Ukufa KukaLazaru
1Kwakukhona othile owayegula, onguLazaru waseBhethaniya, isigodi okwakuhlala kuso uMariya nodadewabo uMartha. 2UMariya owayegulelwa nguLazaru umnewabo, nguye lowo owagcoba ngamafutha iNkosi uJesu, wesula izinyawo zayo ngezinwele zakhe. 3Ngakho-ke odadewabo bathumela kuJesu, bathi: “Nkosi, bheka, umngani wakho omkhonzile uyagula.”
4 UJesu ekuzwa lokho, wathi: “Lokhu kugula akukhona okokufa, kodwa ukuze kudunyiswe uNkulunkulu, neNdodana kaNkulunkulu idunyiswe ngakho.”
5UJesu wayebathanda oMartha nodadewabo noLazaru. 6Ngakho-ke lapho esezwa ukuthi uLazaru uyagula, wahlala izinsuku ezimbili kuleyo ndawo ayekuyo. 7Emva kwalokho wathi kubafundi bakhe: “Masihambe, siphindele eJudiya.”
8 Abafundi bathi kuye: “Rabi, akukapholi maseko abaJuda befuna ukukukhanda ngamatshe, usuya khona futhi na?”
9 UJesu waphendula, wathi: “Imini ayinawo yini amahora ali-12 na? Uma umuntu ehamba emini akakhubeki, ngokuba ubona ukukhanya kwaleli lizwe. 10Kepha uma ehamba ebusuku uyakhubeka, ngokuba kungekho ukukhanya kuye.”
11 Wakukhuluma lokho, qede wathi kubo: “ULazaru, umngani wethu ulele, kodwa ngiyahamba ukuze ngimvuse ebuthongweni.”
12Ngakho-ke abafundi bakhe bathi kuye: “Nkosi, uma elele, uzosinda.”
13Kepha uJesu wayekhuluma ngokufa kwakhe, kodwa bona babethi ukhuluma ngokulala ubuthongo.
14Ngakho-ke uJesu wabatshela ngokucacileyo wathi kubo: “ULazaru ufile. 15Kepha ngiyathokoza ngenxa yenu ngokuthi bengingekho lapho, ukuze nikholwe, kodwa masihambe siye kuye.”
16 Khona uThomase okuthiwa nguDidimu, wathi kwabanye abafundi ababenaye: “Masihambe nathi, ukuze sife kanye naye!”
UJesu Ungukuvuka Nokuphila
17Esefikile uJesu, wafumana ukuthi usenezinsuku ezine uLazaru esethuneni. 18IBhethaniya laliseduze neJerusalema, kungamastadiyu ali-15. 19Iningi labaJuda lalifikile ukuzoduduza uMartha noMariya ngomnewabo.
20UMartha ezwa ukuthi uJesu uyeza, wamhlangabeza, kodwa uMariya wayehleli endlini.
21UMartha wathi kuJesu: “Nkosi, ukuba ubukhona, umfowethu ngabe akafanga. 22Kepha namanje, ngiyazi ukuthi noma yini ongayicela kuNkulunkulu, uzakukunika yona.”
23UJesu wathi: “Umfowenu uzakuvuka.”
24UMartha wathi kuye: “Ngiyazi ukuthi uyakuvuka ekuvukeni ngomhla wokuphela.”
25UJesu wathi kuye: “Mina ngingukuvuka nokuphila; okholwa yimi noma efa uyakuphila, 26 nalowo ophilayo, akholwe yimi, akasoze afa nanini. Uyakukholwa yilokho na?”
27 Waphendula, wathi: “Yebo Nkosi, ngiyakholwa ukuthi Wena unguKhristu, iNdodana kaNkulunkulu, obezakuza emhlabeni.”
UJesu Uyakhala
28Esekushilo lokho uMartha, wahamba wayobiza uMariya, udadewabo ngasese, wathi: “UMfundisi ukhona, futhi uyakubiza.”
29Lapho ekuzwa lokho, uMariya wathi lacu masinyane, waya kuye. 30Kepha uJesu wayengakafiki emzini; wayesekuleyo ndawo uMartha ayemhlangabeze kuyo. 31Ngakho-ke abaJuda ababenaye endlini bemduduza, kuthe bebona uMariya esukuma ngokushesha ephuma, bamlandela, ngoba babecabanga ukuthi uya ethuneni ukuba ayokhala khona.
32Ngakho uMariya esefikile lapho uJesu ayekhona, wathi ukuba ambone wazilahla ngasezinyaweni zakhe, wathi: “Nkosi, ukuba ubukhona, umfowethu ngabe akafanga.”
33Ngakho-ke uJesu embona ekhala, nabaJuda ababefike naye bekhala, wathinteka kakhulu emoyeni, wakhathazeka, 34wayesethi: “Nimngcwabe kuphi na?”
Bathi kuye: “Nkosi, woza uzobona.”
35UJesu wakhala izinyembezi. 36Ngakho-ke abaJuda bathi: “Bheka, indlela abemkhonze ngayo.”
37Kepha abanye kubo bathi: “Lo akavulanga yini amehlo empumputhe, pho ubengekwenze ngani ukuba le ndoda ingafi na?”
UJesu Uvusa ULazaru Ekufeni
38Ngakho-ke uJesu wathinteka kakhulu emoyeni, waya ethuneni. Ithuna lalingumhume, kubekwe itshe, livundle kuwo. 39UJesu wathi: “Susani itshe.”
UMartha, udadewabo kamufi, wathi kuye: “Nkosi, useyanuka, ngokuba sekulusuku lwesine lolu.”
40UJesu wathi kuye: “Angikutshelanga yini ukuthi uma ukholwa, uzakubona inkazimulo kaNkulunkulu na?”
41Balisusa-ke itshe. UJesu waphakamisa amehlo akhe, wathi: “Baba, ngiyakubonga, ngokuba ungizwile. 42Bengazi Mina ukuthi uhlala ungizwa, kodwa ngenxa yesixuku esingiphahlileyo ngikushilo lokho, ukuze sikholwe wukuthi nguwe ongithumileyo.”
43 Esekushilo lokho, wamemeza ngezwi elikhulu, wathi: “Lazaru, phuma.”
44Waphuma obefile eboshwe ngezindwangu ezinyaweni nasezandleni, ubuso bakhe bumbozwe ngesiqephu sendwangu. UJesu wathi kubo: “Mthukululeni, nimyeke ahambe.”
Itulo Lokubulala UJesu
45 Ngakho abaJuda abaningi ababeze kuMariya bebona akwenzileyo, bakholwa kuye. 46Kepha abanye babo baya kubaFarisi, babatshela ngalokho uJesu akwenzileyo. 47Ngakho-ke abaphristi abakhulu nabaFarisi babiza umkhandlu, bathi: “Sizokwenzenjani ngokuba lo muntu wenza izibonakaliso eziningi na? 48Uma simyeka, bonke bazakukholwa kuye, bese kufika amaRoma asithumbe, athathe nethempeli lethu nesizwe sakithi.”
49Kepha omunye wabo, uKhayifase, owayengumphristi omkhulu ngalowo nyaka, wathi kubo: “Anazi lutho nina, 50 futhi aniboni ukuthi kungcono kini ukuba umuntu oyedwa afele abantu, ukuze isizwe sonke singabhubhi.”
51 Lokho ayekukhuluma kwakungaveli kuye, kodwa ngenxa yokuba wayengumphristi omkhulu ngalowo nyaka, wayephrofetha ngokufa uJesu azakufa ngakho, efela isizwe; 52kungesona isizwe nje kuphela, kodwa ukuba aqoqele ndawonye abantwana bakaNkulunkulu abahlakazekileyo, babe munye. 53 Ngakho kusukela kulolo suku, bakha uzungu lokumbulala.
54Ngakho-ke uJesu akabange esahamba obala phakathi kwabaJuda, kodwa wasuka lapho waya ezweni eliseduze nogwadule, emzini okuthiwa yi-Efrayimi. Wahlala lapho nabafundi bakhe.
55 Lase liseduze iPhasika labaJuda, abaningi ababevela emaphandleni bakhuphukela eJerusalema kungakabi yiPhasika ukuze bazihlambulule. 56Ngakho-ke bamfuna uJesu, futhi bekhuluma omunye nomunye bemi ethempelini, bethi: “Nithini na? Akezi ngempela yini emkhosini na?”
57Abaphristi abakhulu nabaFarisi babekhiphe umyalo wokuthi uma kukhona owaziyo ukuthi ukuphi, ababikele, ukuze bambambe.
