< Imisebenzi 19 >
1 Kwasekusithi, uApolosi eseseKorinte, uPawuli wafika eEfesu esedabule indawo eziphakemeyo; wasefica abafundi abathile
2 wathi kubo: Lamemukela yini uMoya oNgcwele mhla likholwayo? Basebesithi kuye: Kodwa kasizanga sizwe ngitsho ukuthi kukhona uMoya oNgcwele.
3 Wasesithi kubo: Pho labhabhathizelwa kukuphi? Basebesithi: Kubhabhathizo lukaJohane.
4 Kodwa uPawuli wathi: UJohane isibili wabhabhathiza ubhabhathizo lokuphenduka, etshela abantu ukuze bakholwe kulowo oweza emva kwakhe, okuyikuthi, kuKristu Jesu.
5 Lalabo abezwayo babhabhathizwa ebizweni leNkosi uJesu.
6 Wathi uPawuli esebeke izandla phezu kwabo, uMoya oyiNgcwele weza phezu kwabo; basebekhuluma ngendimi, baprofetha.
7 Njalo wonke amadoda ayengaba litshumi lambili.
8 Wasengena esinagogeni wakhuluma ngesibindi, inyanga ezintathu etshumayela eqinisekisa izinto ngombuso kaNkulunkulu.
9 Kodwa kwathi abanye besiba lukhuni bengakholwa, bekhuluma kubi ngaleyondlela phambi kwabantu, wasuka kubo wehlukanisa abafundi, insuku ngensuku etshumayela esikolo sothile uTiranu.
10 Lalokhu kwenzeka okweminyaka emibili, baze balizwa ilizwi leNkosi uJesu bonke abakhileyo eAsiya, amaJuda kanye lamaGriki.
11 UNkulunkulu wasesenza imisebenzi yamandla engejwayelekanga ngezandla zikaPawuli,
12 kwaze kwathi lakwabagulayo kwasiwa izifinyo kumbe amafasikoti okuvela emzimbeni wakhe, lezifo zasuka kubo, labomoya ababi baphuma kubo.
13 Kwathi abanye kumihambuma yamaJuda, izanuse, bazama ukubiza ibizo leNkosi uJesu kulabo ababelabomoya ababi, besithi: Siyalifungisa ngoJesu amtshumayelayo uPawuli.
14 Njalo kwakukhona amadodana ayisikhombisa athile kaSikeva umJuda umpristi omkhulu akwenzayo lokho.
15 Kodwa umoya omubi waphendula wathi: UJesu ngiyamazi, loPawuli ngiyazi ngaye; kodwa lina lingobani?
16 Lowomuntu okwakukuye umoya omubi waseseqela phezu kwabo, njalo wabehlula, wabanqoba, baze babaleka kuleyondlu benqunu belimele.
17 Lokhu kwasekusaziwa yibo bonke abakhileyo eEfesu amaJuda kanye lamaGriki; lokwesaba kwasekubehlela bonke; njalo lakhuliswa ibizo leNkosi uJesu.
18 Labanengi balabo abakholwayo beza, bevuma, bememezela izenzo zabo.
19 Labanengi balabo ababesenza amasalamusi baletha ingwalo ndawonye bazitshisa phambi kwabo bonke; basebebala intengo yazo, bathola izinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amahlanu zesiliva.
20 Ngokunjalo ilizwi leNkosi lakhula ngamandla lanqoba.
21 Kwathi lezizinto seziphelile, uPawuli wazimisela emoyeni, esedabule eMakedoniya leAkaya, ukuya eJerusalema, esithi: Emva kokuba kwami lapho, ngimele ukubona iRoma layo.
22 Esethume eMakedoniya ababili balabo ababemsiza, uTimothi loErastu, yena wahlala eAsiya okwesikhathi.
23 Kodwa ngalesosikhathi kwasuka isiphithiphithi esingesincinyane mayelana laleyondlela.
24 Ngoba umuntu othile onguDemetriyu ngebizo, umkhandi wesiliva, owenza amathempelana esiliva kaDiyana, waletha kuzingcwethi inzuzo engencinyane;
25 owabaqoqayo bona, lezisebenzi zezinto ezifananayo, wathi: Madoda, liyazi ukuthi inotho yethu ivela kulumsebenzi.
26 Njalo liyabona liyezwa ukuthi kungeyisikho eEfesu kuphela, kodwa phose kulo lonke iAsiya, uPawuli lo uncengile njalo uphambule ixuku elikhulu, esithi kayisibo onkulunkulu abenziwe ngezandla.
27 Njalo kayisikho lokhu kuphela ukuthi sisengozini yokuthi lolugatsha lomsebenzi lufike ekutheni lungahlonitshwa, kodwa lethempeli likankulunkulukazi omkhulu uDiyana lizathiwa liyinto engesilutho, njalo lobukhulukazi bakhe buzakwehliswa, elimkhonzayo yonke iAsiya lomhlaba wonke.
28 Kwathi bekuzwa bagcwala intukuthelo, bamemeza besithi: Mkhulu uDiyana wamaEfesu!
29 Njalo umuzi wonke wagcwala isiphithiphithi; basebetheleka kanyekanye endaweni yokudlalela, bahudula uGayusi loAristako amaMakedoniya, abaphelekezeli bakaPawuli.
30 Kwathi uPawuli efuna ukungena exukwini, abafundi kabamvumelanga.
31 Njalo labanye bababusi beAsiya, ababengabangane bakhe, bathuma kuye, bemncenga ukuthi angazinikeli endaweni yokudlalela.
32 Ngakho abanye bamemeza okunye labanye okunye; ngoba umhlangano wawusanganisekile, njalo inengi labo lalingazi ukuthi libuthene lapho ngenxa yani.
33 Basebemusa phambili uAleksandro esuka exukwini, ngoba amaJuda amqhubela phambili. UAleksandro waseqhweba ngesandla, efuna ukuzivikela ebantwini.
34 Kodwa bathi sebekwazi ukuthi ungumJuda, kwaba lelizwi elilodwa livela kubo bonke okungaba ngamahola amabili limemeza lisithi: Mkhulu uDiyana wamaEfesu!
35 Njalo kwathi umabhalane eselithulisile ixuku wathi: Madoda eEfesu, kanti kukhona yini umuntu ongaziyo ukuthi umuzi weEfesu ungumlondolozi wethempeli likankulunkulukazi omkhulu uDiyana lowento eyawa ivela kuZewusi?
36 Ngakho njengoba lezizinto zingephikwe, kufanele lithule, lingenzi lutho ngamawala.
37 Ngoba lilethe lamadoda, angeyisibo abaphangi bamathempeli langahlambazi unkulunkulukazi wenu.
38 Ngakho uba uDemetriyu lezingcwethi kanye laye belodaba ngomuntu, amalanga okuthonisa amacala ayagcinwa, bakhona lababusi; kabamangalelane.
39 Kodwa uba lidinga ulutho ngezinye izinto, kuzalungiswa emhlanganweni osemthethweni.
40 Ngoba futhi sisengozini yokumangalelwa ngomvukela ngenxa yalamuhla, kungelambangela esingalandisa ngayo ngalesisiphithiphithi.
41 Njalo esetshilo lokho, wawuchitha umhlangano.
