Ukubelethwa kwakaJesu
(Mt 1:18-25)
1Emihleni leyo umbusi omkhulu u-Arhostosi wakhupha isimemezelo bona kubalwe boke abantu ephasini loke leRoma. 2Lokhu bekukubalwa kokuthoma ngesikhathi uKureniyosi ambusi weSiriya. 3Ngiloyo naloyo waya edorobheni lekhabo kobana ayokubalwa khona.
4UJosefa naye wasuka edorobheni leNazaretha eGalile, waya eJudiya emzini kaDavida ebekuthiwa yiBhethelehema ngombana ubegade asizukulwana sekumba nomndeni kaDavida. 5Waya wayokutlolisa yena noMariya, ebegade azomthatha bona abe mkakhe. UMariya gade asidisi. 6Kwathi nabasese lapho, kwafika isikhathi sokobana abelethe. 7Wabeletha, wazibula ngendodana, wayiphuthela ngamatjhila. Wayilalisa ngekerebheni ngombana bekunganandawo ngekumbeni yeenkhambi.
Abelusi neengilozi
8Esifundeneso bekunabelusi ebebahlala emrhuleni baqaphe imihlambabo ebusuku. 9Khonapho ingilozi kaSomnini yeza kibo, iphazimulo kaSomnini yabakhanyisa mahlangothi woke. Besaba kwamambala. 10Kodwana ingilozi yathi kibo: “Ningesabi! Qalani, nginilethele iindaba ezimnandi neziletha ithabo ebantwini boke. 11Khona namhlanjesi ngemzini kaDavida nibelethelwe uMsindisi onguMesiya, iKosi! 12Nakhu okuzakuba siboniso kini: Nizakufumana umntwana aphuthelwe ngamatjhila alaliswe ngekerebheni.”
13Khonokho kwabonakala umkhambathi wezulwini ukanye nengilozi leyo, udumisa uZimu usithi:
14“Idumo kuZimu keliphezulu
nokuthula ephasini,
ebantwini abathokozelwa nguye.”
15Kwathi bona iingilozi zemuke kibo zibuyele ezulwini, abelusi bathi komunye nomunye: “Nambani siye eBhethelehema siyokubona lokho okwenzekileko, uSomnini asitjele ngakho.”
16Yeke barhaba, bafumana uMariya noJosefa kanye nomntwana alele ngekerebheni. 17Kwathi nasele bambonile, bakhuluma ilizwi mayelana nalokho abakutjelwe ngomntwana lo. 18Nje-ke boke abakuzwako lokho barareka khulu ngeendaba zabelusaba. 19Kodwana uMariya wawalonda woke amezwi la, wazindla ngawo ngehliziywenakhe. 20Abelusi babuyela emva, badumisa, baphakamisa uZimu ngakho koke abakuzwileko nabakubonileko; okwaba njengombana bebatjeliwe.
UJesu uthiywa ibizo
21Elangeni lobunane, sele kusikhathi bona umntwana asokwe, wathiywa ibizo bona nguJesu, ibizo aliphiwa yingilozi angakabiphi ngesiswini sakanina.
UJesu ulethwa ngethempelini
22Kwathi bona kuphele amalanga wokuhlanjululwa kwabo ngokomthetho kaMosi, uJosefa noMariya bathatha umntwana bamusa eJerusalema kobana bayomveza phambi kwakaSomnini, 23njengombana kutloliwe emthethweni kaSomnini bona: “Lelo nalelo izibulo eliduna lizakwehlukaniselwa uSomnini.” 24Godu bebayokwenza nomhlabelo njengombana kusitjho umthetho kaSomnini nawuthi: “Amazuba amabili wekhaya namkha amabili wommango.”
25Bekunendoda eJerusalema, ibizo layo linguSimeyoni. Beyilungile begodu yesaba uZimu. Begade ilindele induduzo ka-Israyeli, yeke uMoya oCwengileko gade uphezu kwayo. 26USimeyoni loyo gade embulelwe ngoMoya oCwengileko bonyana angekhe afe angakaboni uKrestu kaSomnini. 27Ngokurholwa nguMoya oCwengileko, waya ngesirhodlweni sethempeli. Kwathi lokha ababelethi nabaletha umntwana uJesu kobana bazokwenza kuye umkhuba wabo ukuya ngokomthetho, 28uSimeyoni wathatha umntwana wamgona, wadumisa uZimu, wathi:
29“Kwanjesi sewungalitjhaphulula
likhambe ngokuthula
ikhoboka lakho Kosi.
Kube njengokwelizwi lakho
30ngombana amehlwami
ayibonile isindiswakho
31oyilungiselele phambi kwabantu boke.
32Umkhanyo wesambulo sabatjhili
nephazimulo ebantwini bakho u-Israyeli.”
33Uyise lomntwana kanye nonina barareka ngalokho okukhulunywe ngaye. 34Yeke uSimeyoni wababusisa, wathi kuMariya unina: “Umntwana lo ukhethelwe ukuwa nokuvuka kwabanengi kwa-Israyeli nokuba litshwayo elizakuphikiswa, 35ukuze kwambulwe imizindlo yabanengi. Isabula izakukhekhebula ngitjho neyakho ihliziyo.”
36Godu bekunomphorofidikazi ebekuthiwa ngu-Ana, indodakazi kaFanuweli wekoro ka-Atjheri. Bekasele aluphele khulu. Wahlala iminyaka elikhomba kwaphela nomyenakhe ngemva kobana amthethe. 37Ngemva kwalapho waba mhlolokazi bewaba neminyaka ematjhumi abunane nane. Azange akhe asuke ethempelini kodwana bekadumisa ubusuku nemini, azila ukudla athandaza. 38Khonapho naye weza, waphakamisa uZimu bewakhuluma ngomntwana kibo boke ebebalindele ukuhlengwa kweJerusalema.
Ukubuyela eNazaretha
39Kwathi bona uJosefa noMariya baqede ukwenza koke ebekufunwa mthetho kaSomnini, babuyela eGalile edorobheni lekhabo eNazaretha. 40Umntwana wakhula waba namandla, gade ahlakaniphile, nomusa kaZimu uphezu kwakhe.
UJesu ngethempelini
41Umnyaka nomnyaka ababelethi bakhe bebasiya eJerusalema emnyanyeni wePhasika. 42Kwathi naneminyaka elitjhumi nambili ubudala, bakhuphukela emnyanyeni njengokujayelekileko. 43Ngemva kobana umnyanya uphele, ababelethi bakaJesu babuyela ekhaya, kwabe yena usele eJerusalama. Kodwana bebangakatjheji bona usele ngemuva. 44Badlumbana bona uphakathi kwesiqubuthu seenkhambi. Sele bakhambe ibanga lelanga loke, bathoma ukumfuna eenhlotjeni zabo nebanganini babo. 45Bathi nabangamfumaniko, babuyela eJerusalema ukuyomfuna khona. 46Ngemva kwamalanga amathathu, bamfumana ngesirhodlweni sethempeli ahlezi hlangana nabafundisi, abalalele begodu ababuza imibuzo. 47Boke abamzwako barareka ngendlela azwisisa ngayo nangeempendulo zakhe. 48Kwathi ababelethi bakhe nabambonako, barareka. Unina wathi kuye: “Mntwanami, ukwenzeleni lokhu kithi na? Sinoyihlo besitshwenyekile ngawe, sikhamba sikufuna.”
49Wabaphendula wathi: “Beningifunelani na? Beningazi bona kufanele ngibe ngekumbeni kaBaba?” 50Kodwana azange bayilemuke ipendulwakhe.
51Yeke wehlela nabo eNazaretha, wabalalela. Kodwana unina wabulunga zoke izintwezi ngehliziywenakhe. 52UJesu wakhula ngokuhlakanipha nangesithunzi, wathandwa nguZimu nabantu.
