Acts 9
1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
Kwathi uSawuli, esaphefumula insongo lokubulala emelane labafundi beNkosi, waya kumpristi omkhulu,
2 and asked him to give him letters to the Jewish congregations at Damascus, authorizing him, if he found there any supporters of the Way, whether men or women, to have them put in chains and brought to Jerusalem.
wacela kuye incwadi zokuya eDamaseko kumasinagoge, ukuze kuthi uba ethola abanye baleyondlela, amadoda kanye labafazi, abalethe eJerusalema bebotshiwe.
3 While on his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, suddenly a light from the heavens flashed around him.
Kwathi ekuhambeni, kwenzeka ukuthi esesondele eDamaseko; njalo kwahle kwamphazimela inhlangothi zonke ukukhanya okuvela ezulwini;
4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him – “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
njalo ewela emhlabathini, wezwa ilizwi lisithi kuye: Sawuli, Sawuli, ungizingelelani?
5 “Who are you, Lord?” he asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” the voice answered;
Wasesithi: Ungubani, Nkosi? INkosi yasisithi: Mina nginguJesu omzingelayo; kulukhuni kuwe ukukhahlelana lezincijo.
6 “Yet stand up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Ethuthumela njalo emangala wathi: Nkosi, uthanda ukuthi ngenzeni? LeNkosi yathi kuye: Sukuma ungene emzini, njalo uzatshelwa lokho omele ukwenze.
7 The men traveling with Saul were meanwhile standing speechless; they heard the sound of the voice, but saw no one.
Lamadoda ayehamba laye ayemi engelakukhuluma, esizwa ilizwi, kodwa engaboni muntu.
8 When Saul got up from the ground, though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So his men led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus;
USawuli wasevuka emhlabathini; kwathi esevule amehlo akhe, kabonanga muntu. Basebembamba ngesandla, bamusa eDamaseko.
9 and for three days he was unable to see, and took nothing either to eat or to drink.
Wasesiba lensuku ezintathu engaboni, njalo engadli futhi enganathi.
10 Now there was at Damascus a disciple named Ananias, to whom, in a vision, the Lord said, “Ananias.” “Yes, Lord,” he answered.
Kwakukhona eDamaseko umfundi othile uAnaniya ngebizo; iNkosi yasisithi kuye ngombono: Ananiya! Wasesithi: Khangela ngilapha, Nkosi.
11 “Go at once,” said the Lord, “to the Straight Street, and ask at Judas’s house for a man named Saul, from Tarsus. He is at this moment praying,
INkosi yasisithi kuye: Sukuma uye endleleni ethiwa iQondile, udinge endlini kaJudasi umuntu, uSawuli ngebizo, weTarsu; ngoba khangela uyakhuleka,
12 and he has seen, in a vision, a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him, so that he may recover his sight.”
njalo ubonile ngombono umuntu, uAnaniya ngebizo, engena ebeka isandla phezu kwakhe, ukuze abuye abone.
13 “Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I have heard from many people about this man – how much harm he has done at Jerusalem to your people there.
Kodwa uAnaniya waphendula wathi: Nkosi, ngizwile ngabanengi ngalindoda, kungakanani okubi akwenzileyo kwabangcwele bakho eJerusalema;
14 And, here, too, he holds authority from the chief priests to put in chains all those who invoke your name.”
lalapha ulamandla avela kubapristi abakhulu, okubopha bonke labo ababiza ibizo lakho.
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to uphold my name before the Gentiles and their kings, and the people of Israel.
Kodwa iNkosi yathi kuye: Hamba, ngoba lowo uyisitsha sami esikhethiweyo, ukuphatha ibizo lami phambi kwezizwe lamakhosi, labantwana bakoIsrayeli;
16 I will myself show him all that he has to suffer for my name.”
ngoba mina ngizamtshengisa ukuthi umele ukuhlupheka kangakanani ngenxa yebizo lami.
17 So Ananias went, entered the house, and, placing his hands on Saul, said, “Saul, my brother, I have been sent by the Lord – by Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here – so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
UAnaniya wasesuka wangena endlini, wabeka izandla zakhe phezu kwakhe esithi: Sawuli mzalwane, iNkosi ingithumile, uJesu obonakele kuwe endleleni oze ngayo, ukuze ubuye ubone njalo ugcwaliswe ngoMoya oNgcwele.
18 Instantly it seemed as if a film fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,
Kwahle kwawa emehlweni akhe kwangathi zinkwethu, wahle wabuye wabona, njalo esukuma wabhabhathizwa,
19 and, after he had taken food, he felt his strength return. Saul stayed for some days with the disciples who were at Damascus,
njalo esedlile wathola amandla. USawuli wasehlala labafundi ababeseDamaseko insuku ezithile.
20 and at once began in the synagogues to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God.
Wahle-ke watshumayela uKristu emasinagogeni, ukuthi yena uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu.
21 All who heard him were amazed. “Is not this,” they asked, “the man who worked havoc in Jerusalem among those that invoke this name, and who had also come here for the express purpose of having such persons put in chains and taken before the chief priests?”
Njalo bonke abezwayo basanganiseka bathi: Lo kayisuye yini owachitha eJerusalema labo ababiza lelibizo, lalapha uzele lokho ukuthi abaqhube bebotshiwe abase kubapristi abakhulu?
22 Saul’s influence, however, kept steadily increasing, and he confounded the Jewish people who lived in Damascus by the proofs that he gave that Jesus was the Christ.
Kodwa uSawuli waqiniswa kakhulu, wasanganisa amaJuda akhileyo eDamaseko, eqinisa ukuthi lo unguye uKristu.
23 After some time some of them laid a plot to kill Saul,
Kwathi sezigcwalisiwe insuku ezinengi, amaJuda enza icebo ndawonye ukuthi ambulale;
24 but it became known to him. They even watched the gates day and night, to kill him;
kodwa iqhinga lawo laziwa nguSawuli. Aselinda emasangweni emini lebusuku, ukuze ambulale;
25 but his disciples let him down by night through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
kodwa abafundi bamthatha ebusuku, bamehlisela emthangaleni bemehlisa ngesilulu.
26 On his arrival in Jerusalem, Saul attempted to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, as they did not believe that he was really a disciple.
Kwathi uSawuli esefikile eJerusalema, wazama ukuzihlanganisa labafundi; kodwa bonke bamesaba, bengakholwa ukuthi ungumfundi.
27 Barnabas, however, taking him by the hand, brought him to the apostles, and told them the whole story of how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord, and how the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken out fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
Kodwa uBarnabasi wamthatha wamusa kubaphostoli, wabalandisela ukuthi uyibone njani iNkosi endleleni, lokuthi ikhulumile kuye, lokuthi eDamaseko ukhulume njani ngesibindi ebizweni likaJesu.
28 After that, Saul remained in Jerusalem, in close contact with the apostles; and he spoke fearlessly in the name of the Lord,
Wasehlala labo engena ephuma eJerusalema,
29 talking and arguing with the Jews of foreign birth, who, however, made attempts to kill him.
wasekhuluma ngesibindi ngebizo leNkosi uJesu, wakhuluma njalo futhi ephikisana lamaHelenisiti; kodwa bazama ukumbulala.
30 But, when the followers found this out, they took him down to Caesarea, and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
Kodwa abazalwane sebekwazi bamehlisela eKesariya, bamthuma eTarsu.
31 And so it came about that the church, throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, enjoyed peace and became firmly established; and, ordering its life by respect for the Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
Ngakho amabandla kuyo yonke iJudiya leGalili leSamariya aba lokuthula, esakheka, ehamba ekwesabeni iNkosi langenduduzo kaMoya oNgcwele, anda.
32 Peter, while traveling from place to place throughout the country, went down to visit the people of Christ living at Lydda.
Kwasekusithi uPetro edabula indawo zonke wehlela lakwabangcwele abahlala eLida.
33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years with paralysis.
Wasefica khona umuntu othile uEneya ngebizo, owayeselele ecansini iminyaka eyisificaminwembili, ome umhlubulo.
34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ cures you. Get up, and make your bed.” Aeneas got up at once;
UPetro wasesithi kuye: Eneya, uJesu Kristu uyakusilisa; sukuma uzendlalele icansi. Njalo wahle wasukuma.
35 and all the inhabitants of Lydda and of the Plain of Sharon saw him, and came over to the Lord’s side.
Basebembona bonke abakhileyo eLida leSaroni, abaphendukela eNkosini.
36 At Joppa there lived a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which is in Greek ‘Dorcas’ – a Gazelle. Her life was spent in doing kind and charitable actions.
Kwakukhona eJopha umfundikazi othile, uTabitha ngebizo, okungokuchasiswa kuthiwa nguDorkasi; lo wayegcwele imisebenzi emihle lemisebenzi yomusa ayenzayo.
37 Just at that time she was taken ill, and died; and they had washed her body and laid it out in an upstairs room.
Kwasekusithi kulezonsuku wagula wafa; sebemgezisile bamlalisa endlini ephezulu.
38 Joppa was near Lydda, and the disciples, having heard that Peter was at Lydda, sent two men with the request that he come to them without delay.
Njalo njengoba iLida yayiseduze leJopha, abafundi sebezwile ukuthi uPetro wayekhona kuyo, bathuma amadoda amabili kuye, bemncenga ukuthi angaphuzi ukuza kubo.
39 Peter returned with them at once. On his arrival, he was taken upstairs, and all the widows came around him in tears, showing the coats and other clothing which Dorcas had made while she was among them.
UPetro wasesukuma wahamba labo; okwathi esefikile bamthatha bamusa endlini ephezulu, labafelokazi bonke bema laye bekhala bemtshengisa izembatho lezigqoko uDorkasi ayezenzile eselabo.
40 But Peter sent everybody out of the room, and knelt down and prayed. Then, turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha! Stand up.” She opened her eyes, and, seeing Peter, sat up.
Kodwa uPetro esebakhuphele phandle bonke eguqa ngamadolo wakhuleka; esetshibilikela esidunjini, wathi: Tabitha, vuka! Wasevula amehlo akhe; wabona uPetro, walulama.
41 Giving her his hand, Peter raised her up, and, calling in the widows and others of Christ’s people, presented her to them alive.
Wamelulela isandla, wamsukumisa; esebize abangcwele labafelokazi, wambeka phambi kwabo ephila.
42 This became known all through Joppa, and numbers of people came to believe in the Lord.
Kwasekusaziwa kuyo yonke iJopha, labanengi bakholwa eNkosini.
43 And Peter stayed some days at Joppa with a tanner named Simon.
Kwenzeka ukuthi ahlale eJopha insuku ezinengi loSimoni othile umtshuki wezikhumba.
