KwabaseRoma
11 Ngakho ngiyabuza, uNkulunkulu akazange asilahle isizwe sakhe, akunjalo? + Akunakwenzeka lokho! Ngoba nami ngingumIsrayeli, wenzalo* ka-Abrahama, wesizwe sakwaBhenjamini. 2 UNkulunkulu akasilahlanga isizwe sakhe, + asiqaphela kuqala. Anazi yini ukuthi umbhalo uthini mayelana no-Eliya, njengoba ekhononda kuNkulunkulu ngama-Israyeli? 3 “Jehova,* bababulele abaprofethi bakho, bawambile ama-altare akho, kusele mina ngedwa, manje sebefuna ukungibulala.” + 4 Nokho, lithini izwi laphezulu kuye? “Ngisele namadoda angu-7 000 angazange aguqe kuBhali.” + 5 Ngakho-ke ngendlela efanayo, nangalesi sikhathi, kunabasele + abakhethwe ngomusa omkhulu. 6 Manje uma kungomusa omkhulu, + akusekho ngenxa yemisebenzi; + ngaphandle kwalokho, umusa omkhulu ngeke usaba umusa omkhulu.
7 Pho sizothini? Yona kanye into u-Israyeli ayifuna ngobuqotho akayitholanga, kodwa labo abakhethiwe bayithola. + Bonke abanye banemizwa ebuthuntu, + 8 njengoba nje kulotshiwe: “UNkulunkulu ubanike umoya wobuthongo obukhulu, + ubanike amehlo angaboni nezindlebe ezingezwa, kuze kube namuhla.” + 9 UDavide uthi futhi: “Itafula labo malibe ugibe nesicupho nesikhubekiso nempindiselo kubo. 10 Amehlo abo mawabe mnyama ukuze bangaboni, umhlane wabo ugobe ngaso sonke isikhathi.” +
11 Ngakho ngiyabuza, Abazange bakhubeke bawe ngokuphelele, akunjalo? Lutho neze! Kodwa ngokona kwabo, kukhona insindiso kubantu bezizwe, futhi lokhu kubenza babe nesikhwele. + 12 Manje uma ukona kwabo kuba ingcebo ezweni, nokuncipha kwabo kuba ingcebo kubantu bezizwe, + yeka ukuthi ingcebo yabo iyoba nkulu kangakanani lapho isibalo sabo sesigcwele!
13 Manje ngikhuluma nani nina bantu bezizwe. Njengoba ngingumphostoli ezizweni, + ngikhazimulisa inkonzo yami, + 14 ukuze ngibone ukuthi ngingasenza yini ngandlela-thile isizwe sakithi sibe nesikhwele, ngisindise abathile kuso. 15 Ngoba uma ukulahlwa kwabo + kusho ukubuyisana ezweni, ukwamukelwa kwabo kuyoshoni uma kungasho ukuvuka kwabafile? 16 Ngaphezu kwalokho, uma ingxenye yenhlama ebhekwa njengomnikelo wezithelo zokuqala ingcwele; uma impande ingcwele, aba njalo namagatsha.
17 Nokho, uma amanye amagatsha ephulwa, futhi wena, nakuba ungumnqumo wasendle, waxhunywa phakathi kwawo futhi wazuza emanzini ezimpande zomnqumo, 18 ungawabukeli phansi* amagatsha. Nokho, uma uwabukela phansi, *+ khumbula ukuthi awuyithwele impande, kodwa yimpande ethwele wena. 19 Uyobe sewuthi: “Kwaphulwa amagatsha ukuze kuxhunywe mina.” + 20 Yiqiniso lelo! Ngenxa yokuntula kwawo ukholo, aphulwa, + kodwa wena umi ngokholo. + Ungaqhoshi, kunalokho yesaba. 21 Ngoba uma uNkulunkulu engawayekanga amagatsha emvelo, nawe ngeke akuyeke. 22 Ngakho-ke, cabanga ngomusa kaNkulunkulu + nesijeziso sakhe. Uletha isijeziso kulabo abawa, + kodwa kuwe kukhona umusa kaNkulunkulu, uma kodwa uhlala emseni wakhe; ngaphandle kwalokho, nawe uyoqothulwa. 23 Nabo futhi, uma bengaqhubeki nokubonisa ukuntula ukholo, bayoxhunywa, + ngoba uNkulunkulu uyakwazi ukuphinde abaxhume. 24 Ngoba uma wena wanqunywa esihlahleni somnqumo sasendle ngokwemvelo, waxhunyelwa emnqumweni otshaliwe, okuyinto ephambene nemvelo, yeka ukuthi kuyoba lula kangakanani-ke ukuba la magatsha emvelo axhunywe abuyiselwe esihlahleni sawo somnqumo!
25 Ngoba angifuni ukuba ningayazi le mfihlo engcwele, + bafowethu, ukuze ningacabangi ukuthi nihlakaniphile: Ukuthi ingxenye ka-Israyeli iye yaba nemizwa ebuthuntu kwaze kwaba yilapho sekungene isibalo esigcwele sabantu bezizwe, 26 futhi ngale ndlela wonke u-Israyeli + uyosindiswa. Njengoba nje kulotshiwe: “Umkhululi* uyovela eZiyoni, + asuse imikhuba yokungamhloniphi uNkulunkulu kuJakobe. 27 Yilesi isivumelwano sami nabo, + lapho ngisusa izono zabo.” + 28 Yiqiniso, ngokuqondene nezindaba ezinhle, bayizitha ngenxa yenu; kodwa ngokuqondene nokukhetha kukaNkulunkulu, bangabathandekayo ngenxa yokhokho babo. + 29 Ngoba izipho nokubiza kukaNkulunkulu abathile akuzona izinto ayozisola ngazo. 30 Ngoba njengoba nje nanikade ningamlaleli uNkulunkulu + kodwa manje niboniswe isihe + ngenxa yokungalaleli kwabo, + 31 kanjalo manje nalaba baye bangalalela, umphumela walokho kwaba ukuthi niboniswe isihe, ukuze nabo ngokwabo manje baboniswe isihe. 32 Ngoba uNkulunkulu ubavalele bonke ndawonye ekungalalelini, + ukuze ababonise bonke isihe. +
33 O ukujula kwengcebo nokuhlakanipha nolwazi lukaNkulunkulu! Yeka ukuthi aziphenyeki kanjani izahlulelo zakhe nokuthi azinakuthungathwa kanjani izindlela zakhe! 34 Ngoba “ubani owaziyo umqondo kaJehova,* noma ubani oye waba umeluleki wakhe?” + 35 Noma, “ubani oye wapha uNkulunkulu okuthile kuqala kwaze kwadingeka ukuba abuyiselwe kona?” + 36 Ngoba zonke izinto zivela kuye, zikhona ngaye futhi zingezakhe. Inkazimulo mayibe kuye kuze kube phakade. Amen.