ULukha 14
1 Kwasekusithi ekungeneni kwakhe ngesabatha endlini yomunye wabakhulu kubaFarisi ukuthi adle isinkwa, bona basebemqaphela.
One day--it was a Sabbath--He was taking a meal at the house of one of the Rulers of the Pharisee party, while they were closely watching Him.
2 Njalo khangela, kwakukhona umuntu othile phambi kwakhe owayelombizankulu.
In front of Him was a man suffering from dropsy.
3 UJesu wasephendula wakhuluma lezazumthetho labaFarisi, wathi: Kuvunyelwe yini ukusilisa ngesabatha?
This led Jesus to ask the lawyers and Pharisees, "Is it allowable to cure people on the Sabbath?"
4 Kodwa bathula. Wasembamba wamsilisa wamyekela ukuthi ahambe.
They gave Him no answer; so He took hold of the man, cured him, and sent him away.
5 Wasebaphendula esithi: Nguwuphi kini ongathi elobabhemi kumbe inkabi yakhe ewele emgodini, futhi angahle ayikhuphe ngosuku lwesabatha?
Then He turned to them and said, "Which of you shall have a child or an ox fall into a well on the Sabbath day, and will not immediately lift him out?"
6 Abasazange babuyisele impendulo kuye ngalezizinto.
To this they could make no reply.
7 Wasekhuluma umfanekiso kubo abanxusiweyo, ebona ukuthi bakhetha njani izihlalo zabahloniphekayo, wathi kubo:
Then, when He noticed that the invited guests chose the best seats, He used this as an illustration and said to them,
8 Nxa unxusiwe ngumuntu emtshadweni, ungahlali esihlalweni sabahloniphekayo; hlezi kukhona omkhulu kulawe onxusiweyo nguye,
"When any one invites you to a wedding banquet, do not take the best seat, lest perhaps some more honoured guest than you may have been asked,
9 futhi okunxusileyo wena laye eze athi kuwe: Mxekele lo; khona uzaqala ukuhlala endaweni esekucineni usulenhloni.
and the man who invited you both will come and will say to you, 'Make room for this guest,' and then you, ashamed, will move to the lowest place.
10 Kodwa nxa unxusiwe, hamba uhlale endaweni esekucineni; ukuze, nxa efika okunxusileyo, athi kuwe: Mngane, yenyukela ngaphezulu; khona kuzakuba ludumo kuwe phambi kwabo abahlezi ekudleni lawe.
On the contrary, when you are invited go and take the lowest place, that when your host comes round he may say to you, 'My friend, come up higher.' This will be doing you honour in the presence of all the other guests.
11 Ngoba wonke oziphakamisayo uzathotshiswa, lozithobayo uzaphakanyiswa.
For whoever uplifts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be uplifted.
12 Wasesithi lakulowo owayemnxusile: Nxa usenza ukudla kwemini loba ukudla kwantambama, unganxusi abangane bakho, loba abafowenu, loba izihlobo zakho, loba omakhelwane abanothileyo; hlezi labo babuye bakunxuse, futhi ukwenananiswa kwenziwe kuwe.
Also to His host, who had invited Him, He said, "When you give a breakfast or a dinner, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbours, lest perhaps they should invite you in return and a requital be made you.
13 Kodwa nxa usenza idili, nxusa abayanga, izilima, iziqhuli, iziphofu;
But when you entertain, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind;
14 njalo uzabusiswa, ngoba abalalutho lokukwenanisa; ngoba uzakwenaniselwa ekuvukeni kwabalungileyo.
and you will be blessed, because they have no means of requiting you, but there will be requital for you at the Resurrection of the righteous."
15 Kwathi omunye kwababehlezi laye ekudleni esezwile lezizinto wathi kuye: Ubusisiwe lowo ozakudla isinkwa embusweni kaNkulunkulu.
After listening to this teaching, one of His fellow guests said to Him, "Blessed is he who shall feast in God's Kingdom."
16 Kodwa wathi kuye: Umuntu othile wenza ukudla kwantambama okukhulu, wanxusa abanengi.
"A man once gave a great dinner," replied Jesus, "to which he invited a large number of guests.
17 Ngesikhathi sokudla kwantambama wasethuma inceku yakhe ukuthi ithi kwabanxusiweyo: Wozani, ngoba sekulungisiwe konke.
At dinner-time he sent his servant to announce to those who had been invited, "'Come, for things are now ready.'
18 Kodwa bonke baqala omunye lomunye ukuzixolisela. Owokuqala wathi kuye: Ngithenge insimu, ngimele ukuhamba ngiyeyibona; ngiyakuncenga, akungixolisele.
"But they all without exception began to excuse themselves. The first told him, "'I have purchased a piece of land, and must of necessity go and look at it. Pray hold me excused.'
19 Lomunye wathi: Sengithenge izipane ezinhlanu zenkabi, ngiya ukuzilinga; ngiyakuncenga, akungixolisele.
"A second pleaded, "'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and am on my way to try them. Pray hold me excused.'
20 Lomunye wathi: Sengithethe umfazi, ngakho ngingeze ngeza.
"Another said, "'I am just married. It is impossible for me to come.'
21 Isibuyile leyonceku yayibikela lezizinto inkosi yayo. Wasethukuthela umninindlu wathi encekwini yakhe: Phuma ngokuphangisa uye emigwaqweni lendleleni zomuzi, ulethe abayanga lezilima leziqhuli leziphofu ubangenise lapha.
"So the servant came and brought these answers to his master, and they stirred his anger. "'Go out quickly,' he said, 'into the streets of the city--the wide ones and the narrow. You will see poor men, and crippled, blind, lame: fetch them all in here.'
22 Inceku yasisithi: Nkosi, sekwenziwe njengokulaya kwakho, njalo indawo isesekhona.
"Soon the servant reported the result, saying, "'Sir, what you ordered is done, and there is room still.'
23 Yasisithi inkosi encekwini: Phuma uye ezindleleni lezintangweni ubacindezele bangene, ukuze igcwaliswe indlu yami.
"'Go out,' replied the master, 'to the high roads and hedge-rows, and compel the people to come in, so that my house may be filled.
24 Ngoba ngithi kini: Kakho kulamadoda ayenxusiwe ozakuzwa ukudla kwami kwantambama.
For I tell you that not one of those who were invited shall taste my dinner.'"
25 Kwakuhamba laye amaxuku amanengi; wasetshibilika wathi kuwo:
On His journey vast crowds attended Him, towards whom He turned and said,
26 Uba umuntu esiza kimi, futhi engazondi uyise, lonina, lomkakhe, labantwana, labafowabo, labodadewabo, yebo ngitsho leyakhe impilo, angebe ngumfundi wami.
"If any one is coming to me who does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be a disciple of mine.
27 Njalo loba ngubani ongathwali isiphambano sakhe angilandele, angebe ngumfundi wami.
No one who does not carry his own cross and come after me can be a disciple of mine.
28 Ngoba nguwuphi kini, othi efuna ukwakha umphotshongo, ongaqali ahlale phansi, abale indleko, ukuthi ulakho yini okokuqedisa?
"Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not sit down first and calculate the cost, asking if he has the means to finish it? --
29 Ukuze hlezi, kuthi esebekile isisekelo kodwa angabi lamandla okuqeda, bonke abakubonayo baqale ukumhleka,
lest perhaps, when he has laid the foundation and is unable to finish, all who see it shall begin to jeer at him,
30 besithi: Lumuntu waqala ukwakha, kodwa kabanga lamandla okuqeda.
saying, 'This man began to build, but could not finish.'
31 Loba yiyiphi inkosi ezakuya empini imelene lenye inkosi engaqali ihlale phansi inakane ngokuthi ilamandla yini ngenkulungwane ezilitshumi okuhlangabezana laleyo eza ilenkulungwane ezingamatshumi amabili ukumelana layo?
Or what king, marching to encounter another king in war, does not first sit down and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand men to meet the one who is advancing against him with twenty thousand?
32 Kodwa uba kungenjalo, ingathi isekhatshana leyo, ithume amanxusa icele okokuthula.
If not, while the other is still a long way off, he sends messengers and sues for peace.
33 Ngakho kunjalo wonke kini ongadeli konke alakho, angeke aba ngumfundi wami.
Just as no one of you who does not detach himself from all that belongs to him can be a disciple of mine.
34 Itshwayi lihle; kodwa uba itshwayi seliduma, lizavuselelwa ngani?
"Salt is good: but if even the salt has become tasteless, what will you use to season it?
35 Kalifanele lamhlabathi ledundulu lomquba; kodwa liyalahlwa ngaphandle. Olendlebe zokuzwa, akezwe.
Neither for land nor dunghill is it of any use; they throw it away. Listen, every one who has ears to listen with!"
