KwabaseRoma
11 UThixo akazange abalahle abantu bakhe, andithi?+ Tu kaloku! Kuba nam lo ndingumSirayeli, oyinzala* ka-Abraham, kwisizwe sakwaBhenjamin. 2 UThixo akazange abalahle abantu bakhe, awayebakhethe kwasekuqaleni.+ Anazi na ukuba sithini iSibhalo ngoEliya, xa wayekhalazela amaSirayeli kuThixo? 3 Wathi: “Yehova,* abulele abaprofeti bakho, azichithile izibingelelo zakho, ngoku kushiyeke mna ndedwa, yaye afuna ukundibulala.”+ 4 Kodwa wathini uThixo kuye? Wathi: “Ndisenabantu abayi-7 000 abangaguqanga ngamadolo kuBhahali.”+ 5 Ngendlela efanayo, nangoku kukho abantu abashiyekileyo+ aye uThixo wabakhetha ngenxa yobubele bakhe.* 6 Ukuba ubakhethe ngenxa yobubele bakhe,+ loo nto ithetha ukuthi abakhethwanga ngenxa yezinto abazenzileyo;+ ukuba bebekusebenzele ukukhethwa, loo nto ibiza kuthetha ukuba abakhethwanga ngenxa yobubele bakhe.*
7 Ithetha ukuthini ke le nto? Into awayeyifuna ngamandla amaSirayeli awazange ayifumane, kodwa yafunyanwa ngabo bakhethiweyo.+ Abanye bona abazange bafune ukuva,+ 8 kanye njengokuba kubhaliwe kwathiwa: “UThixo wabenza balala engqondweni okomntu olele ubuthongo,+ ababona ngamehlo, abeva nangeendlebe, kwada kwanamhlanje.”+ 9 NoDavide uthi: “Itafile yabo mayibarhintyele, ibe ngumgibe, ibenze bakhubeke ize ibe sisohlwayo kubo. 10 Makube mnyama emehlweni abo ukuze bangaboni, baze bahlale besindwa ngumthwalo.”*+
11 Mandibuze ke, bakhubeka na baza bawa abakwazi ukuphakama? Akunjalo! Kodwa ngenxa yokumosha kwabo, kusindiswa abantu beentlanga, yaye loo nto ibenza babe nomona.+ 12 Ukuba ukumosha kwabo kwenza ihlabathi lasikelelwa kwaza nokuncipha kwabo kwenza abantu beentlanga basikelelwa,+ kobeka phi ke xa liphelele inani labo!
13 Ngoku makhe ndithethe nani bantu beentlanga. Ekubeni ndingumpostile othunywe ezintlangeni,+ ndiyawuxabisa umsebenzi wam,+ 14 ukuze ndibone ukuba andinakubenza babe nomona na abantu bakuthi ndize ndisindise abanye babo. 15 Kuba, ukuba ukulahlwa kwabantu bakuthi+ kwenza ihlabathi libe seluxolweni noThixo, kuza kuthetha ntoni ke ukubuyiselwa kwabo? Kuza kufana nokuvuka kwabantu abafileyo. 16 Ukongeza, ukuba intwana yentlama ekunikelwe ngayo njengesivuno sokuqala iba ngcwele, yonke loo ntlama ingcwele; yaye ukuba ingcambu ingcwele, namasebe angcwele.
17 Kodwa ukuba amanye amasebe aye ophulwa waza wena, nangona ulisebe lomthi weminquma wasendle, wafakwa phakathi kwamasebe ashiyekileyo, waxhamla kwisondlo seengcambu zomthi womnquma, 18 ungawajongeli phantsi* amasebe ophuliweyo. Ukuba uwajongela phantsi,*+ uze ukhumbule ukuba ayinguwe othwele ingcambu, kodwa yingcambu ethwele wena. 19 Uza kuthi ke: “Kophulwe amasebe ukuze kufakwe mna.”+ 20 Yinyani leyo! Ophulwe ngenxa yokungabi nalukholo,+ kodwa wena umi ngenxa yokholo.+ Sukuziphakamisa ke, endaweni yoko lumka. 21 Kuba ukuba uThixo khange awayeke amasebe emvelo, akazukukuyeka nawe. 22 Ngoko uThixo unobubele+ yaye uyohlwaya. Uyabohlwaya abo bawileyo,+ kodwa wena ukwenzela ububele,* ukuba nje uhlala umnika isizathu sokukwenzela ububele; kungenjalo, nawe lo uza kophulwa. 23 Nabo, ukuba bayayeka ukungabi nalukholo, baza kuphinda bafakwe,+ kuba uThixo uyakwazi ukubabuyisela. 24 Kaloku ukuba wena wagawulwa kumthi womnquma wasendle waza wafakwa kumthi womnquma otyalwe egadini, nto leyo ingaqhelekanga, kuza kuba lula nyhani ke ukubuyisela amasebe kumthi wawo!
25 Kuba andifuni ningayazi le mfihlelo ingcwele+ bazalwana, ukuze ningaziboni nizizilumko. Nantsi le mfihlelo: Amanye amaSirayeli aye ayekwa anenkani, ibe aza kuhlala enjalo de liphelele inani labantu beentlanga. 26 Aza kusindiswa ngaloo ndlela ke onke amaSirayeli,+ njengokuba kubhaliwe kwathiwa: “Umsindisi uza kuthi gqi ephuma eZiyon+ aze enze oonyana bakaYakobi baziyeke izinto angazithandiyo uThixo. 27 Esi sisivumelwano endiza kusenza nabo+ xa ndizixolela izono zabo.”+ 28 Ewe kona, baziintshaba zeendaba ezilungileyo, ngoko kuye kwalungelwa nina; kodwa uThixo wabakhetha kuba ebathanda ngenxa yesithembiso awasenza kookhokho babo.+ 29 Kuba uThixo soze azisole ngokunika abantu izipho nangokubabiza. 30 Kuba kanye njengokuba naningamthobeli uThixo+ kodwa ngoku nenzelwe inceba+ ngenxa yokungathobeli kwabo,+ 31 nabo ke baye abathobela, yaza loo nto yabangela ukuba nenzelwe inceba, ukuze nabo ngoku benzelwe inceba. 32 Kuba uThixo ubavumele bonke abathobelayo,+ ukuze abenzele inceba bonke.+
33 Iintsikelelo zikaThixo,* ubulumko bakhe nolwazi lwakhe, zonke azinakulinganiswa nanto! Izigwebo zakhe neendlela zakhe azinakuqondwa ngokupheleleyo! 34 Kuba “ngubani oye wazazi izinto azicingayo uYehova,* okanye ngubani oye wamcebisa?”+ 35 Okanye, “ngubani okhe wamnika into kuqala, kuze kufuneke ambhatale?”+ 36 Kaloku zonke izinto zivela kuye, nguye ozenza zihlale zikho yaye zenzelwe injongo yakhe. Makadunyiswe ngonaphakade. Amen.