Isingeniso

1Njengoba abanengi sebebeke izandla ukubeka ngendlela efaneleyo ukulandiswa kwezinto eziqiniseke ngokupheleleyo phakathi kwethua, 2 njengalokhu basinikab labo ababonayo ngamehloc ekuqalenid njalo bezincekue zelizwif, 3 kukhanye kukuhle lakimig, sengizihlolisisile zonke izintoh kusukela ekuqalenii, ukuthi ngikubhalele ngokulandelanaj, mhlekazik Teyofilul, 4 ukuze wazi iqiniso ngalezozintom ozifundisiweyon.

Ukuzalwa kukaJohane kuyabikwa

5 Ensukwini zikaHerodi inkosi yeJudiya kwakukhona umpristi othile othiwa nguZakariyao, oweqembu likaAbhiyap; lomkakhe wayevela kumadodakazi kaAroni, lebizo lakhe linguElizabethi. 6 Njalo babelungile bobabili phambi kukaNkulunkuluq, behamba ngayo yonke imilayo lezimiso zeNkosir, bengasolekis. 7 Njalo babengelamntwana, ngoba uElizabethi wayeyinyumbat, basebeleminyaka eminengiu bobabiliv.

8 Kwasekusithi esenza inkonzo yobupristi phambi kukaNkulunkulu esesimisweni seqembu lakibo, 9 ngomkhuba wenkonzo yobupristiw, nguye owadliwa yinkatho yokutshisa impephax esengene ethempelini leNkosiy. 10 Njalo ixuku lonke labantuz lalikhulekaa ngaphandle ngesikhathi sokutshisa impephab. 11 Ingilosi yeNkosi yasibonakala kuyec, imi ngakwesokunene selathi lempephad. 12 Kwathi uZakariya eyibona waqhuqha, lokwesaba kwawela phezu kwakhee. 13 Kodwa ingilosi yathi kuye: Ungesabi Zakariya; ngoba umkhuleko wakho uzwakele, lomkakho uElizabethi uzakuzalela indodana, njalo uzakuthi ibizo layo nguJohanef. 14 Futhi uzakuba lenjabulo lentokozo, labanengi bazakujabulela ukuzalwa kwakheg. 15 Ngoba uzakuba mkhulu phambi kweNkosi, iwayini kanye lokunathwayo okulamandlah kasoze akunathei, futhi uzagcwaliswa ngoMoya oNgcwelej kusukela esesesiswini sikaninak. 16 Labanengi kubantwana bakoIsrayeli uzabaphendulela eNkosini uNkulunkulu wabo; 17 njalo yena uzahamba phambi kwayo emoyeni lemandleni kaElijal, ukuphendulela inhliziyo zaboyise kubantwana, labangalaleliyo ekuhlakanipheni kwabalungileyom, ukulungiselela iNkosi isizwen esilungisiweyoo. 18 UZakariya wasesithi kuyo ingilosi: Ngizakwazi ngani lokhup? Ngoba mina ngilixhegu, lomkami useleminyaka eminengiq. 19 Ingilosi yasiphendula yathi kuye: NginguGabriyelir mina, omayo phambi kukaNkulunkulu; njalo ngithunyiwe ukukhuluma lawe, lokukubikela lezizindaba ezinhles. 20 Njalo khangela, uzakuba yisimungulu njalo wehluleke ukukhuluma, kuze kube lusuku okuzakwenzeka ngalo lezizintot, ngenxa yokuthi ungakholwanga amazwi ami, azagcwaliseka ngesikhathi sawo.

21 Labantu babemlindele uZakariya; bamangala ngokuphuza kwakhe ethempeliniu. 22 Kuthe esephuma wehluleka ukukhuluma labo; njalo bazi ukuthi ubone umbono ethempeliniv; njalo yena wayesebaqhwebaw, wahlala eyisimungulux. 23 Kwasekusithi seziphelile insukuy zokukhonza kwakhe, waya endlini yakhez.

24 Kwathi emva kwalezonsuku uElizabethi umkakhe wathatha isisu, wazifihla okwezinyanga ezinhlanua, esithi: 25 Yenze kanje kimi iNkosi ensukwini eyangikhangela ngazob ukususa ihlazo lami phakathi kwabantuc.

Ukuzalwa kukaJesu kuyabikwa

26 Kwathi ngenyanga yesithuphad ingilosi uGabriyeli yathunywa nguNkulunkulu emzini weGalilie othiwa yiNazarethaf, 27 entombini eyayigane indoda, ebizo layo lalinguJosefag, eyendlu kaDavidah; lebizo lentombi linguMariya. 28 Ingilosi yasingena kuye yathi: Ekuhle, wena othandiweyoi! INkosi ilawej, ubusisiwe wena phakathi kwabesifazanak. 29 Kwathi eseyibonile wethuswa kakhulu yilizwi layol, wanakana ukuthi yikubingelela okunjani lokhum. 30 Ingilosi yasisithi kuye: Ungesabi, Mariya; ngoba uthole uthando kuNkulunkulun. 31 Njalo khangela, uzathatha isisu, uzale indodanao, uzakuthi ibizo layo nguJesup. 32 Yena uzakuba mkhulu, uzabizwa ngokuthi yiNdodana yoPhezukonkeq; futhi iNkosi uNkulunkulu izamnikar isihlalo sobukhosi sikayise uDavidas, 33 njalo uzabusa phezu kwendlu kaJakobe kuze kube nininini, langombuso wakhe kawuzukuba lokuphelat. 34 UMariya wasesithi kuyo ingilosi: Lokhu kungenzeka njani, njengoba ngingazi indoda? 35 Ingilosi yasiphendula yathi kuye: UMoya oNgcwele uzakuza phezu kwakhou, lamandla oPhezukonke azakwembesav; ngakho lalokhu okungcwele okuzazalwa nguwew kuzakuthiwa yiNdodana kaNkulunkulux. 36 Njalo khangela, isinini sakho uElizabethi, laye ukhulelwe yindodana ebudaleni bakhey; lale yinyanga yesithupha kuye obekuthiwa uyinyumbaz. 37 Ngoba kuNkulunkulu kakulalutho oluzakwehlulaa. 38 UMariya wasesithi: Khangela, incekukazi yeNkosi; kakube kimi njengelizwi lakhob. Ingilosi yasisuka kuye.

UMariya uhambela uElizabethi

39 Ngalezonsuku uMariya wasesukuma waya ezintabenic ngokuphangisad, emzini weJudae, 40 wangena endlini kaZakariya, wabingelela uElizabethi. 41 Kwasekusithi uElizabethi ezwe ukubingelela kukaMariya, inkonyane yeqa esiswini sakhe; loElizabethi wagcwaliswa ngoMoya oNgcwelef, 42 wamemeza ngelizwi elikhulu, wathi: Ubusisiwe wenag phakathi kwabesifazana, njalo sibusisiwe isithelo sesizalo sakho! 43 Kanti kuvela ngaphi lokhu kimih, ukuthi unina weNkosi yami eze kimii? 44 Ngoba khangela, kuthe ilizwi lokubingelela kwakho lifika endlebeni zami, umntwana weqa esiswini sami ngokuthokoza. 45 Futhi ubusisiwej okholiweyo, ngoba kuzagcwaliseka lezozinto ezakhulunywa kuye yiNkosik.

46 UMariya wasesithi: Umphefumulo wamil uyayikhulisa iNkosim, 47 lomoya wami uyathokozan kuNkulunkulu uMsindisi wamio, 48 ngoba ukhangele ubuphansi bencekukazi yakhep. Ngoba khangela, kusukela khathesi zonke izizukulwanaq zizakuthi ngibusisiwer. 49 Ngoba yena olamandla ungenzeles izinto ezinkulut, lingcwele lebizo lakheu, 50 lesihawu sakhe sikusizukulwana ngesizukulwana kulabo abamesabayov. 51 Wenzile amandla ngengalo yakhew; uhlakazile abazigqajayo ekunakaneni kwenhliziyo zabox. 52 Wehlisiley iziphathamandla ezihlalweni zobukhosi, kodwa uphakamisile abantukazanaz. 53 Abalambileyo ubasuthise ngezinto ezinhlea, kodwa abanothileyo wabamukisa bezeb. 54 Umsizile uIsrayeli inceku yakhec, ngokukhumbula isihawud, 55 njengoba watsho kubobaba bethue, kuAbrahama, lenzalweni yakhe kuze kube nininini. 56 UMariya wasehlala laye okungaba zinyanga ezintathu, wasebuyela endlini yakhe.

Ukuzalwa kukaJohane

57 Isikhathi sikaElizabethi sokuthi abelethe sesiphelele, wasebeletha indodana. 58 Abakhelene layef lezinini zakheg basebesizwa ukuthi iNkosi yenze isihawu sayo saba sikhulu kuyeh, basebethokoza layei. 59 Kwasekusithi ngosuku lwesificaminwembili, beza ukuzasoka usanej; balubiza ngebizo likayise ngokuthi nguZakariyak. 60 Kodwa unina waphendula wathi: Hatshi bo, kodwa luzathiwa nguJohanel. 61 Basebesithi kuye: Kakho ezihlotsheni zakho obizwa ngalelibizo. 62 Basebeqhweba uyise, ukuthi angathanda ukuthi lubizwe ngokuthinim. 63 Wasecela into yokubhalela, wabhala, esithi: NguJohane ibizo lalon; basebemangala bonke. 64 Njalo wahle wavulwa umlomo wakheo lolimi lwakhe lwatshwaphululwap, wasekhuluma edumisa uNkulunkuluq. 65 Lokwesaba kwehlela phezu kwabo bonke abakhelene labor; njalo kwakhulunywa ngazo zonke lezizinto kulo lonke elezintabeni zeJudiyas, 66 labo bonke abazizwayo bazilondoloza ezinhliziyweni zabot, besithi: Kambe lolusane luzakuba njani? Njalo isandla seNkosi sasilalou.

67 LoZakariya uyise wagcwaliswa ngoMoya oNgcwele, waprofetha, esithiv: 68 Ibusisiwe iNkosiw uNkulunkulu kaIsrayelix, ngoba ihambeley yasenzela inkululeko isizwe sayoz, 69 yasivusela uphondo losindiso endlini kaDavida inceku yayoa, 70 njengalokho yakhuluma ngomlomo wabaprofethi bayo abangcweleb kusukela ekuqaleni komhlabac, 71 isikhulula ezitheni zethu, lesandleni sabo bonke abasizondayo; 72 ukwenzela obaba bethud isihawu, lokukhumbula isivumelwano sayo esingcwelee, 73 isifungo eyasifunga kubaba wethu uAbrahamaf, 74 ukusinika, ukuthi sesikhululiwe esandleni sezitha zethu, siyikhonze singelakwesabag, 75 ngobungcwele langokulunga phambi kwayoh zonke izinsuku zempilo yethui. 76 Lawe-ke, sane, uzabizwa ngokuthi ungumprofethij woPhezukonkek; ngoba uzahamba phambi kobuso beNkosil ukulungisa izindlela zayom; 77 lokunika isizwe sayo ulwazi losindison ngothethelelo lwezono zabo, 78 ngesihelo sikaNkulunkulu wethu, okuthi ngaso ukusa1 kwaphezulu kusethekeleleo, 79 ukubakhanyiselap abahlezi emnyameni lethunzini lokufaq, ukuqondisa inyawo zethu endleleni yokuthular.

80 Wakhula-ke umntwana omncane, waqina emoyenis, waba sezinkangalat kwaze kwaba lusuku lokubonakala kwakhe kuIsrayeliu.