uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu.
35 The day after, John was there again with two of his disciples;
Kusisa futhi uJohane wayemi, lababili kubafundi bakhe;
36 And looking at Jesus while he was walking he said, See, there is the Lamb of God!
wasekhangela uJesu ehambahamba, wathi: Khangelani iWundlu likaNkulunkulu.
37 Hearing what he said, the two disciples went after Jesus.
Abafundi ababili bamuzwa ekhuluma, basebemlandela uJesu.
38 And Jesus, turning round, saw them coming after him and said to them, What are you looking for? They said to him, Rabbi (which is to say, Master), where are you living?
Kwathi uJesu enyemukula ebabona belandela, wathi kubo: Lidingani? Basebesithi kuye: Rabi, (okuyikuthi ngokuphendulelwa, Mfundisi) uhlala ngaphi?
39 He said to them, Come and see. They went with him then and saw where he was living; and they were with him all that day: it was then about the tenth hour of the day.
Wathi kubo: Wozani libone. Beza babona lapho ayehlala khona; bahlala laye ngalolosuku; kwakungaba lihola letshumi.
40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two men who, hearing what John said, went after Jesus.
UAndreya umfowabo kaSimoni Petro wayengomunye wababili ababekuzwe ngoJohane bamlandela.
41 Early in the morning he came across his brother and said to him, We have made discovery! It is the Messiah! (which is to say, the Christ).
Yena wathola kuqala umfowabo uqobo uSimoni, wathi kuye: Simtholile uMesiya, okuphendulelwa ngokuthi, uKristu.
42 And he took him to Jesus. Looking at him fixedly Jesus said, You are Simon, the son of John; your name will be Cephas (which is to say, Peter).
Wasemletha kuJesu. UJesu esemkhangele wathi: Wena unguSimoni indodana kaJona; uzathiwa nguKefasi, okuphendulelwa ngokuthi uPetro.
43 The day after this, Jesus had a desire to go into Galilee. He came across Philip and said to him, Come and be my disciple.
Kusisa uJesu wayefuna ukusuka aye eGalili, wathola uFiliphu, wathi kuye: Ngilandela.
44 Now Philip's town was Beth-saida, where Andrew and Peter came from.
UFiliphu-ke wayengoweBhethisayida, emzini wakibo kaAndreya loPetro.
45 Philip came across Nathanael and said to him, We have made a discovery! It is he of whom Moses, in the law, and the prophets were writing, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
UFiliphu wathola uNathaniyeli, wathi kuye: Simtholile lowo abhala ngaye uMozisi emlayweni labaprofethi, uJesu weNazaretha, indodana kaJosefa.
46 Nazareth! said Nathanael, Is it possible for any good to come out of Nazareth? Philip said to him, Come and see.
UNathaniyeli wasesithi kuye: Kambe kungavela okuhle eNazaretha? UFiliphu wathi kuye: Woza ubone.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and said of him, See, here is a true son of Israel in whom there is nothing false.
UJesu wabona uNathaniyeli esiza kuye, wathi ngaye: Khangelani umIsrayeli uqobo, okungekho nkohliso kuye.
48 Nathanael said to him, Where did you get knowledge of me? In answer Jesus said, Before Philip was talking with you, while you were still under the fig-tree, I saw you.
UNathaniyeli wathi kuye: Ungazela ngaphi? UJesu waphendula wathi kuye: UFiliphu engakakubizi, ungaphansi komkhiwa, ngakubona.
49 Nathanael said to him, Rabbi, you are the Son of God, you are King of Israel!
UNathaniyeli waphendula wathi kuye: Rabi, wena uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, wena uyiNkosi kaIsrayeli.
50 In answer Jesus said to him, You have faith because I said to you, I saw you under the fig-tree. You will see greater things than these.
UJesu waphendula wathi kuye: Uyakholwa ngoba ngithe kuwe, bengikubona ungaphansi komkhiwa. Uzabona izinto ezinkulu kulalezi.
51 And he said to him, Truly I say to you all, You will see heaven opening and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of man.
Wasesithi kuye: Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile, ngithi kini: Kusukela khathesi lizabona izulu livulekile, lengilosi zikaNkulunkulu zisenyuka zisehla phezu kweNdodana yomuntu.

< John 1 >