UJohane 1
1 Ekuqaleni wayekhona uLizwi, njalo uLizwi wayeloNkulunkulu, njalo uLizwi wayenguNkulunkulu.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 Yena lo wayeloNkulunkulu ekuqaleni.
He was in the beginning with God.
3 Zonke izinto zenziwa ngaye, njalo ngaphandle kwakhe kakulalutho lolulodwa olwenziwayo lolo olwenziweyo.
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing that exists came into being.
4 Impilo yayikuye, njalo impilo yayiyikukhanya kwabantu,
In Him was Life, and that Life was the Light of men.
5 lokukhanya kukhanya emnyameni, kodwa ubumnyama kabukwemukelanga.
The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.
6 Kwavela umuntu ethunywe nguNkulunkulu, obizo lakhe linguJohane;
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 yena lo wezela ubufakazi, ukuze afakaze ngokukhanya, ukuze bonke bakholwe ngaye.
He came as a witness, in order that he might give testimony concerning the Light--so that all might believe through him.
8 Yena wayengayisikho ukukhanya, kodwa ukuze afakaze ngokukhanya.
He was not the Light, but he existed that he might give testimony concerning the Light.
9 Kwakuyikukhanya okuqotho, okukhanyisa wonke umuntu oza emhlabeni.
The true Light was that which illumines every man by its coming into the world.
10 Wayekhona emhlabeni, njalo umhlaba wenziwa ngaye, kodwa umhlaba kawumazanga.
He was in the world, and the world came into existence through Him, and the world did not recognize Him.
11 Weza kokwakhe, kodwa abakhe kabamemukelanga.
He came to the things that were His own, and His own people gave Him no welcome.
12 Kodwa bonke abamemukelayo, wabapha amandla okuthi babe ngabantwana bakaNkulunkulu, labo abakholwa ebizweni lakhe;
But all who have received Him, to them--that is, to those who trust in His name--He has given the privilege of becoming children of God;
13 abazalwa kungeyisikho ngegazi, langentando yenyama, langentando yendoda, kodwa nguNkulunkulu.
who were begotten as such not by human descent, nor through an impulse of their own nature, nor through the will of a human father, but from God.
14 ULizwi wasesiba yinyama, wahlala phakathi kwethu, njalo sabona inkazimulo yakhe, inkazimulo injengeyozelwe yedwa kaYise, egcwele umusa leqiniso.
And the Word came in the flesh, and lived for a time in our midst, so that we saw His glory--the glory as of the Father's only Son, sent from His presence. He was full of grace and truth.
15 UJohane wafakaza ngaye, wamemeza wathi: Nguye lo ebengisitsho ngaye ukuthi: Lowo ozayo emva kwami uphambi kwami; ngoba wayekhona kuqala kulami.
John gave testimony concerning Him and cried aloud, saying, "This is He of whom I said, 'He who is coming after me has been put before me,' for He was before me."
16 Lekugcwaleni kwakhe thina semukele sonke, futhi umusa ngomusa;
For He it is from whose fulness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
17 ngoba umlayo wanikwa ngoMozisi, umusa leqiniso kweza ngoJesu Kristu.
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 Kakho owake wabona uNkulunkulu; iNdodana ezelwe yodwa, esesifubeni sikaYise, yiyo emvezileyo.
No human eye has ever seen God: the only Son, who is in the Father's bosom--He has made Him known.
19 Njalo lobu yibufakazi bukaJohane, mhla amaJuda ethuma abapristi lamaLevi bevela eJerusalema ukuze bambuze ukuthi: Wena ungubani?
This also is John's testimony, when the Jews sent to him a deputation of Priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him who he was.
20 Wasevuma, kaphikanga; futhi wavuma wathi: Kangisuye uKristu mina.
He avowed--he did not conceal the truth, but avowed, "I am not the Christ."
21 Bambuza futhi bathi: Kuyini pho? Wena unguElija yini? Wasesithi: Kangisuye. Wena ungulowomProfethi yini? Wasephendula wathi: Hatshi.
"What then?" they inquired; "are you Elijah?" "I am not," he said. "Are you the Prophet?" "No," he answered.
22 Basebesithi kuye: Ungubani? Ukuze sibaphe impendulo abasithumileyo; uthini ngawe?
So they pressed the question. "Who are you?" they said--"that we may take an answer to those who sent us. What account do you give of yourself?"
23 Wathi: Mina ngiyilizwi lomemezayo enkangala: Lungisani indlela yeNkosi, njengoba uIsaya umprofethi watsho.
"I am the voice," he replied, "of one crying aloud, 'Make straight the Lord's way in the Desert,' fulfilling the words of the Prophet Isaiah."
24 Lalabo ababethunyiwe babevela kubaFarisi.
They were Pharisees who had been sent.
25 Basebembuza, bathi kuye: Ubhabhathizelani pho, uba wena ungeyisuye uKristu, loElija, lalowomProfethi?
Again they questioned him. "Why then do you baptize," they said, "if you are neither the Christ nor Elijah nor the Prophet?"
26 UJohane wabaphendula, wathi: Mina ngibhabhathiza ngamanzi; kodwa phakathi kwenu kumi, lina elingamaziyo;
"I baptize in water only," John answered, "but in your midst stands One whom you do not know--
27 nguye ozayo emva kwami, ophambi kwami, engingafanele mina ukuthukulula umchilo wenyathela lakhe.
He who is to come after me, and whose sandal-strap I am not worthy to unfasten."
28 Lezizinto zenzeka eBethabara ngaphetsheya kweJordani, lapho uJohane ayebhabhathiza khona.
This conversation took place at Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 Kusisa uJohane wabona uJesu esiza kuye, wathi: Khangelani iWundlu likaNkulunkulu, elisusa isono somhlaba.
The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and exclaimed, "Look, that is the Lamb of God who is to take away the sin of the world!
30 Nguye lo mina ebengilitshela ngaye ukuthi: Emva kwami kuza indoda, eyayikhona phambi kwami, ngoba yayikhona kuqala kulami.
This is He about whom I said, 'After me is to come One who has been put before me, because He was before me.'
31 Lami bengingamazi; kodwa ukuze abonakaliswe kuIsrayeli, ngalokho mina ngizile ngibhabhathiza ngamanzi.
I did not yet know Him; but that He may be openly shown to Israel is the reason why I have come baptizing in water."
32 UJohane wasefakaza, esithi: Ngibonile uMoya esehla ezulwini njengejuba, wahlala phezu kwakhe.
John also gave testimony by stating: "I have seen the Spirit coming down like a dove out of Heaven; and it remained upon Him.
33 Lami bengingamazi; kodwa owangithumayo ukubhabhathiza ngamanzi, yena wathi kimi: Lowo ozabona uMoya esehlela phezu kwakhe ahlale kuye, nguye obhabhathiza ngoMoya oNgcwele.
I did not yet know Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, "'The One on whom you see the Spirit coming down, and remaining, He it is who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'
34 Mina ngibonile, ngafakaza ukuthi lo uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu.
"This I have seen, and I have become a witness that He is the Son of God."
35 Kusisa futhi uJohane wayemi, lababili kubafundi bakhe;
Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples,
36 wasekhangela uJesu ehambahamba, wathi: Khangelani iWundlu likaNkulunkulu.
when he saw Jesus passing by, and said, "Look! that is the Lamb of God!"
37 Abafundi ababili bamuzwa ekhuluma, basebemlandela uJesu.
The two disciples heard his exclamation, and they followed Jesus.
38 Kwathi uJesu enyemukula ebabona belandela, wathi kubo: Lidingani? Basebesithi kuye: Rabi, (okuyikuthi ngokuphendulelwa, Mfundisi) uhlala ngaphi?
Then Jesus turned round, and seeing them following He asked them, "What is your wish?" "Rabbi," they replied--'Rabbi' means 'Teacher' --"where are you staying?"
39 Wathi kubo: Wozani libone. Beza babona lapho ayehlala khona; bahlala laye ngalolosuku; kwakungaba lihola letshumi.
"Come and you shall see," He said. So they went and saw where He was staying, and they remained and spent that day with Him. It was then about ten o'clock in the morning.
40 UAndreya umfowabo kaSimoni Petro wayengomunye wababili ababekuzwe ngoJohane bamlandela.
Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard John's exclamation and followed Jesus.
41 Yena wathola kuqala umfowabo uqobo uSimoni, wathi kuye: Simtholile uMesiya, okuphendulelwa ngokuthi, uKristu.
He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah!" --that is to say, the Anointed One.
42 Wasemletha kuJesu. UJesu esemkhangele wathi: Wena unguSimoni indodana kaJona; uzathiwa nguKefasi, okuphendulelwa ngokuthi uPetro.
He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon, son of John: you shall be called Cephas" --that is to say, Peter (or 'Rock').
43 Kusisa uJesu wayefuna ukusuka aye eGalili, wathola uFiliphu, wathi kuye: Ngilandela.
The next day, having decided to leave Bethany and go into Galilee, Jesus found Philip, and invited him to follow Him.
44 UFiliphu-ke wayengoweBhethisayida, emzini wakibo kaAndreya loPetro.
(Now Philip came from Bethsaida, the same town as Andrew and Peter.)
45 UFiliphu wathola uNathaniyeli, wathi kuye: Simtholile lowo abhala ngaye uMozisi emlayweni labaprofethi, uJesu weNazaretha, indodana kaJosefa.
Then Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the Law wrote, as well as the Prophets--Jesus, the son of Joseph, a man of Nazareth."
46 UNathaniyeli wasesithi kuye: Kambe kungavela okuhle eNazaretha? UFiliphu wathi kuye: Woza ubone.
"Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" replied Nathanael. "Come and see," said Philip.
47 UJesu wabona uNathaniyeli esiza kuye, wathi ngaye: Khangelani umIsrayeli uqobo, okungekho nkohliso kuye.
Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, and said of him, "Look! here is a true Israelite, in whom there is no deceitfulness!"
48 UNathaniyeli wathi kuye: Ungazela ngaphi? UJesu waphendula wathi kuye: UFiliphu engakakubizi, ungaphansi komkhiwa, ngakubona.
"How do you know me?" Nathanael asked. "Before Philip called you," said Jesus, "when you were under the fig-tree I saw you."
49 UNathaniyeli waphendula wathi kuye: Rabi, wena uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, wena uyiNkosi kaIsrayeli.
"Rabbi," cried Nathanael, "you are the Son of God, you are Israel's King!"
50 UJesu waphendula wathi kuye: Uyakholwa ngoba ngithe kuwe, bengikubona ungaphansi komkhiwa. Uzabona izinto ezinkulu kulalezi.
"Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig-tree,'" replied Jesus, "do you believe? You shall see greater things than that."
51 Wasesithi kuye: Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile, ngithi kini: Kusukela khathesi lizabona izulu livulekile, lengilosi zikaNkulunkulu zisenyuka zisehla phezu kweNdodana yomuntu.
"I tell you all in most solemn truth," He added, "that you shall see Heaven opened wide, and God's angels going up, and coming down to the Son of Man."
