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1

Isingeniso

1 Njengoba abanengi sebebeke izandla ukubeka ngendlela efaneleyo belandisa ngalezizinto eziqiniseke ngokupheleleyo phakathi kwethu, 2 njengalokho basinika zona labo abazibona ngamehlo ekuqaleni njalo bezinceku zelizwi, 3 kukhanye kukuhle lakimi, sengizihlolisisile zonke izinto kusukela ekuqaleni, ukuthi ngikubhalele ngokulandelana, mhlekazi Teyofilu, 4 ukuze wazi iqiniso ngalezozinto ozifundisiweyo.

Ukuzalwa kukaJohane kuyabikwa

5 Kwathi ensukwini zikaHerodi inkosi yeJudiya kwakukhona umpristi othile othiwa nguZekariya, oweqembu likaAbija; lomkakhe wayevela kumadodakazi kaAroni, lebizo lakhe linguElizabethi. 6 Njalo babelungile bobabili phambi kukaNkulunkulu, behamba ngayo yonke imilayo lezimiso zeNkosi bengasoleki. 7 Njalo babengelamntwana, ngoba uElizabethi wayeyinyumba, njalo bobabili babehambile ngensuku zabo.

8 Kwasekusithi esenza inkonzo yobupristi phambi kukaNkulunkulu esesimisweni seqembu lakibo, 9 ngomkhuba wenkonzo yobupristi, kwaba nguye owadliwa yinkatho ukutshisa impepha esengene ethempelini leNkosi. 10 Njalo lonke ixuku labantu lalikhuleka ngaphandle ngesikhathi sokutshisa impepha. 11 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasibonakala kuye, imi ngakwesokunene selathi lempepha. 12 Kwathi uZekariya eyibona waqhuqha, lokwesaba kwawela phezu kwakhe. 13 Kodwa ingilosi yathi kuye: Ungesabi Zekariya; ngoba umkhuleko wakho uzwakele, lomkakho uElizabethi uzakuzalela indodana, njalo uzakuthi ibizo layo nguJohane. 14 Futhi uzakuba lenjabulo lentokozo, labanengi bazakujabulela ukuzalwa kwakhe. 15 Ngoba uzakuba mkhulu phambi kweNkosi, konke iwayini lokudakisayo kasoze akunathe, futhi uzagcwaliswa ngoMoya oNgcwele esesesiswini sikanina. 16 Labanengi kubantwana bakoIsrayeli uzabaphendulela eNkosini uNkulunkulu wabo; 17 njalo yena uzahamba phambi kwayo emoyeni lemandleni kaElija, ukuphendulela inhliziyo zaboyise kubantwana, labangalaleliyo ekuhlakanipheni kwabalungileyo, ukulungiselela iNkosi isizwe esilungisiweyo. 18 UZekariya wasesithi kuyo ingilosi: Ngizakwazi ngani lokhu? Ngoba mina ngilixhegu, lomkami esehambile ngensuku zakhe. 19 Ingilosi yasiphendula yathi kuye: NginguGabriyeli mina omayo phambi kukaNkulunkulu; njalo ngithunyiwe ukukhuluma kuwe, lokukubikela lezindaba ezinhle. 20 Njalo khangela, uzakuba yisimungulu njalo wehluleke ukukhuluma, kuze kube lusuku okuzakwenzeka ngalo lezizinto, ngoba ungakholwanga amazwi ami, azagcwaliseka ngesikhathi sawo.

21 Labantu babemlindele uZekariya; bamangala ngokuphuza kwakhe ethempelini. 22 Kuthe esephuma wehluleka ukukhuluma labo; njalo bazi ukuthi ubone umbono ethempelini; njalo yena wayebaqhweba, wahlala eyisimungulu. 23 Kwasekusithi lapho esephelile amalanga okukhonza kwakhe, wahamba endlini yakhe.

24 Kwathi emva kwalezinsuku uElizabethi umkakhe wathatha isisu, wazifihla okwezinyanga ezinhlanu, esithi: 25 Yenze kanje kimi iNkosi ensukwini eyangikhangela ngazo ukususa ihlazo lami phakathi kwabantu.

Ukuzalwa kukaJesu kuyabikwa

26 Kwathi ngenyanga yesithupha ingilosi uGabriyeli yathunywa nguNkulunkulu emzini weGalili othiwa iNazaretha, 27 entombini eyayigane indoda, ibizo layo nguJosefa, eyendlu kaDavida; lebizo lentombi, nguMariya. 28 Ingilosi yasingena kuye yathi: Ekuhle, wena othandiweyo! INkosi ilawe, ubusisiwe wena phakathi kwabesifazana. 29 Kwathi eseyibonile wethuswa kakhulu yilizwi layo, wanakana ukuthi yikubingelela okunjani lokhu. 30 Ingilosi yasisithi kuye: Ungesabi, Mariya; ngoba uthole uthando kuNkulunkulu. 31 Njalo khangela, uzathatha isisu, uzale indodana, uzakuthi ibizo layo nguJesu. 32 Yena uzakuba mkhulu, uzabizwa ngokuthi yiNdodana yoPhezukonke; futhi iNkosi uNkulunkulu izamnika isihlalo sobukhosi sikayise uDavida, 33 njalo uzabusa phezu kwendlu kaJakobe kuze kube nininini, lembusweni wakhe kakuzukuba lakuphela. 34 UMariya wasesithi kuyo ingilosi: Lokhu kungenzeka njani, njengoba ngingazi indoda? 35 Ingilosi yasiphendula yathi kuye: UMoya oNgcwele uzakuza phezu kwakho, lamandla oPhezukonke azakwembesa; ngakho lalokhu okungcwele okuzazalwa nguwe kuzakuthiwa yiNdodana kaNkulunkulu. 36 Njalo khangela, isinini sakho uElizabethi, laye ukhulelwe yindodana ebudaleni bakhe; lale yinyanga yesithupha kuye obekuthiwa uyinyumba. 37 Ngoba kuNkulunkulu yonke into ayiyikwehlula. 38 UMariya wasesithi: Khangela, incekukazi yeNkosi; kwenzeke kimi njengelizwi lakho. Ingilosi yasisuka kuye.

UMariya uhambela uElizabethi

39 Ngalezonsuku uMariya wasesukuma waya ngokuphangisa ezintabeni, emzini weJuda, 40 wasesiyangena endlini kaZekariya, wasebingelela uElizabethi. 41 Kwasekusithi uElizabethi ezwe ukubingelela kukaMariya, inkonyane yeqa esiswini sakhe; loElizabethi wagcwaliswa ngoMoya oNgcwele, 42 wamemeza ngelizwi elikhulu, wathi: Ubusisiwe wena phakathi kwabesifazana, njalo ibusisiwe inzalo yesisu sakho! 43 Kanti kuvela ngaphi lokhu kimi, ukuthi unina weNkosi yami eze kimi? 44 Ngoba khangela, kuthe ilizwi lokubingelela kwakho lifika endlebeni zami, inkonyane yeqa esiswini sami ngokuthokoza. 45 Futhi ubusisiwe okholiweyo, ngoba kuzagcwaliseka lezozinto ezakhulunywa kuye yiNkosi.

46 UMariya wasesithi: Umphefumulo wami uyayikhulisa iNkosi, 47 lomoya wami uyathokoza ngoNkulunkulu uMsindisi wami, 48 ngoba ukhangele ubuphansi bencekukazi yakhe. Ngoba khangela, kusukela khathesi zonke izizukulwana zizakuthi ngibusisiwe. 49 Ngoba uSomandla ungenzele izinto ezinkulu, lingcwele lebizo lakhe, 50 lesihawu sakhe sikusizukulwana ngesizukulwana kulabo abamesabayo. 51 Wenzile amandla ngengalo yakhe; uhlakazile abazigqajayo ekunakaneni kwenhliziyo zabo. 52 Wehlisile iziphathamandla ezihlalweni zobukhosi, kodwa uphakamisile abantukazana. 53 Abalambileyo ubasuthise ngezinto ezinhle, kodwa abanothileyo wabathuma beze. 54 Umsizile uIsrayeli inceku yakhe, ukukhumbula isihawu, 55 njengoba watsho kubobaba bethu kuAbrahama lenzalweni yakhe kuze kube nininini. 56 UMariya wasehlala laye okungaba zinyanga ezintathu, wasebuyela endlini yakhe.

Ukuzalwa kukaJohane

57 Kwathi isikhathi sikaElizabethi sokuthi abelethe sesiphelele, wasebeletha indodana. 58 Abakhelene laye lezinini zakhe basebesizwa ukuthi iNkosi yenze isihawu sayo saba sikhulu kuye, basebethokoza laye. 59 Kwasekusithi ngosuku lwesificaminwembili, beza ukusoka usane; balubiza ngebizo likayise ngokuthi nguZekariya. 60 Kodwa unina waphendula wathi: Hatshi bo, kodwa luzathiwa nguJohane. 61 Basebesithi kuye: Kakho ezihlotsheni zakho obizwa ngalelibizo. 62 Basebeqhweba uyise, ukuthi angathanda ukuthi lubizwe njani. 63 Wasecela into yokubhalela, wabhala, esithi: NguJohane ibizo lalo; basebemangala bonke. 64 Njalo wahle wavulwa umlomo wakhe lolimi lwakhe lwatshombululwa, wasekhuluma edumisa uNkulunkulu. 65 Lokwesaba kwehlela phezu kwabo bonke abakhelene laye; njalo kwakhulunywa ngazo zonke lezizinto kulo lonke elezintabeni zeJudiya, 66 labo bonke abazizwayo bazilondoloza enhliziyweni zabo, besithi: Kambe lolusane luzakuba njani? Njalo isandla seNkosi sasilalo.

67 LoZekariya uyise wagcwaliswa ngoMoya oNgcwele, waprofetha, esithi: 68 Ibusisiwe iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, ngoba ihambele yasenzela inkululeko isizwe sayo, 69 yasivusela uPhondo losindiso lwethu endlini kaDavida inceku yayo, 70 njengalokho yakhuluma ngomlomo wabaprofethi bayo abangcwele abakudala, 71 isikhulula ezitheni zethu, lesandleni sabo bonke abasizondayo; 72 ukubenzela isihawu obaba bethu, lokukhumbula isivumelwano sayo esingcwele, 73 isifungo eyasifunga kubaba wethu uAbrahama, 74 ukusinika, ukuthi sesikhululiwe esandleni sezitha zethu, siyikhonze singelakwesaba 75 ngobungcwele langokulunga phambi kwayo zonke insuku zempilo yethu. 76 Lawe-ke, sane, uzabizwa ngokuthi umprofethi woPhezukonke; ngoba uzahamba phambi kobuso beNkosi ukulungisa indlela zayo; 77 lokunika isizwe sayo ulwazi losindiso ngothethelelo lwezono zabo, 78 ngesihelo sikaNkulunkulu wethu, yikho ukusa kwaphezulu kuzasethekelela, 79 ukubakhanyisela abahlezi emnyameni lethunzini lokufa, ukuqondisa inyawo zethu endleleni yokuthula.

80 Wakhula-ke umntwana omncane waqina emoyeni, yena wayesenkangala kwaze kwaba lusuku lokubonakala kwakhe kuIsrayeli.

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