Imisebenzi 19
1 Kwasekusithi, uApolosi eseseKorinte, uPawuli wafika eEfesu esedabule indawo eziphakemeyo; wasefica abafundi abathile
Now it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus. And finding certain disciples
2 wathi kubo: Lamemukela yini uMoya oNgcwele mhla likholwayo? Basebesithi kuye: Kodwa kasizanga sizwe ngitsho ukuthi kukhona uMoya oNgcwele.
he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “But we have not so much as heard that there is a Holy Spirit!”
3 Wasesithi kubo: Pho labhabhathizelwa kukuphi? Basebesithi: Kubhabhathizo lukaJohane.
So he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John's baptism.”
4 Kodwa uPawuli wathi: UJohane isibili wabhabhathiza ubhabhathizo lokuphenduka, etshela abantu ukuze bakholwe kulowo oweza emva kwakhe, okuyikuthi, kuKristu Jesu.
So Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe into the One who would come after him, that is, into Jesus, the Christ.”
5 Lalabo abezwayo babhabhathizwa ebizweni leNkosi uJesu.
So upon hearing this they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 Wathi uPawuli esebeke izandla phezu kwabo, uMoya oyiNgcwele weza phezu kwabo; basebekhuluma ngendimi, baprofetha.
And as Paul laid his hands on them the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they started speaking languages and prophesying.
7 Njalo wonke amadoda ayengaba litshumi lambili.
There were about twelve men in all.
8 Wasengena esinagogeni wakhuluma ngesibindi, inyanga ezintathu etshumayela eqinisekisa izinto ngombuso kaNkulunkulu.
During three months Paul kept going to the synagogue and speaking boldly, reasoning and persuading concerning the things of the Kingdom of God.
9 Kodwa kwathi abanye besiba lukhuni bengakholwa, bekhuluma kubi ngaleyondlela phambi kwabantu, wasuka kubo wehlukanisa abafundi, insuku ngensuku etshumayela esikolo sothile uTiranu.
But when some became hardened and disobedient, maligning the Way before the crowd, he withdrew from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of a certain Tyrannus.
10 Lalokhu kwenzeka okweminyaka emibili, baze balizwa ilizwi leNkosi uJesu bonke abakhileyo eAsiya, amaJuda kanye lamaGriki.
Now this continued for two years, so that all who lived in Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the Word of the Lord Jesus.
11 UNkulunkulu wasesenza imisebenzi yamandla engejwayelekanga ngezandla zikaPawuli,
Further, God kept working unusual miracles by the hands of Paul,
12 kwaze kwathi lakwabagulayo kwasiwa izifinyo kumbe amafasikoti okuvela emzimbeni wakhe, lezifo zasuka kubo, labomoya ababi baphuma kubo.
so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that he touched were applied to the sick, and the diseases left them and the wicked spirits went out from them.
13 Kwathi abanye kumihambuma yamaJuda, izanuse, bazama ukubiza ibizo leNkosi uJesu kulabo ababelabomoya ababi, besithi: Siyalifungisa ngoJesu amtshumayelayo uPawuli.
Well some among the itinerant Jewish exorcists attempted to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had wicked spirits saying, “We adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
14 Njalo kwakukhona amadodana ayisikhombisa athile kaSikeva umJuda umpristi omkhulu akwenzayo lokho.
In fact there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who were doing this.
15 Kodwa umoya omubi waphendula wathi: UJesu ngiyamazi, loPawuli ngiyazi ngaye; kodwa lina lingobani?
But a particular wicked spirit reacted and said, “Jesus I know, and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?”
16 Lowomuntu okwakukuye umoya omubi waseseqela phezu kwabo, njalo wabehlula, wabanqoba, baze babaleka kuleyondlu benqunu belimele.
And the man in whom the wicked spirit was jumped on them and overpowered them; he was so much stronger that they ran out of that house naked and wounded.
17 Lokhu kwasekusaziwa yibo bonke abakhileyo eEfesu amaJuda kanye lamaGriki; lokwesaba kwasekubehlela bonke; njalo lakhuliswa ibizo leNkosi uJesu.
Now this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was being exalted.
18 Labanengi balabo abakholwayo beza, bevuma, bememezela izenzo zabo.
And many of those who had believed started coming, confessing and disclosing their practices.
19 Labanengi balabo ababesenza amasalamusi baletha ingwalo ndawonye bazitshisa phambi kwabo bonke; basebebala intengo yazo, bathola izinkulungwane ezingamatshumi amahlanu zesiliva.
In fact, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them up, in front of everybody (they had calculated their value and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver).
20 Ngokunjalo ilizwi leNkosi lakhula ngamandla lanqoba.
With power like that it was that the word of the Lord kept growing and prevailing.
21 Kwathi lezizinto seziphelile, uPawuli wazimisela emoyeni, esedabule eMakedoniya leAkaya, ukuya eJerusalema, esithi: Emva kokuba kwami lapho, ngimele ukubona iRoma layo.
Now after these things were accomplished, Paul resolved in his spirit to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.”
22 Esethume eMakedoniya ababili balabo ababemsiza, uTimothi loErastu, yena wahlala eAsiya okwesikhathi.
So he sent two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, on to Macedonia, while he himself stayed on in Asia for a time.
23 Kodwa ngalesosikhathi kwasuka isiphithiphithi esingesincinyane mayelana laleyondlela.
Now it was during that time that a serious disturbance concerning the Way occurred.
24 Ngoba umuntu othile onguDemetriyu ngebizo, umkhandi wesiliva, owenza amathempelana esiliva kaDiyana, waletha kuzingcwethi inzuzo engencinyane;
A certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, habitually brought in plenty of business for the artisans;
25 owabaqoqayo bona, lezisebenzi zezinto ezifananayo, wathi: Madoda, liyazi ukuthi inotho yethu ivela kulumsebenzi.
he called them together, along with the workmen in related trades, and said: “Men, you know that our prosperity depends on this trade.
26 Njalo liyabona liyezwa ukuthi kungeyisikho eEfesu kuphela, kodwa phose kulo lonke iAsiya, uPawuli lo uncengile njalo uphambule ixuku elikhulu, esithi kayisibo onkulunkulu abenziwe ngezandla.
And you observe and hear that not only in Ephesus but throughout almost all Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that handmade things are not gods.
27 Njalo kayisikho lokhu kuphela ukuthi sisengozini yokuthi lolugatsha lomsebenzi lufike ekutheni lungahlonitshwa, kodwa lethempeli likankulunkulukazi omkhulu uDiyana lizathiwa liyinto engesilutho, njalo lobukhulukazi bakhe buzakwehliswa, elimkhonzayo yonke iAsiya lomhlaba wonke.
So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be discredited, and even her own majesty be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.”
28 Kwathi bekuzwa bagcwala intukuthelo, bamemeza besithi: Mkhulu uDiyana wamaEfesu!
Now upon hearing this they were filled with anger and began shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
29 Njalo umuzi wonke wagcwala isiphithiphithi; basebetheleka kanyekanye endaweni yokudlalela, bahudula uGayusi loAristako amaMakedoniya, abaphelekezeli bakaPawuli.
So the whole city was filled with confusion, and they rushed into the theater with one accord (they had seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians, Paul's traveling companions).
30 Kwathi uPawuli efuna ukungena exukwini, abafundi kabamvumelanga.
When Paul wanted to go in to the people, the disciples would not let him.
31 Njalo labanye bababusi beAsiya, ababengabangane bakhe, bathuma kuye, bemncenga ukuthi angazinikeli endaweni yokudlalela.
Even some of the officials of Asia, being his friends, sent word to him and urged him not to venture into the theater.
32 Ngakho abanye bamemeza okunye labanye okunye; ngoba umhlangano wawusanganisekile, njalo inengi labo lalingazi ukuthi libuthene lapho ngenxa yani.
The assembly was in confusion: some were shouting one thing and some another; most of them did not know why they had come together.
33 Basebemusa phambili uAleksandro esuka exukwini, ngoba amaJuda amqhubela phambili. UAleksandro waseqhweba ngesandla, efuna ukuzivikela ebantwini.
Then the Jews pushed Alexander forward, out from the crowd. So Alexander motioned with his hand and would have made a defense to the people.
34 Kodwa bathi sebekwazi ukuthi ungumJuda, kwaba lelizwi elilodwa livela kubo bonke okungaba ngamahola amabili limemeza lisithi: Mkhulu uDiyana wamaEfesu!
But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 Njalo kwathi umabhalane eselithulisile ixuku wathi: Madoda eEfesu, kanti kukhona yini umuntu ongaziyo ukuthi umuzi weEfesu ungumlondolozi wethempeli likankulunkulukazi omkhulu uDiyana lowento eyawa ivela kuZewusi?
When the city clerk had quieted the crowd, he said: “Men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple guardian of the great goddess Artemis and of what fell from Zeus?
36 Ngakho njengoba lezizinto zingephikwe, kufanele lithule, lingenzi lutho ngamawala.
Therefore, since these things are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash.
37 Ngoba lilethe lamadoda, angeyisibo abaphangi bamathempeli langahlambazi unkulunkulukazi wenu.
You have arrested these men who are neither temple thieves nor blasphemers of your goddess.
38 Ngakho uba uDemetriyu lezingcwethi kanye laye belodaba ngomuntu, amalanga okuthonisa amacala ayagcinwa, bakhona lababusi; kabamangalelane.
Now if Demetrius and his fellow artisans have a complaint against anyone, courts are available, and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another.
39 Kodwa uba lidinga ulutho ngezinye izinto, kuzalungiswa emhlanganweni osemthethweni.
But if you want to debate any other matter, it will be settled in the legal assembly.
40 Ngoba futhi sisengozini yokumangalelwa ngomvukela ngenxa yalamuhla, kungelambangela esingalandisa ngayo ngalesisiphithiphithi.
Indeed, we are in danger of being charged with a riot, because of today, there being no reason at all that we can give to account for this commotion.”
41 Njalo esetshilo lokho, wawuchitha umhlangano.
And having said these things he dismissed the assembly.
