Imisebenzi 9
1 Kwathi uSawuli, esaphefumula insongo lokubulala emelane labafundi beNkosi, waya kumpristi omkhulu,
Meanwhile Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,
2 wacela kuye incwadi zokuya eDamaseko kumasinagoge, ukuze kuthi uba ethola abanye baleyondlela, amadoda kanye labafazi, abalethe eJerusalema bebotshiwe.
and asked him to give him letters to the Jewish congregations at Damascus, authorising him, if he found there any supporters of the Way, whether men or women, to have them put in chains and brought to Jerusalem.
3 Kwathi ekuhambeni, kwenzeka ukuthi esesondele eDamaseko; njalo kwahle kwamphazimela inhlangothi zonke ukukhanya okuvela ezulwini;
While on his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, suddenly a light from the heavens flashed around him.
4 njalo ewela emhlabathini, wezwa ilizwi lisithi kuye: Sawuli, Sawuli, ungizingelelani?
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him – ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
5 Wasesithi: Ungubani, Nkosi? INkosi yasisithi: Mina nginguJesu omzingelayo; kulukhuni kuwe ukukhahlelana lezincijo.
‘Who are you, Lord?’ he asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the voice answered;
6 Ethuthumela njalo emangala wathi: Nkosi, uthanda ukuthi ngenzeni? LeNkosi yathi kuye: Sukuma ungene emzini, njalo uzatshelwa lokho omele ukwenze.
‘Yet stand up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’
7 Lamadoda ayehamba laye ayemi engelakukhuluma, esizwa ilizwi, kodwa engaboni muntu.
The men traveling with Saul were meanwhile standing speechless; they heard the sound of the voice, but saw no one.
8 USawuli wasevuka emhlabathini; kwathi esevule amehlo akhe, kabonanga muntu. Basebembamba ngesandla, bamusa eDamaseko.
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;
9 Wasesiba lensuku ezintathu engaboni, njalo engadli futhi enganathi.
and for three days he was unable to see, and took nothing either to eat or to drink.
10 Kwakukhona eDamaseko umfundi othile uAnaniya ngebizo; iNkosi yasisithi kuye ngombono: Ananiya! Wasesithi: Khangela ngilapha, Nkosi.
Now there was at Damascus a disciple named Ananias, to whom, in a vision, the Lord said, ‘Ananias.’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he answered.
11 INkosi yasisithi kuye: Sukuma uye endleleni ethiwa iQondile, udinge endlini kaJudasi umuntu, uSawuli ngebizo, weTarsu; ngoba khangela uyakhuleka,
‘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,
12 njalo ubonile ngombono umuntu, uAnaniya ngebizo, engena ebeka isandla phezu kwakhe, ukuze abuye abone.
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.’
13 Kodwa uAnaniya waphendula wathi: Nkosi, ngizwile ngabanengi ngalindoda, kungakanani okubi akwenzileyo kwabangcwele bakho eJerusalema;
‘Lord,’ exclaimed Ananias, ‘I have heard from many people about this man – how much harm he has done at Jerusalem to your people there.
14 lalapha ulamandla avela kubapristi abakhulu, okubopha bonke labo ababiza ibizo lakho.
And, here, too, he holds authority from the chief priests to put in chains all those who invoke your name.’
15 Kodwa iNkosi yathi kuye: Hamba, ngoba lowo uyisitsha sami esikhethiweyo, ukuphatha ibizo lami phambi kwezizwe lamakhosi, labantwana bakoIsrayeli;
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.
16 ngoba mina ngizamtshengisa ukuthi umele ukuhlupheka kangakanani ngenxa yebizo lami.
I will myself show him all that he has to suffer for my name.’
17 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.
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.’
18 Kwahle kwawa emehlweni akhe kwangathi zinkwethu, wahle wabuye wabona, njalo esukuma wabhabhathizwa,
Instantly it seemed as if a film fell from Saul’s eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptised,
19 njalo esedlile wathola amandla. USawuli wasehlala labafundi ababeseDamaseko insuku ezithile.
and, after he had taken food, he felt his strength return. Saul stayed for some days with the disciples who were at Damascus,
20 Wahle-ke watshumayela uKristu emasinagogeni, ukuthi yena uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu.
and at once began in the synagogues to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God.
21 Njalo bonke abezwayo basanganiseka bathi: Lo kayisuye yini owachitha eJerusalema labo ababiza lelibizo, lalapha uzele lokho ukuthi abaqhube bebotshiwe abase kubapristi abakhulu?
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?’
22 Kodwa uSawuli waqiniswa kakhulu, wasanganisa amaJuda akhileyo eDamaseko, eqinisa ukuthi lo unguye uKristu.
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.
23 Kwathi sezigcwalisiwe insuku ezinengi, amaJuda enza icebo ndawonye ukuthi ambulale;
After some time some of them laid a plot to kill Saul,
24 kodwa iqhinga lawo laziwa nguSawuli. Aselinda emasangweni emini lebusuku, ukuze ambulale;
but it became known to him. They even watched the gates day and night, to kill him;
25 kodwa abafundi bamthatha ebusuku, bamehlisela emthangaleni bemehlisa ngesilulu.
but his disciples let him down by night through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26 Kwathi uSawuli esefikile eJerusalema, wazama ukuzihlanganisa labafundi; kodwa bonke bamesaba, bengakholwa ukuthi ungumfundi.
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.
27 Kodwa uBarnabasi wamthatha wamusa kubaphostoli, wabalandisela ukuthi uyibone njani iNkosi endleleni, lokuthi ikhulumile kuye, lokuthi eDamaseko ukhulume njani ngesibindi ebizweni likaJesu.
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.
28 Wasehlala labo engena ephuma eJerusalema,
After that, Saul remained in Jerusalem, in close contact with the apostles; and he spoke fearlessly in the name of the Lord,
29 wasekhuluma ngesibindi ngebizo leNkosi uJesu, wakhuluma njalo futhi ephikisana lamaHelenisiti; kodwa bazama ukumbulala.
talking and arguing with the Jews of foreign birth, who, however, made attempts to kill him.
30 Kodwa abazalwane sebekwazi bamehlisela eKesariya, bamthuma eTarsu.
But, when the followers found this out, they took him down to Caesarea, and sent him on his way to Tarsus.
31 Ngakho amabandla kuyo yonke iJudiya leGalili leSamariya aba lokuthula, esakheka, ehamba ekwesabeni iNkosi langenduduzo kaMoya oNgcwele, anda.
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.
32 Kwasekusithi uPetro edabula indawo zonke wehlela lakwabangcwele abahlala eLida.
Peter, while traveling from place to place throughout the country, went down to visit the people of Christ living at Lydda.
33 Wasefica khona umuntu othile uEneya ngebizo, owayeselele ecansini iminyaka eyisificaminwembili, ome umhlubulo.
There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden for eight years with paralysis.
34 UPetro wasesithi kuye: Eneya, uJesu Kristu uyakusilisa; sukuma uzendlalele icansi. Njalo wahle wasukuma.
‘Aeneas,’ Peter said to him, ‘Jesus Christ cures you. Get up, and make your bed.’ Aeneas got up at once;
35 Basebembona bonke abakhileyo eLida leSaroni, abaphendukela eNkosini.
and all the inhabitants of Lydda and of the Plain of Sharon saw him, and came over to the Lord’s side.
36 Kwakukhona eJopha umfundikazi othile, uTabitha ngebizo, okungokuchasiswa kuthiwa nguDorkasi; lo wayegcwele imisebenzi emihle lemisebenzi yomusa ayenzayo.
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.
37 Kwasekusithi kulezonsuku wagula wafa; sebemgezisile bamlalisa endlini ephezulu.
Just at that time she was taken ill, and died; and they had washed her body and laid it out in an upstairs room.
38 Njalo njengoba iLida yayiseduze leJopha, abafundi sebezwile ukuthi uPetro wayekhona kuyo, bathuma amadoda amabili kuye, bemncenga ukuthi angaphuzi ukuza kubo.
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.
39 UPetro wasesukuma wahamba labo; okwathi esefikile bamthatha bamusa endlini ephezulu, labafelokazi bonke bema laye bekhala bemtshengisa izembatho lezigqoko uDorkasi ayezenzile eselabo.
Peter returned with them at once. On his arrival, he was taken upstairs, and all the widows came round him in tears, showing the coats and other clothing which Dorcas had made while she was among them.
40 Kodwa uPetro esebakhuphele phandle bonke eguqa ngamadolo wakhuleka; esetshibilikela esidunjini, wathi: Tabitha, vuka! Wasevula amehlo akhe; wabona uPetro, walulama.
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.
41 Wamelulela isandla, wamsukumisa; esebize abangcwele labafelokazi, wambeka phambi kwabo ephila.
Giving her his hand, Peter raised her up, and, calling in the widows and others of Christ’s people, presented her to them alive.
42 Kwasekusaziwa kuyo yonke iJopha, labanengi bakholwa eNkosini.
This became known all through Joppa, and numbers of people came to believe in the Lord.
43 Kwenzeka ukuthi ahlale eJopha insuku ezinengi loSimoni othile umtshuki wezikhumba.
And Peter stayed some days at Joppa with a tanner named Simon.
