ULukha
11 Wayekwenye indawo ethandaza. Eseqedile omunye umfundi wakhe wathi kuye: “Nkosi, sifundise ukuthandaza njengoba nje loJohane wafundisa abafundi bakhe.”
2 Ngakho wathi kubo: “Zikhathi zonke thandazani lithi: ‘Baba, kalingcweliswe* ibizo lakho. UMbuso wakho kawuze. 3 Siphe isinkwa sethu usuku ngalunye, kusiya ngalokho esikuswelayo ngalelolanga. 4 Usithethelele izono zethu ngoba lathi siyabathethelela bonke abalamacala kithi,* njalo ungasingenisi ekulingweni.’”
5 Wasesithi kubo: “Ake sithi omunye wenu ulomngane, abesesiya kuye phakathi laphakathi kobusuku athi kuye, ‘Mngane, akungiboleke izinkwa ezintathu, 6 ngoba ngisanda kuvakatshelwa ngumngane wami ovela khatshana. Manje angilalutho engingamupha lona.’ 7 Kodwa yena amphendule esendlini athi: ‘Yekela ukungihlupha. Umnyango ukhiywe kudala, mina labantwabami sesilele. Ngeke ngivuke ngikuphe lutho.’ 8 Ngilitshela ukuthi lanxa ubengeke avuke amuphe ngoba engumngane wakhe, uzavuka loba sekutheni amuphe loba yini ayifunayo ngenxa yokuthi uyaphikelela. 9 Ngakho ngithi kini, qhubekani licela, lizaphiwa; qhubekani lidinga, lizathola; qhubekani liqoqoda, lizavulelwa, 10 ngoba wonke umuntu ocelayo uyaphiwa, lomuntu wonke odingayo uyathola, futhi wonke umuntu oqoqodayo uzavulelwa. 11 Kambe phakathi kwenu kulobaba ongathi indodana yakhe imcela inhlanzi ayiqhubele inyoka kulokuthi ayinike inhlanzi? 12 Nxa ingacela iqanda, angayiqhubela inkume yini? 13 Ngakho nxa lina elibabi lisenelisa ukupha abantwabenu izipho ezinhle, kutsho ukuthi uBaba osezulwini yena uzimisele kakhulu ukubapha umoya ongcwele labo abawucela kuye!”
14 Ngemva kwesikhathi wakhipha idimoni elalisenza ukuthi enye indoda ibe yisimungulu. Lathi seliphumile yakhuluma, ixuku lamangala. 15 Kodwa abanye babo bathi: “Umuntu lo ukhipha amadimoni ngoBhelizebhubhi,* umbusi wamadimoni.” 16 Abanye bamlinga besithi kabatshengise isibonakaliso esivela ezulwini. 17 Esazi ababekucabanga wathi kubo: “Loba yiwuphi umbuso owehlukene phakathi uyadilika, lemuli* eyehlukene phakathi iyachitheka. 18 Pho-ke nxa uSathane eyehlukene phakathi, umbuso wakhe uzakuma njani? Phela lithi ngikhipha amadimoni ngoBhelizebhubhi. 19 Nxa mina ngikhipha amadimoni ngoBhelizebhubhi, amadodana enu wona awakhipha ngobani? Yikho amadodana enu ezalahlulela. 20 Kodwa nxa kuyikuthi ngikhipha amadimoni ngomunwe kaNkulunkulu, uMbuso kaNkulunkulu usulifice lilibele sibili. 21 Nxa indoda elamandla futhi ehlome yaphelela ilinde isigodlo sayo, kakho ongathinta impahla zayo. 22 Kodwa lapho kufika umuntu olamandla kulayo ayihlasele ayinqobe, uyathatha zonke izikhali zayo ebizithembile abesenika abanye lezozinto ayithathele zona. 23 Loba ngubani ongangisekeliyo uphikisana lami, futhi loba ngubani ongancedisani lami ukubutha, uyachithiza.
24 “Nxa idimoni lingaphuma emuntwini, liyadlula ezindaweni ezomileyo lidinga indawo yokuphumula, beselisithi lingayiswela lithi, ‘Ngizabuyela endlini yami lapho engathutha khona.’ 25 Lithi lifika lithole indlu leyo ithanyelwe yahlanzeka njalo yaceciswa. 26 Lisuka lapho liyahamba liyethatha amanye amadimoni ayisikhombisa, amabi kakhulu kulalo, afike angene ahlale khona. Ngakho isiphetho salowomuntu sicina sesisibi kulesiqalo sakhe.”
27 Esakhuluma izinto lezi, omunye owesifazana owayesexukwini wamemeza wathi kuye: “Siyathokoza isisu esakuthwalayo lamabele akumunyisayo!” 28 Kodwa yena wathi: “Hatshi, abathokozayo yilabo abalizwayo ilizwi likaNkulunkulu balilandele!”
29 Amaxuku athi elokhu ebuthana ndawonye, wathi: “Isizukulwane lesi sibi; sidinga isibonakaliso kodwa kakulasibonakaliso esizasiphiwa ngaphandle kwesibonakaliso sikaJona. 30 INdodana yomuntu izakuba yisibonakaliso esizukulwaneni lesi, njengoba nje uJona waba yisibonakaliso ebantwini baseNineve. 31 Indlovukazi yaseningizimu izavuswa nxa sekusahlulelwa abantu balesisizukulwane futhi izabethesa icala, ngoba yabuya ivela emaphethelweni omhlaba izokuzwa ukuhlakanipha kukaSolomoni. Kodwa okulapha kuyamedlula uSolomoni! 32 Abantu baseNineve bazavuswa lalesisizukulwane ngesikhathi sokwahlulelwa njalo bazasethesa icala, ngoba baphenduka sebezwe intshumayelo kaJona. Kodwa okulapha kuyamedlula uJona! 33 Nxa umuntu eselumathise isibane, kasifaki endaweni ecatshileyo njalo kasimbokothi ngebhasikiti,* kodwa usifaka phezu koluthi lwesibane ukuze abangenayo babone ukukhanya. 34 Isibane somzimba lilihlo lakho. Nxa ilihlo lakho lithe nhlo entweni eyodwa,* umzimba wakho wonke uyakhanya;* kodwa nxa ilihlo lakho lilomona,* umzimba wakho uba mnyama. 35 Ngakho woba leqiniso lokuthi ukukhanya okukuwe kayisibo bumnyama. 36 Yikho-ke, nxa umzimba wakho wonke ukhanya futhi ungelandawo emnyama, wonke uzakhanya njengesibane sikukhanyisela ngemisebe yaso.”
37 Esetsho njalo, omunye umFarisi wamcela ukuthi azokudla laye. Wasehamba endlini yakhe wafika wahlala etafuleni. 38 UmFarisi lo wamangala embona esidla engaqalanga wageza.* 39 Kodwa iNkosi yathi kuye: “Lina baFarisi, ligezisa ingaphandle yenkomitsho leyomganu, kodwa ngaphakathi ligcwele ubuhwaba lobubi. 40 Bantu abangelangqondo! Kanti lowo owenza ingaphandle kayisuye yini owenza lengaphakathi? 41 Kodwa izipho elizipha abayanga* kakube yizinto ezivela ngaphakathi enhliziyweni. Lingenza njalo, konke okuphathelane lani kuzakuba ngokuhlambulukileyo. 42 Maye kini baFarisi ngoba linikela ngokwetshumi kweminti lokweruwi* kanye lokwezilimo zonke zasesivandeni, kodwa lidela ukuthanda uNkulunkulu lidele lokwahlulela kwakhe okuhle! Belilawo sibili umlandu wokunikela ngokwetshumi, kodwa bekungafanelanga lidele izinto lezi. 43 Maye kini baFarisi ngoba lithanda ukuhlala ezihlalweni eziphambili* emasinagogeni lokubingelelwa emamakethe! 44 Maye kini ngoba linjengamangcwaba angakhanyi kuhle, abantu abahamba phezu kwawo bengazi!”
45 Omunye owayeyisazi soMthetho wamphendula wathi: “Mfundisi, nxa ususitsho njalo usuthethisa lathi phela.” 46 Wasesithi: “Maye lakini zazi zoMthetho ngoba lisindisa abantu ngemithwalo enzima, kodwa lina kaliyithinti langomunwe!
47 “Maye kini ngoba lakha amathuna abaphrofethi, kodwa bona babulawa ngokhokho benu! 48 Lingofakazi bezenzo zabokhokho benu sibili, kodwa livumelana lezenzo zabo. Babebulala abaphrofethi, kodwa lina selisakha amathuna alabobaphrofethi. 49 Yikho ngenhlakanipho yakhe uNkulunkulu wathi*: ‘Ngizathumela kubo abaphrofethi labaphostoli, abanye bazababulala abanye babahlukuluze, 50 ukuze igazi labo bonke abaphrofethi elachitheka kusukela ekusungulweni komhlaba libe phezu kwalesisizukulwane, 51 kusukela egazini lika-Abela kusiya egazini likaZekhariya owabulawelwa phakathi laphakathi kwe-alithare kanye lethempeli.’ Ngilitshela ukuthi amacala la azakwetheswa lesisizukulwane.
52 “Maye kini eliyizazi zoMthetho ngoba lathathela abantu ikhiye yolwazi. Lina kalizange lingene, njalo livalela lalabo abangenayo!”
53 Ngakho wathi ephuma lapho ababhali labaFarisi baqalisa ukumhlasela ngeminye imibuzo eminengi, bengasamniki sona isikhala sokuphefumula. 54 Babemthiyile, belindele ukumbamba ngaloba kuyini ayezakukhuluma.