KwabaseRoma
13 Wonke umuntu kazehlise kuziphathamandla+ ngoba akulamandla angaveli kuNkulunkulu.+ Iziphathamandla ezikhona zivunyelwe nguNkulunkulu ukuthi zibe sezikhundleni zazo.+ 2 Ngakho loba ngubani ophikisana leziphathamandla uphikisana lalokho okuhlelwe nguNkulunkulu. Labo abaphikisana lakuhlelileyo bazazilethela ukwahlulelwa 3 ngoba ababusi laba besatshwa ngabenza okubi kodwa abenza okuhle kababesabi.+ Uyafuna yini ukuhlala ukhululekile ungesabi iziphathamandla? Qhubeka usenza okuhle.+ Ungenza njalo zizakuncoma 4 ngenxa yokuthi ziyizinceku zikaNkulunkulu ezikuncedayo. Kodwa nxa usenza okubi yesaba ngoba kulesizatho esenza zithwale inkemba. Ziyizinceku zikaNkulunkulu eziphindiselayo, zisehlisela ulaka kulowo* ohlala esenza okubi.
5 Ngakho kulesizatho esikhulu sokuthi lizehlise, hatshi nje ngenxa yolaka lolu kodwa langenxa yemizwangedwa yenu.+ 6 Yikho futhi libhadala imithelo ngoba iziphathamandla ziyizinceku zikaNkulunkulu zomphakathi ezihlala zisenzela abantu imisebenzi ebancedayo. 7 Nikani bonke okubafaneleyo. Lowo ofuna umthelo mnikeni umthelo,+ ofuna imbadalo mnikeni imbadalo, ofuna ukwesatshwa mesabeni,+ lalowo ofuna ukuhlonitshwa mhlonipheni.+
8 Lingabi lesikwelede saloba yini kuloba ngubani ngaphandle kwesikwelede sokuthandana+ ngoba lowo othanda omunye usewugcwalisile umthetho.+ 9 Phela imithetho ethi: “Ungafebi,*+ ungabulali,+ ungatshontshi,+ ungahawukeli,”+ layo yonke eminye imilayo ekhona ihlanganisiwe emazwini la athi: “Kumele uthande umakhelwane wakho ngendlela ozithanda ngayo.”+ 10 Umuntu olothando kamenzeli okubi umakhelwane wakhe.+ Ngakho uthando lugcwalisa umthetho.+
11 Kwenzeni lokhu ngoba liyasazi isikhathi esesikuso, sekuyisikhathi sokuthi livuke ebuthongweni.+ Ukusindiswa kwethu sekuseduze kakhulu kulangesikhathi sisiba ngamakholwa. 12 Sesiside isikhathi kusebusuku, khathesi sekuzakusa. Yikho-ke asilahleni imisebenzi yobumnyama+ sihlome ngezikhali zokukhanya.+ 13 Asiziphatheni kuhle+ njengasemini, singayi emadilini* axokozelayo, singadakwa, singafebi, singabi ngabantu abaxhwalileyo,*+ singaxabani labanye futhi singabi lomhawu.+ 14 Kodwa gqokani iNkosi uJesu Khristu+ njalo lingabumbi amacebo okusuthisa izifiso zenyama.+