UJohane 15
1 “Mina ngilivini eliqotho, uBaba ungumlimi.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.
2 Zonke ingatsha ezingatheli izithelo uyaziquma, kuthi zonke ingatsha ezithelayo uyazithena kuhle ukuze zithele kakhulu.
Every branch in me that doesn’t bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Lina selihlambulukile ngenxa yelizwi esengilikhulume kini.
You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 Hlalani kimi, lami ngizahlala kini. Kalukho ugatsha olungathela izithelo ngokwalo kodwa kumele luhlale lusevinini. Lani lingeke lithele izithelo ngaphandle kokuthi lihlale kimi.
Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can’t bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.
5 Mina ngilivini; lina lizingatsha. Nxa umuntu ehlala kimi lami kuye, uzathela izithelo ezinengi; ngaphandle kwami kakukho elingakwenza.
I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 Nxa lingahlali kimi, lizabe lifana logatsha olulahliweyo lwabuna; ingatsha ezinjalo ziyathezwa, zibaswe besezisitsha.
If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 Nxa lihlala kimi lamazwi ami ehlala kini, celani loba yini eliyifunayo, lizayiphiwa.
If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.
8 Lokhu kungokwenkazimulo kaBaba ukuze lithele izithelo ezinengi, lizitshengisa ukuthi lingabafundi bami.
“In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.
9 Njengoba uBaba engithanda, lami ngilithande ngendlela angithanda ngayo. Ngakho-ke, hlalani ethandweni lwami.
Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.
10 Nxa ligcina imilayo yami, lizahlala lisethandweni lwami, njengoba lami ngilalele imilayo kaBaba ngihlala ngisethandweni lwakhe.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.
11 Ngilitshele lokhu ukuze ukuthokoza kwami kube kini lokuthi ukuthokoza kwenu kuphelele.
I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.
12 Umlayo wami yilo: Thandanani njengoba ngilithandile lani.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.
13 Kakho olothando olukhulu kulonikela ukuphila kwakhe ngenxa yabangane bakhe.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
14 Lingabangane bami nxa lisenza lokho engililaya khona.
You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.
15 Kangisalibizi ngokuthi liyizinceku ngoba inceku kayiwazisisi umsebenzi wenkosi yayo. Kodwa ngithe kini lingabangane ngoba konke engakufunda kuBaba ngilazisile.
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn’t know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.
16 Kalingikhethanga, kodwa yimi engalikhethayo, ngalibeka ukuze liyethela izithelo, izithelo ezizahlala isikhathi eside ukuze kuthi konke elikucela ngebizo lami uBaba alinike khona.
You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
17 Nanku umlayo wami: Thandanani.”
“I command these things to you, that you may love one another.
18 “Nxa umhlaba ulizonda, khumbulani ukuthi wangizonda kuqala.
If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.
19 Ngabe belingabomhlaba, ubuzalithanda njengabantu bawo. Njengoba kunje, kalisibo abomhlaba, kodwa ngilikhethe lisemhlabeni. Yikho umhlaba ulizonda.
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 Khumbulani amazwi engawakhuluma kini ngisithi: ‘Kakulanceku enkulu kuleNkosi yayo.’Nxa bangihlukuluza, lani bazalihlukuluza. Nxa balalela imfundiso yami, bazayilalela leyenu.
Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his lord.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
21 Bazaliphatha ngaleyondlela ngenxa yebizo lami, ngoba kabamazi lowo ongithumileyo.
But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me.
22 Aluba bengingezanga ngakhuluma kubo bebengayikuba lomlandu wesono. Kodwa manje kabaselaxolo ngesono sabo.
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
23 Lowo ozonda mina uzonda loBaba.
He who hates me, hates my Father also.
24 Aluba angenzanga umangaliso ongenziwanga ngomunye wabo phakathi kwabo, babengayikuba lomlandu wesono. Kodwa khathesi sebeyibonile imimangaliso le, kodwa baphinde bangizonde mina kanye loBaba.
If I hadn’t done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn’t have had sin. But now they have seen and also hated both me and my Father.
25 Kodwa lokhu kwenzeka ukuze kugcwalise okulotshiweyo eMthethweni wabo ukuthi: ‘Bangizonda kungelasizatho.’”
But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’
26 “Angaze afike uMeli engizamthumela kini evela kuBaba, uMoya weqiniso ophuma kuBaba, uzafakaza ngami;
“When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.
27 lani kumele lifakaze, ngoba laba lami kusukela ekuqaleni.”
You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
