UJohane 15
1 Mina ngilivini eliqotho, njalo uBaba ungumlimi.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.
2 Lonke ugatsha olukimi olungatheliyo isithelo, uyalususa; lalo lonke oluthela isithelo, uyaluthena, ukuze lwengeze ukuthela.
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Selihlambululekile lina ngelizwi engilikhulume kini.
You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
4 Hlalani kimi, lami kini. Njengalokhu ugatsha lungethele isithelo ngokwalo, uba lungahlali evinini, ngokunjalo lani lingeke, uba lingahlali kimi.
Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.
5 Mina ngilivini, lina lizingatsha. Lowo ohlala kimi, lami kuye, yena uyathela isithelo sande; ngoba ngaphandle kwami lingenze lutho.
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 Uba umuntu engahlali kimi, ulahlelwa phandle njengogatsha, abe esebuna, bazibuthe baziphose emlilweni, zitshiswe.
If a man does not 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 Uba lihlala kimi, lamazwi ami ehlala kini, lizacela elikuthandayo, lizakwenzelwa.
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 UBaba uyadunyiswa ngalokhu, ukuthi lithele isithelo sande; njalo lizakuba ngabafundi bami.
“In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.
9 Njengalokhu uBaba engithandile, lami ngilithandile; hlalani ethandweni lwami.
Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.
10 Uba lilondoloza imilayo yami, lizahlala ethandweni lwami; njengalokhu mina ngilondoloze imilayo kaBaba, njalo ngihlala ethandweni 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 Lezizinto ngizikhulume kini, ukuze intokozo yami ihlale kini, njalo intokozo yenu igcwale.
I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.
12 Lo ngumlayo wami, ukuthi lithandane, njengalokhu ngilithandile.
“This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.
13 Kakho olothando olukhulu kulalolu, lokuthi umuntu ababekele phansi abangane bakhe impilo yakhe.
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
14 Lina lingabangane bami, uba lisenza loba yini mina engililaya yona.
You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.
15 Kangisalibizi ngokuthi lizinceku, ngoba inceku kayikwazi ukuthi inkosi yayo yenzani; kodwa sengilibize ngokuthi lingabangane, ngoba konke engikuzwileyo kuBaba ngilazise khona.
No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not 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 lina, kodwa mina ngilikhethile, njalo ngilimisile, ukuze lina lihambe lithele isithelo, lesithelo senu sihlale; ukuze loba yini eliyicela kuBaba ngebizo lami, alinike.
You did not 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 Ngililaya lezizinto, ukuze lithandane.
“I command these things to you, that you may love one another.
18 Uba umhlaba ulizonda, yazini ukuthi wangizonda mina ngaphambi kwenu.
If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.
19 Uba belingabomhlaba, umhlaba ubuzathanda abawo; kodwa ngoba lingeyisibo abomhlaba, kodwa ngalikhetha mina emhlabeni, ngakho umhlaba uyalizonda.
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 ilizwi mina engalitsho kini: Inceku kayinkulu kulenkosi yayo. Uba bengizingele mina, bazalizingela lani; uba belondoloza ilizwi lami, bazalondoloza lelenu.
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 Kodwa bazakwenza konke lokhu ngenxa yebizo lami, ngoba bengamazi ongithumileyo.
But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they do not know him who sent me.
22 Uba bengingafikanga ngakhuluma labo, ngabe kabalasono; kodwa khathesi kabalazaba 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 Ongizondayo, uzonda loBaba.
He who hates me, hates my Father also.
24 Uba bengingenzanga phakathi kwabo imisebenzi kungekho omunye owayenzayo, ngabe kabalasono; kodwa khathesi sebeyibonile sebezonde sonke mina loBaba.
If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have had sin. But now they have seen and also hated both me and my Father.
25 Kodwa ukuze ligcwaliseke ilizwi elilotshiweyo emlayweni wabo elokuthi: 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 Kodwa nxa esefikile uMduduzi, engizamthuma mina kini evela kuBaba, uMoya weqiniso, ophuma kuBaba, lo uzangifakazela;
“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 futhi lizafakaza, ngoba belilami kusukela ekuqaleni.
You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
