Eyokuqala KwabaseKhorinte

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

3 Phakathi kwezinto zokuqala engazidlulisela kini kwakulalezo lami engazamukelayo, ukuthi uKhristu wafela izono zethu njengoba iMibhalo isitsho+ 4 lokuthi wangcwatshwa+ wasevuswa+ ngelanga lesithathu+ njengoba iMibhalo isitsho.+ 5 Kanti njalo wabonakala kuKhefasi,*+ wasebonakala kwabaliTshumi Lambili.+ 6 Ngemva kwalokho wabonakala kubafowethu abedlula 500 ngasikhathi sinye+ njalo abanengi silokhu 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 akungifanelanga ukubizwa ngokuthi ngingumphostoli ngoba ngangihlukuluza ibandla likaNkulunkulu.+ 10 Kodwa ngiyilokho engiyikho khona ngenxa yomusa omkhulu kaNkulunkulu. Umusa wakhe omkhulu angenzele wona awuzange ube yize ngoba ngasebenza ukwedlula bonke abaphostoli. Lanxa kunjalo kwakungayisimi, kwakungumusa omkhulu uNkulunkulu angenzela wona. 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 abafileyo abasoze bavuswe? 13 Phela nxa kuyikuthi abafileyo abasoze bavuswe, kutsho ukuthi uKhristu kavuswanga. 14 Kodwa nxa uKhristu engavuswanga kutsho ukuthi ukutshumayela kwethu akusizi ngalutho, lokholo lwenu aluncedi. 15 Phezu kwalokho, lathi siyabe safakaza amanga ngoNkulunkulu+ ngoba safakaza ngaye sisithi wavusa uKhristu kwabafileyo,+ into ayabe engayenzanga nxa kuyikuthi abafileyo abasoze bavuswe. 16 Nxa abafileyo bengasoze bavuswe, kutsho ukuthi uKhristu laye kazange avuswe. 17 Kanti njalo nxa uKhristu engazange avuswe ukholo lwenu lalo aluncedi, lilokhu lisezonweni zenu.+ 18 Lalabo abafa* bemanyene loKhristu bayabe sebetshabalele.+ 19 Lathi nxa besiphila impilo le sithembele kuKhristu, kutsho ukuthi sisosizini ukwedlula abanye bonke.

20 Kodwa uKhristu usevusiwe kwabafileyo, yena oyizithelo zokuqala zalabo asebafayo.*+ 21 Njengoba ukufa kweza ngomuntu*+ lokuvuswa kwabafileyo kuza ngomuntu.+ 22 Njengoba nje bonke abantu besifa+ ngenxa ka-Adamu, bonke bazakwenziwa baphile ngenxa kaKhristu,+ 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 kuze kube yisikhathi lapho uNkulunkulu azabeka khona 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 loNkulunkulu 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 abenza okubi kona imikhuba emihle.*+ 34 Vukani lenze okulungileyo, lingaqhubeki lisenza isono. Abanye abalalwazi oluphathelane loNkulunkulu. Ngitsho njalo ukuze libe lenhloni.

35 Lanxa kunjalo, omunye angathi: “Abafileyo bazavuswa njani? Bazavuswa belomzimba onjani sibili?”+ 36 Wena muntu ongelangqondo! Okuhlanyelayo akwenziwa kuphile kungaqalanga kwafa. 37 Nxa uhlanyela awuhlanyeli 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, leyenkomo, 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 usulenkazimulo.+ Uhlanyelwa ubuthakathaka uvuswe usulamandla.+ 44 Uhlanyelwa ungumzimba wenyama uvuswe usungumzimba womoya. Nxa kulomzimba wenyama, lomzimba womoya ukhona. 45 Ngakho kubhaliwe ukuthi: “Indoda yokuqala u-Adamu yaba ngumuntu* ophilayo.”+ U-Adamu wokucina yena waba ngumoya onika ukuphila.+ 46 Lanxa kunjalo, okomoya ayisikho okokuqala. Okokuqala ngokwenyama besekusiza okomoya. 47 Indoda yokuqala yavela emhlabeni njalo yenziwa ngothuli,+ indoda yesibili yona 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, lokubolayo ngeke kulidle ilifa lalokho okungaboliyo. 51 Nansi imfihlo engcwele engilitshela yona: Kayisithi sonke esizalala ekufeni kodwa sonke sizatshintshwa+ 52 ngesikhatshana nje, ngokucwayiza kwelihlo ngesikhathi sokukhala kwecilongo lokucina. Icilongo lizakhala,+ abafileyo bavuswe belemizimba engeke ibole njalo sonke sizatshintshwa. 53 Lokhu okubolayo kumele kutshintshwe kube ngokungaboliyo+ njalo lokho okufayo kumele kutshintshwe kube yilokho okungeke kufe.+ 54 Kodwa nxa okubolayo sekutshintshe kwaba ngokungaboliyo lokufayo sekutshintshe kwaba yilokho okungeke kufe, kuzagcwaliseka amazwi la abhaliweyo athi: “Usekuqede du* ukufa, akusoze kuphinde kube khona.”+ 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 awusoze uphelele emoyeni.+