ISAHLUKO I.
1NGOKOKUBA abaninzi belingile ukulibeka kunye ngokucwangcisa ilivo lezondawo eziqiniselwe pakati kwetu ngokukolisekileyo, 2njengokuba bezinikele kuti abo babengababoneli nabakonzi belizwi kutabata ekuqaleni; 3kwanga kulungile nakum, ndizilandile zonke kwada kwangapambili ngokukutala nje, ukuba ndikuba̔lele zona ngokulandelana, Teyofilusi odumileyo kakulu! 4ukuze ukolise ukuyazi inyaniso yezozinto uzifundisiweyo ngomlomo.
5KWAYE kuko emihleni ka‐Herodi, ukumkani we‐Judeya, umperisite otile ogama lingu‐Zekariya, engowakuso isahlulo sika‐Abiya; nomfazi wake engowasezintombini zika‐Arone, negama lake lingu‐Elizabete. 6Bebelungile bobabini ke ebusweni bukatixo, behamba kuyo yonke imiyalelo nemimiselo yenkosi bengohlwayeki. 7Baye bengenamntwana, ngenxa yokuba u‐Elizabete ebeludlolo; kanjalo bobabini bebekolisile ukuba nobudala.
8Kwabekute, ekwenzeni kwake inkonzo yomperisite pambi kwotixo, ngexesha lokukonza kwesahlulo sakowabo, 9ngokwesiko lobuperisite, wabelwa ngeqashiso ukuqu̔misa, engene endaweni engcwele yenkosi: 10waye wonke umhlambi wabantu ubutandaza ngapandle ngexeshana lesiqu̔miso.
11Kwati kekaloku kwabonakala kuye ingelosi yenkosi, imi ngasekunene kwesibingelo sesiqu̔miso. 12Waza u‐Zekariya waxaliswa akuyibona, wawelwa kukwoyika. 13Koko ingelosi yati kuye: Ungoyiki, Zekariya! ngokuba isikungo sako siviwe; woti ke umfazi wako u‐Elizabete akuzalele unyana, wauya kubiza igama lake ngo‐Johane. 14Kanjalo wena woba novuyo nomgcobo, bati nabaninzi bavuyele ukuzalwa kwake. 15Ngokuba eya kuba mkulu ebusweni benkosi; angaseli ke neveyine notywala; waeya kuzaliswa ngomoya oyingcwele esapuma esizalweni sonina. 16Nabaninzi bosapo luka‐Sirayeli wobaguqulela kwinkosi, utixo wabo. 17Waeya kuhamba pambi kwayo emoyeni nasemandleni ka‐Elija, ukuba intliziyo zoyise aziguqulele kubantwana, nabangevayo abaguqulele ebutelekelelweni babalungileyo, ukuba alungisele inkosi abantu abalungiselelweyo. 18Waza wati u‐Zekariya kuyo ingelosi: Ndiya kukwazi oku ngandawo nina? ngokuba ndilixego mna, nomfazi wam ekolisile ukuba nobudala. 19Yaza yapendula ingelosi yati kuye: Mna ndingu‐Gabriyeli omiyo ngasebusweni bukatixo; ndanditunywa ukuba nditete kuwe, nokuba ndikushumayeze ezindaba ezimnandi. 20Kekaloku bona ke, woba usiti cwaka, ukohlwa nokuteta, kude kube yimini eziya kuba zenzekile ezizinto; ngenxa yokokuba ubungakolwanga ngamazwi am, aya kuzalisekiswa wona ngexesha lawo.
21Kekaloku abantu bebemlinda u‐Zekariya, batela nqa ukulibala kwake endaweni eyingcwele. 22Wati ke akupuma, wakohlwa ukuteta kubo; baza banakana ukuba ubonile isibonakalo endaweni eyingcwele; wabe ke yena eman’ ukukoba kubo, wahlala esidenge.
23Kwaza kwati, xeshekweni ibizalisekile imihla yesikonzo sake, wemkela endlwini yake. 24Kekaloku emveni kwezontsuku wakaula u‐Elizabete umfazi wake, wazifihla kanye inyanga zantlanu, esiti: 25Yenje nje inkosi kum emihleni yandikangela ngayo ukususa ihlazo lam pakati kwabantu.
26Kekaloku ngenyanga yesitandatu ingelosi engu‐Gabriyeli yatunywa ngutixo ukuya esixekweni sase‐Galili, esigama liyi‐Nazarete, 27kwintombi exanyelweyo indoda egama lingu‐Josefe, ingowendlu ka‐Davide; laye igama lentombi lingu‐Mariya. 28Yaza yangena ingelosi kuyo, yati: A, wena ukolelweyo! inkosi maibe nawe; utamsanqelekile wena pakati kwabafazi. 29Yati kekaloku yakuyibona, yaxaliswa kakulu pezu kwesiteto sayo, yacamanga ukuba ungaba ngoti nina umbuliso lo. 30Yaza yati ingelosi kuyo: Ungoyiki, Mariya! ngokuba ufumene ufefe kutixo. 31Kekaloku bona ke, uya kukaula esizalweni sako, uzale unyana, wauya kubiza igama lake ngo— Yesu. 32Lowo woba mkulu, waeya kubizwa ngokuba ngunyana wopezu kwonke: kanjalo inkosi engutixo iya kumpa iterone ka‐Davide uyise; 33waeya kuba ngukumkani pezu kwendlu ka‐Yakobi kude kube ngunapakade; nobukumkani bake abuyi kuba nakupela. 34Wayesiti u‐Mariya kuyo ingelosi: Kwoti nina ukubako oku, indoda ndingayazi nje? 35Yaza yapendula ingelosi yati kuye: Umoya oyingcwele wohla pezu kwako, namandla opezu kwonke okusibekelela; ngoko kanjako lonto ingcwele ezalwayo nguwe iya kubizwa ngokuba ngunyana katixo. 36Kanjalo bona ke, u‐Elizabete isalamane sako, kwa naye ukaulile unyana ebudaleni bake; kekaloku le iyinyanga yesitandatu kuye obizwa ngokutiwa uludlolo: 37ngokuba kungeko nanye into eya kumnqabela utixo. 38Wayesiti u‐Mariya: Nasi ke isicakakazi senkosi; makube njalo kum njengelizwi lako. Yaza yemka kuye ingelosi.
39Wati kekaloku u‐Mariya kwezontsuku wesuka waya ezweni lasezintabeni ngobunxamo, esixekweni sakwa‐Juda, 40wangena endlwini ka‐Zekariya, wambulisa u‐Elizabete. 41Kwaye kute xeshekweni u‐Elizabete weva umbuliso ka‐Mariya, waxu̔ma umntwana esizalweni sake: waza u‐Elizabete wazaliswa ngomoya oyingcwele, 42wapakamisa ukuteta ngelizwi elikulu, wati: Utamsanqelekile wena pakati kwabafazi, sitamsanqelekile nesixakato sesizalo sako. 43Kuti nina ke ukundihlela oku, ukuba unina wenkosi yam eze kum? 44Ngokuba bona ke, xeshekweni ilizwi lombuliso wako langena ezindlebeni zam, umntwana waxu̔ma ngomgcobo esizalweni sam. 45Unetamsanqa ke lowo okoliweyo; ngokuba kuya kubako ukufezwa kwezinto ezitetiweyo kuye zivela enkosini.
46Waza wati u‐Mariya: Umpefumlo wam uyazukisa inkosi, 47nomoya wam ugcobile kutixo umsindisi wam; 48ukuba ebukangele ubupantsi besicakakazi sake: ngokuba bona ke, emveni kwakaloku nje zonke izizukulwana ziya kuti ndinetamsanqa. 49Ngokuba usomandla endenzele izinto ezinkulu; lingcwele ke igama lake: 50nobubele bake bupezu kwabamoyikayo kwizizukulwana ngezizukulwana. 51Wenzile ngamandla ngengalo yake: ubaci̔tile abaner̔atshi ekucingeni kwentliziyo zabo. 52Abanobukosi ubawisile eziteroneni, nabapantsi ubapakamisile. 53Abalambileyo ubahlutisile ngento ezilungileyo, nabazityebi ubandulule bengenanto. 54Umxasile u‐Sirayeli isicaka sake, ngokukumbula ububele bake, 55(njengokuba etetile kobawo betu,) ku‐Abrahame nakwinzalo yake kude kube ngunapakade.
56Wati ke u‐Mariya wahlala naye, ngati zantatu inyanga, waza wabuyela endlwini yake.
57Kekaloku u‐Elizabete lamzalisekelwa ixesha lokuba azale, wazala unyana ke. 58Baza abo babehleli kufupi, nabalamane bake, beva okokuba inkosi ibenze bukulu ububele bake ngakuye, bavuyelana naye.
59Kwaye kute ngomhla wesibozo, beza ukuza ukwalusa umntwana; babembiza ke ngo‐Zekariya, ngegama likayise. 60Waza wapendula unina wati: Nakanye; koko aya kubizwa ngo‐Johane. 61Baza bati kuye: Akuko namnye pakati kwabalamane bako obizwa ngeligama. 62Baye bekoba ke kuyise, ukuba unga angatiwa nina ukubizwa. 63Waza wabiza icwecwana, waba̔la, esiti: Ngu‐Johane igama lake. Bati nqa ke bonke. 64Waseluvulwa umlomo wake oko, nolwimi lwake lwatukululwa, wateta, embonga utixo.
65Kwaza kwehla ulwoyiko pezu kwabo bonke ababehleli kufupi nabo; nakulo lonke ilizwe lasezintabeni lase‐Judeya zibe zivakaliswa zonke ezizinto. 66Kanjalo bonke ababezivile bazibekela ezintliziyweni zabo, besiti: Woda ati nina umntwana lo? Saye isandla senkosi sibe sinaye.
67Waza u‐Zekariya uyise wazaliswa ngomoya oyingcwele, waprofitesha, esiti: 68Maibongwe inkosi, utixo wo‐Sirayeli, ukuba ibakangele yabenzela inkululwa abantu bayo, 69yasipakamisela upondo lwosindiso endlwini ka‐Davide isicaka sayo; 70(njengokuba itetile ngomlomo wabaprofite bayo abangcwele bakudala;) 71size sisindiswe ezintshabeni zetu, nasesandleni sabo bonke abasitiyayo: 72ukuba ibenzele ububele obawo betu, nokuba ikumbule ucebano lwayo olungcwele; 73isifungo eyasifungela u‐Abrahame ubawo wetu, 74sokuba isipe ukuti, sihlangulwe esandleni sentshaba zetu, siyikonze singenakwoyika, 75ngobungcwele nangobulungisa pambi kwayo, yonke imihla yokudla kwetu ubomi. 76Nawe, mntwana! uya kubizwa ngokuba ngumprofite wopezu kwonke: ngokuba uya kwandulela pambi kwobuso benkosi ukuya kulungisa indlela zayo; 77ukunika abantu bayo ukwaziwa kwosindiswa ngokuxolelwa kwezono zabo, 78ngenceba zobubele botixo wetu, ekungazo satyelela kuti isifingo sokusa sivela enyangweni, 79ukuza kukanyela abo bahleli ebumnyameni nasetunzini lokufa, size inyawo zetu sizikapele endleleni yoxolo.
80Wati umntwana wakula, waba namandla emoyeni; wayesezintlango apo, kwada kwangumhla wokubonakaliswa kwake ko‐Sirayeli.
