Matthew 7
1 “Do not talk about how sinfully others have acted, in order that God will not say how sinfully you have acted.
“Lingahluleli funa lani lahlulelwe.
2 If you condemn [other people], [God] will condemn you. To the same extent that you condemn others, you will be condemned {[God] will condemn you}.
Ngoba ngaleyondlela elahlulela ngayo abanye lani lizakwahlulelwa ngayo, langalesosilinganiso elisisebenzisayo lani lizalinganiselwa ngaso.
3 (None of you should be concerned [about someone else’s small faults] [MET]!/Why should any of you be concerned [about someone else’s small faults]?) [MET, RHQ] [That would be like noticing] a speck in that person’s eye. But you should [be concerned about your own big faults. They are like] [MET] planks in your own eye, which you do not notice.
Kungani ukhangela uvava lokhuni oluselihlweni lomfowenu unganqinekeli ukhuni olukwelakho ilihlo na?
4 (You should not say to other people [about their minor faults], ‘Let me remove the specks from your eyes!’/Why do you say to other people [about their minor faults], ‘Let me remove the specks from your eyes?’) [RHQ] [You should not say that] if a plank is still in your own eye [MET].
Ungatsho kanjani kumfowenu ukuthi, ‘Wothi ngikukhuphe uvava oluselihlweni lakho,’ wena ulokhu ulokhuni kwelakho ilihlo?
5 You hypocrite, [stop committing your own sins! That will be like] removing the plank from your own eye [MET]. Then, as a result, you will be able to perceive things spiritually so that you can help other people get rid of the [faults] [MET] [that are like] specks in their eyes.”
Wena mzenzisi, qala ukhuphe ukhuni oluselihlweni lakho ukuze ubone kuhle nxa usukhupha uvava oluselihlweni lomfowenu.
6 “You do not give holy things to dogs [that would ignore those things] and attack you [CHI]. You do not throw pearls in front of hogs, [because they would just ignore them] and trample them. [Similarly], do not give [precious spiritual truth to people you know will not value it but instead will do evil things to you].”
Linganiki izinja okungcwele, lingaphoseli imiceciso ezingulubeni, ngoba lingakwenza lokhu zizayinyathela ngezinyawo ziphinde ziphenduke ziyidabudabule.”
7 “Keep asking [God for what you need]. If you do that, [he] will give it to you. Confidently keep [expecting God to give you the things that you need, and he will give them to you. It will be like] [MET] looking for what you need and finding it. Keep on [praying persistently to God. Then God will answer you. It will be like] [MET] knocking [on a door in order to enter a room]. And the way will be opened {[God] will open the way} for you [to get what you pray for].
“Celani lizaphiwa; dingani lizafumana; qoqodani lizavulelwa.
8 Remember that [God] will give things to everyone who continues to ask [him for them]. [He] will give things to whoever confidently keeps asking. [He] will open [the way] for people [to get the things that they keep persistently praying for].
Ngoba wonke ocelayo uyaphiwa; odingayo uyafumana; lalowo oqoqodayo uzavulelwa umnyango.
9 (No man among you would give a stone to his son if his son were to ask for bread./Would anyone among you give a stone to his son if his son were to ask for bread?) [RHQ]
Ngubani kini bobaba okuthi nxa indodana yakhe icela isinkwa ayiphe ilitshe na?
10 Likewise, (no man would give a [poisonous] snake to his son if his son would ask for a fish./would anyone give a [poisonous] snake to his son if his son would ask for a fish?) [RHQ]
Loba ithi icela inhlanzi yena ayiphe inyoka?
11 You, who are evil, know how to give good things to your children. So [God], your Father who is in heaven, will certainly give good things to the people who ask him.”
Nxa lina elibabi likwazi ukupha abantwabenu izipho ezilungileyo, pho uYihlo osezulwini uzabapha kangakanani izipho ezinhle labo abacela kuye!
12 “So in whatever way you want others to act toward you [(pl)], that is the way you [(pl)] should act toward them, because that [sums up what Moses wrote in] the laws [that God gave him] and [also what] the prophets [wrote long ago].”
Kuzozonke izinto, yenzani kwabanye lokho elifuna bakwenze kini, ngoba lokhu yikho okugoqela uMthetho labaPhrofethi.”
13 “[Going to] where people live eternally [with God in heaven] is difficult. [It is like] going along a narrow road [PRS, MET] that leads to a narrow gate. Not many people find that way. [The way] that most [people take] is easy, [but it results in their being punished] {[God punishing them]} [in hell. That way is like a] wide road that people walk on [PRS, MET] until they reach the wide gate, but that road and that gate lead to where [they] will be destroyed {[God] will destroy them}. Many people enter that gate. So I [am telling you to leave the wide road and] enter the narrow gate [to heaven].” (questioned)
“Ngenani ngesango elincinyane ngoba isango elikhulu lendlela ebanzi iholela ekubhujisweni njalo abanengi bangena ngalo.
Kodwa isango elincinyane lendlela yalo encinyane iholela ekuphileni, njalo balutshwana abayifumanayo.”
15 “Beware of people who come to you and say falsely that they are telling you [what God has said]. [They seem to be harmless, but they are extremely harmful. They are like] wolves that have covered themselves with sheepskins [to make people believe that they are sheep] [MET], but they actually are wolves that attack people [MET].
“Qaphelani abaphrofethi bamanga abeza kini bezigqokise isikhumba semvu kodwa ngaphakathi bezimpisi ezifohlozayo.
16 [So how will you know that they are false?] Well, by seeing what plants produce, you know [what kind of plants] they are [MET]. [For example, thornbushes cannot produce grapes], so (no one can pick grapes from thornbushes./can anyone pick grapes from thornbushes?) [RHQ] And [thistles cannot produce figs], so (no one can pick figs from thistles./can anyone pick figs from thistles?) [RHQ]
Lizabazi ngezithelo zabo. Abantu bayawakha na amavini esihlahleni sameva kumbe amakhiwane edolofiyeni na?
17 [Here is another example]: All good fruit trees produce good fruit, but all unhealthy trees produce worthless fruit.
Kanjalo-ke, sonke isihlahla esihle sithela izithelo ezinhle kodwa isihlahla esibi sithela ezimbi.
18 No good fruit tree is able to produce worthless fruit, and no unhealthy tree is able to produce good fruit.
Isihlahla esihle ngeke sithele izithelo ezimbi njalo lesihlahla esibi kasingethele izithelo ezinhle.
19 [And] all the trees that do not produce good fruit are chopped down and burned in a fire {people chop them down and burn them in a fire} [to get rid of them]. [Similarly], those who falsely claim to be prophets [will be thrown] {[God will throw false prophets]} [into the fires of hell]. (questioned)
Zonke izihlahla ezingatheli izithelo ezinhle ziyaganyulwa ziphoselwe emlilweni.
20 By seeing [what plants] produce, you know [what kind of plants] they are. [Similarly, when you see what the people who come to you do], [you will know if they are false prophets].”
Ngakho-ke, lizabazi ngezithelo zabo.”
21 “[Even though many] people [habitually] call me ‘Lord’, [pretending that they have my authority], some of them will not go to heaven where God rules, [because they do not do what he desires]. [Only] those people who do what my Father, who is in heaven, desires [will go there].
“Kakusibo bonke abathi kimi, ‘Nkosi, Nkosi’ abazangena embusweni wezulu, kodwa ngulowo kuphela owenza intando kaBaba osezulwini.
22 On the day [MTY] [that God judges everyone], many [people, trying to tell me that they deserve to go to heaven], will say to me, ‘Lord, we(exc) spoke God’s message as your representatives [MTY, RHQ]! As your representatives we(exc) expelled demons from [people] [RHQ]! And as your representatives, many times we(exc) performed miracles [RHQ]!’
Abanengi bazakuthi kimi ngalolosuku, ‘Nkosi, Nkosi, kasiphrofithanga ngebizo lakho, njalo ngebizo lakho sakhupha amadimoni, senza lezimangaliso na?’
23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I have never said that you belonged to me. Go away from me, you who do what is evil!’”
Lapho-ke, ngizabatshela kakuhle ngithi, ‘Ngivele kangilazi. Sudulukani kimi, lina benzi bobubi!’”
24 “So then, anyone who hears what I say and does what I command, will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
“Ngakho lowo owezwayo amazwi ami la awenze unjengendoda ehlakaniphileyo eyakhela indlu yayo edwaleni.
25 [Even though] the rain came down and the river flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house, it did not fall down because it had been built {he built it} on a solid foundation.
Latheleka izulu, izifula zagcwala, wavunguza umoya watshaya phezu kwaleyondlu; kodwa kayiwanga ngoba yayigxiliswe isisekelo sayo edwaleni.
26 On the other hand, anyone who hears what I say but does not obey what I say will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Kodwa lowo owezwayo amazwi ami la angawenzi unjengendoda eyisiwula eyakhela indlu yayo etshebetshebeni.
27 When the rain fell and the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house, it crashed down and broke completely apart, [because it was built on the sand. So it is important for you to obey what I teach you].”
Latheleka izulu, izifula zagcwala, umoya wavunguza watshaya phezu kwendlu leyo yawa yabhidlika.”
28 When Jesus finished saying all those things, the [who had been listening to him were] amazed at the [new] teaching that he had taught them.
UJesu eseqedile ukukhuluma lezizinto, amaxuku abantu amangaliswa yikufundisa kwakhe,
29 The reason they were amazed was that he was teaching as a person does who has authority. He was not teaching like the men who taught the [Jewish] laws, [who just repeated what other people had taught them].
ngoba wafundisa njengomuntu olamandla, hatshi njengabafundisi babo bomthetho.
