< ULukha 23 >
1 Kwasekusukuma ixuku labo lonke, lamusa kuPilatu.
2 Baqala ukummangalela, besithi: Simficile lo eduhisa isizwe, esalela ukuthela kuKesari, esithi nguye onguKristu iNkosi.
3 UPilatu wasembuza, wathi: Wena uyiNkosi yamaJuda yini? Wasemphendula wathi: Uyatsho wena.
4 Wasesithi uPilatu kubapristi abakhulu lemaxukwini: Kangitholi cala kulumuntu.
5 Kodwa baqinisa, besithi: Udunga abantu, efundisa kuyo yonke iJudiya, eqala eGalili kuze kufike lapha.
6 Lapho uPilatu esizwa kuthiwa iGalili wabuza ukuthi lumuntu ungumGalili yini.
7 Kwathi esezwile ukuthi ungowombuso kaHerodi, wamthumela kuHerodi, owayekhona laye eJerusalema ngalezonsuku.
8 Kwathi uHerodi embona uJesu wathokoza kakhulu; ngoba wayekade ethanda ukumbona, ngoba wayezwile okunengi ngaye; wayethemba ukuthi uzabona isibonakaliso esithile sisenziwa nguye.
9 Wambuza ngamazwi amanengi; kodwa yena kamphendulanga lutho.
10 Abapristi abakhulu lababhali babemi, bemmangalela ngamandla.
11 UHerodi lamabutho akhe bamyangisa, bamklolodela, basebemgqokisa isembatho esikhazimulayo, bambuyisela kuPilatu.
12 Ngalolosuku uHerodi kanye loPilatu baba ngabangane omunye komunye; ngoba ngaphambi kwalokhu babelobutha phakathi kwabo.
13 UPilatu wasebizela ndawonye abapristi abakhulu lababusi labantu,
14 wathi kubo: Limlethile kimi lumuntu, ngokungathi ungoduhisa abantu; njalo khangelani, mina ngimhlolile phambi kwenu, kangitholanga cala kulumuntu ngalezozinto elimmangalela ngazo;
15 hatshi ngitsho loHerodi; ngoba ngilithumeze kuye, njalo khangelani, kakulalutho olufanele ukufa olwenziwe nguye.
16 Ngakho ngizamtshaya ngimkhulule.
17 Kwakufanele ukuthi abakhululele abe munye ngomkhosi.
18 Bamemeza bonke kanyekanye besithi: Msuse lo, usikhululele uBarabasi
19 (owayephoselwe entolongweni ngenxa yomvukela othile owenzeka phakathi komuzi langenxa yokubulala).
20 Ngakho uPilatu wabuya wakhuluma labo, efuna ukumkhulula uJesu.
21 Kodwa bamemeza, besithi: Bethela, mbethele!
22 Wasesithi kubo ngokwesithathu: Ngoba lo enze bubi bani? Kangitholanga kuye icala afanele ukufa ngalo; ngakho ngizamtshaya ngimkhulule.
23 Kodwa baqinisa ngamazwi amakhulu, befuna ukuthi abethelwe; lamazwi abo lawabapristi abakhulu aphumelela.
24 UPilatu wasequma ukuthi kwenziwe isicelo sabo.
25 Wasebakhululela lowo ababemcelile owayephoselwe entolongweni ngenxa yomvukela lokubulala; kodwa uJesu wamnikela entandweni yabo.
26 Kwathi sebemqhuba, babamba uSimoni othile umKurene owayevela emaphandleni, bamethesa isiphambano, ukuthi asithwale ngemva kukaJesu.
27 Laselimlandela ixuku elikhulu labantu, labesifazana labo ababekhala bemlilela.
28 Kodwa uJesu ephendukela kubo wathi: Madodakazi eJerusalema, lingangikhaleli mina, kodwa zikhaleleni lina labantwana benu,
29 ngoba khangelani, ziyeza insuku abazakutsho ngazo ukuthi: Zibusisiwe inyumba, lezizalo ezingazalanga, lamabele angamunyisanga.
30 Khona bezaqalisa ukuthi ezintabeni: Welani phezu kwethu; lemaqaqeni: Sisibekeleni.
31 Ngoba uba besenza lezizinto esihlahleni esimanzi, kuzakwenzakalani kwesomileyo?
32 Kwaqhutshwa labanye abenzi bobubi ababili, ukuthi babulawe kanye laye.
33 Sebefikile endaweni ethiwa luKhakhayi, bambethela khona, labenzi bobubi, omunye ngakwesokunene, lomunye ngakwesokhohlo.
34 UJesu wasesithi: Baba, bathethelele; ngoba kabakwazi abakwenzayo. Njalo babelana izembatho zakhe, benza inkatho yokuphosa.
35 Labantu bema babukela. Lababusi kanye labo bamklolodela, besithi: Wasindisa abanye, kazisindise yena, uba yena enguKristu, okhethiweyo kaNkulunkulu.
36 Labebutho bamklolodela, beza kuye bamnika iviniga,
37 besithi: Uba wena uyiNkosi yamaJuda, zisindise wena.
38 Kwakukhona lombhalo ngaphezu kwakhe kulotshiwe ngamabala esiGriki langesiRoma langesiHebheru othi: LO UYINKOSI YAMAJUDA.
39 Lomunye wabenzi bobubi ababelengisiwe wamthuka, esithi: Uba wena unguKristu, zisindise wena lathi.
40 Kodwa omunye waphendula emkhuza, esithi: Wena kawumesabi yini uNkulunkulu, lokhu lawe ukulokhukulahlwa?
41 Thina kambe kusilungele, ngoba semukela okulingene ukwenza kwethu; kodwa lo kenzanga lutho olungafanelanga.
42 Wasesithi kuJesu: Ungikhumbule, Nkosi, lapha ufika embusweni wakho.
43 UJesu wasesithi kuye: Ngiqinisile ngithi kuwe: Lamuhla uzakuba lami eParadise.
44 Kwakungaba lihola lesithupha, kwaba khona ubumnyama phezu komhlaba wonke kwaze kwaba lihola lesificamunwemunye,
45 futhi ilanga lalifiphaziwe, leveyili lethempeli ladatshulwa phakathi.
46 UJesu wasememeza ngelizwi elikhulu esithi: Baba, ezandleni zakho ngibeka umoya wami; esetshilo lokhu waphefumula okokucina.
47 Kwathi induna yekhulu isibonile okwenzekileyo, yamdumisa uNkulunkulu, isithi: Isibili lumuntu ubelungile.
48 Lamaxuku wonke ayebuthene ukubukela lokho, sebebonile izinto ezenzekileyo, babuyela betshaya izifuba zabo.
49 Bonke abazana laye, labesifazana ababemlandela bevela eGalili, bema khatshana, bebona lezizinto.
50 Njalo khangela, indoda ethiwa nguJosefa, ilunga lomphakathi, indoda elungileyo eqotho;
51 yena wayengavumelananga lecebo lesenzo sabo; wayevela eArimathiya umuzi wamaJuda, laye ngokwakhe wayelindele umbuso kaNkulunkulu;
52 lowo waya kuPilatu wacela isidumbu sikaJesu.
53 Wasesethula wasigoqela ngelembu elicolekileyo, wasibeka engcwabeni elaligujwe edwaleni, lapho okwakungazanga kubekwe khona umuntu.
54 Kwakulusuku lwamalungiselelo, lesabatha laselisondela.
55 Labesifazana, ababeze laye bevela eGalili, balandela, balibona ingcwaba, lokuthi isidumbu sibekwe njani.
56 Basebebuyela emuva balungisa amakha lamagcobo. Ngesabatha basebephumula njengokomlayo.
