1 KwabaseKhorinte

15 Bafowethu, khathesi ngilikhumbuza ngezindaba ezinhle engazitshumayela kini lazamukela njalo lama kuzo laqina. 2 Nxa libambelela kulezozindaba ezinhle engazitshumayela kini, lizasindiswa ngazo, ngaphandle nxa kuyikuthi ukukholwa kwenu akuncedanga ngalutho.

3 Phakathi kwezinto zokuqala engazidlulisela kini kwakulalezo engazamukelayo lami, ukuthi uKhristu wafela izono zethu ngokuvumelana leMibhalo; 4 lokuthi wangcwatshwa, wasevuswa sibili ngelanga lesithathu ngokuvumelana leMibhalo; 5 kanye lokuthi wabonakala kuKhefasi,* wasebonakala kwabaliTshumi Lambili. 6 Ngemva kwalokho wabonakala kubafowethu abedlula 500 ngasikhathi sinye, abanengi esilokhu silabo lanxa abanye sebafa.*7 Wasebonakala kuJakhobe, ngemva kwalokho wabonakala kubo bonke abaphostoli.8 Ekucineni wabonakala lakimi, futhi ngenxa yalokho nginjengomntwana ozelwe isikhathi singakafiki.

9 Mina ngingomncinyane kubaphostoli njalo kakungifanelanga ukubizwa ngokuthi ngingumphostoli ngoba ngangihlukuluza ibandla likaNkulunkulu. 10 Kodwa ngiyilokho engiyikho khona ngenxa yomusa omkhulu kaNkulunkulu. Umusa wakhe omkhulu angenzele wona kawuzange ube yize ngoba ngasebenza ukwedlula bonke abaphostoli. Lanxa kunjalo kwakungayisimi, kwakungumusa omkhulu kaNkulunkulu okimi. 11 Kodwa kungelani lokuthi yimi kumbe yibo abatshumayelayo, le yiyo indlela esitshumayela ngayo njalo yiyo indlela elakholwa ngayo.

12 Manje nxa kutshunyayelwa ngokuthi uKhristu wavuswa kwabafileyo, kuyini okwenza ukuthi phakathi kwenu kube labanye abathi akukho ukuvuswa kwabafileyo? 13 Nxa kuyikuthi akukho sibili ukuvuswa kwabafileyo, kutsho ukuthi uKhristu kavuswanga. 14 Kodwa nxa uKhristu engavuswanga kutsho ukuthi ukutshumayela kwethu akusizi ngalutho, lokholo lwenu lalo kalusizi ngalutho. 15 Phezu kwalokho, lathi siyabe safakaza amanga ngoNkulunkulu ngoba safakaza ngaye sisithi wavusa uKhristu kwabafileyo, into ayabe engayenzanga nxa kuyikuthi abafileyo kabasoze bavuswe sibili. 16 Nxa abafileyo bengasoze bavuswe, kutsho ukuthi uKhristu laye kazange avuswe. 17 Kanti njalo nxa uKhristu engazange avuswe, ukholo lwenu lalo kaluncedi; lilokhu lisezonweni zenu. 18 Lalabo abafa* bemanyene loKhristu bayabe sebetshabalele. 19 Lathi nxa besiphila impilo le sithembele kuKhristu, kutsho ukuthi singabantu bokuzwelwa ukwedlula abanye bonke.

20 Kodwa uKhristu usevusiwe kwabafileyo, yena oyizithelo zokuqala zalabo asebafayo.* 21 Njengoba ukufa kweza ngendoda, lokuvuswa kwabafileyo kuza ngendoda. 22 Njengoba nje ku-Adamu bonke besifa, kuKhristu bonke bazakwenziwa baphile, 23 kodwa ngamunye ngethuba lakhe elifaneleyo: Owokuqala nguKhristu oyizithelo zokuqala, besekulandela abangabakaKhristu ngesikhathi sokuba khona kwakhe. 24 Besekusithi ekucineni abuyisele uMbuso kuNkulunkulu wakhe onguYise, esetshabalalise bonke ohulumende kanye lalabo abalamandla. 25 Kumele abuse, uNkulunkulu aze abeke zonke izitha zakhe ngaphansi kwenyawo zakhe. 26 Lokufa okuyisitha sokucina kuzatshabalaliswa. 27 UNkulunkulu “wabeka izinto zonke ngaphansi kwenyawo zakhe.” Kodwa nxa esithi, ‘izinto zonke zibekwe ngaphansi kwenyawo zakhe,’ kuyakhanya ukuthi akubalwa laLowo owabeka zonke izinto ngaphansi kwakhe. 28 Loba kunjalo, nxa konke sekubekwe ngaphansi kweNdodana, layo izazibeka ngaphansi kwaLowo owabeka zonke izinto ngaphansi kwayo, ukuze uNkulunkulu abe yikho konke kubo bonke.

29 Aluba bekungenjalo, ababhabhathizelwa ukuba ngabafileyo bebezakwenzani? Pho kungani bebhabhathizelwa ukuba ngabafileyo nxa kuyikuthi abafileyo abasoze bavuswe? 30 Kungani lathi sihlala sisengozini? 31 Nsuku zonke ngikhangelana lokufa njalo lokhu kuliqiniso njengokuziqhenya engilakho ngani bafowethu kuKhristu uJesu iNkosi yethu. 32 Nxa lami njengabanye* ngilwe lezinyamazana zeganga e-Efesu, kunginceda ngani lokho? Nxa abafileyo bengasoze bavuswe, “kasidleni sinathe ngoba kusasa sizakufa.” 33 Lingayengwa. Ukuba lobudlelwano labantu ababi kona imikhuba emihle.* 34 Vukani lenze okulungileyo, lingaqhubeki lisenza isono. Abanye kabalalwazi oluphathelane loNkulunkulu. Ngitsho njalo ukuze libe lenhloni.

35 Lanxa kunjalo, omunye angathi: “Abafileyo bazavuswa njani? Bazavuswa belomzimba onjani sibili?” 36 Wena muntu ongelangqondo! Okuhlanyelayo kakwenziwa kuphile kungaqalanga kwafa. 37 Nxa uhlanyela kawuhlanyeli umzimba ozakuba khona, uhlanyela uhlamvu kuphela, kungelani lokuthi ngolwengqoloyi kumbe ngolwenye inhlanyelo nje. 38 Kodwa uNkulunkulu uyipha umzimba ngokuthanda kwakhe njalo upha inhlanyelo ngayinye umzimba wayo yodwa. 39 Inyama yonke itshiyene. Kuleyabantu, kube leyenkomo, kube leyenyoni kanye leyenhlanzi, 40 njalo kulemizimba yasezulwini lemizimba yasemhlabeni; kodwa inkazimulo yemizimba yasezulwini ingolunye uhlobo, lenkazimulo yemizimba yasemhlabeni ingolunye uhlobo. 41 Inkazimulo yelanga ingolunye uhlobo, lenkazimulo yenyanga ingolunye uhlobo njalo inkazimulo yezinkanyezi layo ingolunye uhlobo; inkazimulo yenkanyezi ngayinye itshiyene lenkazimulo yezinye.

42 Ukuvuswa kwabafileyo lakho kunjalo. Umzimba ohlanyelwayo uyabola, uvuswe ungasaboli. 43 Uhlanyelwa udelelekile, uvuswe ulenkazimulo. Uhlanyelwa ubuthakathaka, uvuswe ulamandla. 44 Uhlanyelwa ungumzimba wenyama, uvuswe usungumzimba womoya. Nxa ukhona umzimba wenyama, lowomoya ukhona. 45 Ngakho kubhaliwe ukuthi: “Indoda yokuqala u-Adamu yaba ngumuntu* ophilayo.” U-Adamu wokucina yena waba ngumoya onika ukuphila. 46 Lanxa kunjalo, okomoya akusikho okokuqala. Okokuqala ngokwenyama besekusiza okomoya. 47 Indoda yokuqala yavela emhlabeni njalo yenziwa ngothuli, indoda yesibili yavela ezulwini. 48 Abenziwa ngothuli banjengalowo owenziwa ngothuli, futhi abezulwini banjengalowo owavela ezulwini. 49 Njengoba sinjengalowo owenziwa ngothuli, sizaphinda sibe njengaye yena owezulwini.

50 Kodwa bafowethu ngilitshela ukuthi inyama legazi ngeke kulithole ilifa loMbuso kaNkulunkulu, futhi ukubola ngeke kulithole ilifa lokungaboli. 51 Nansi imfihlo engcwele engilitshela yona: Kayisithi sonke esizalala ekufeni kodwa sonke sizantshintshwa 52 ngesikhatshana nje, ngokucwayiza kwelihlo ngesikhathi sokukhala kwecilongo lokucina. Icilongo lizakhala, abafileyo bavuswe belemizimba engeke ibole njalo sonke sizantshintshwa. 53 Lokhu okubolayo kumele kuntshintshwe kube ngokungaboliyo njalo lokhu okufayo kumele kuntshintshwe kube yilokho okungeke kufe. 54 Kodwa nxa okubolayo sekuntshintshe kwaba ngokungaboliyo njalo okufayo sekuntshintshe kwaba yilokho okungeke kufe, kuzagcwaliseka amazwi la abhaliweyo athi: “Ukufa sekuginyiwe kuze kube nini lanini.” 55 “Kufa, kungaphi ukunqoba kwakho? Kufa, lungaphi udonsi lwakho?” 56 Udonsi olubangela ukufa yisono njalo amandla esono nguMthetho.* 57 Kodwa kabongwe uNkulunkulu ngoba usenza sinqobe ngeNkosi yethu uJesu Khristu!

58 Yikho-ke bafowethu abathandekayo manini liqine linganyikinyeki, lihlale lisenza okunengi emsebenzini weNkosi, lisazi ukuthi umsebenzi wenu eNkosini kawusoze uphelele emoyeni.