Ukuvuka kwabafileyo
1Kepha, bazalwane, ngiyanikhumbuza ivangeli enganishumayeza lona nenalamukelayo nenimi kulo, 2nenisindiswa ngalo, nxa nibambelela ezwini enganishumayeza lona, uma kambe ukukholwa kwenu kungabanga yize.
3Ngokuba okokuqala nganinika lokho engakwamukela nami ukuthi uKristu wafa ngenxa yezono zethu njengokwemibhalo, 4nokuthi wembelwa, nokuthi wavuswa kwabafileyo ngosuku lwesithathu njengokwemibhalo, 5nokuthi wabonwa nguKhefase; wayesebonwa ngabayishumi nambili; 6emva kwalokho wabonwa ngasikhathi sinye ngabazalwane abadlula amakhulu ayisihlanu, iningi labo lisekhona nakalokhu, kepha abanye sebelele; 7emva kwalokho wabonwa nguJakobe; ngasemuva wabonwa ngabaphostoli bonke; 8ekugcineni kwabo bonke wabonwa nayimina enginjengozelwe kungakabi yisikhathi.
9Ngokuba mina ngingomncinyane kubaphostoli, engingafanele ukuthiwa umphostoli, ngokuba ngazingela ibandla likaNkulunkulu. 10Kepha ngomusa kaNkulunkulu ngiyikho engiyikho, nomusa wakhe kimi awubanga yize, kodwa ngasebenza kakhulu kunabo bonke; kepha akusimina kodwa ngumusa kaNkulunkulu okimi. 11Ngakho-ke noma kuyimina noma kuyibona, sishumayela kanjalo, nakholwa kanjalo.
12Kepha-ke uma uKristu eshunyayelwa ukuthi uvusiwe kwabafileyo, basho kanjani abanye phakathi kwenu ukuthi akukho ukuvuka kwabafileyo na? 13Kepha uma kungekho ukuvuka kwabafileyo, akavuswanga naye uKristu. 14Kepha uma uKristu engavuswanga kwabafileyo, ukushumayela kwethu kuyize, nokukholwa kwenu kuyize. 15Yebo, sifunyanwa singofakazi bamanga ngoNkulunkulu, ngokuba safakaza ngoNkulunkulu ukuthi wamvusa uKristu, angamvusanga kambe, uma kanti abafileyo bengavuswa. 16Ngokuba uma abafileyo bengavuswa, akavuswanga naye uKristu. 17Kepha uma uKristu engavuswanga, ukukholwa kwenu akusizi lutho, nisesezonweni zenu. 18Khona-ke nalabo asebalala bekuKristu babhubhile. 19Uma singabathembela kuKristu kulokhu kuphila kuphela, singabokukhalelwa kunabantu bonke.
20Kepha kalokhu uKristu uvusiwe kwabafileyo, engulibo lwabaleleyo. 21Ngokuba lokhu ukufa kweza ngomuntu, ukuvuka kwabafileyo nakho kweza ngomuntu. 22Ngokuba njengalokhu ku-Adamu bonke bayafa, ngokunjalo futhi kuKristu bonke bayakuphiliswa. 23Kepha yilowo nalowo ngesigaba sakhe: uKristu kuqala, bese kuba ngabangabakaKristu ekufikeni kwakhe, 24andukuba kufike ukuphela, nxa enikela umbuso kuNkulunkulu uYise, lapho esechithile ukubusa konke, nobukhosi bonke, namandla. 25Ngokuba umelwe ukubusa, aze abeke izitha zonke phansi kwezinyawo zakhe. 26Isitha sokugcina esiyakuchithwa singukufa. 27Ngokuba izinto zonke uzithobisele phansi kwezinyawo zakhe.
Kepha nxa ethi: “Izinto zonke zithotshisiwe,” kusobala ukuthi ungaphandle kwazo yena ozithobisele phansi kwakhe. 28Kodwa nxa izinto zonke sezithotshiselwe phansi kwakhe, lapho-ke nayo iNdodana iyakuzithoba phansi kwalowo owathobisa zonke izinto phansi kwayo, ukuze uNkulunkulu abe yikho konke kukho konke.
29Pho, bayakwenze njani ababhapathizelwa abafileyo na? Uma abafileyo bengavuki nempela, babhapathizelwani ngenxa yabo na? 30Futhi sizifakelani thina engozini imizuzu yonke na? 31Bazalwane, ngiyaqinisa ngokubongwa enginakho ngenxa yenu kuKristu Jesu iNkosi yethu, ngiyafa mihla yonke. 32Uma ngalwa nezilo e-Efesu ngokwabantu, nginanzuzoni? Uma abafileyo bengavuki, masidle, siphuze, ngokuba ngomuso sizakufa. 33Ningakhohliswa; ukujwayelana nababi konakalisa ukuziphatha okuhle. 34Phaphamani ngokufaneleyo, ningoni; ngokuba abanye kabamazi uNkulunkulu; ngisho lokhu ukuba nibe namahloni.
35Kepha omunye uyakuthi: “Abafileyo bavuswa kanjani na? Beza benamzimba muni na?” 36Wena ongaqondiyo, lokho okuhlwanyelayo wena akutholi ukuphila kungafanga; 37futhi lokho okuhlwanyelayo awuhlwanyeli umzimba ozakuba khona kepha uhlamvu oluze, noma kungaba ngolukakolweni, noma kungaba ngolokunye; 38kepha uNkulunkulu ulunika umzimba njengokuthanda kwakhe, yileyo naleyo mbewu owayo umzimba. 39Inyama yonke ayinhlobonye, kepha enye ngeyabantu, enye yinyama yezilwane, enye yinyama yezinyoni, enye ngeyezinhlanzi. 40Ikhona nemizimba yasezulwini nemizimba yasemhlabeni; kepha inkazimulo yeyasezulwini iyodwa, neyasemhlabeni iyodwa. 41Iyodwa inkazimulo yelanga, iyodwa inkazimulo yenyanga, iyodwa inkazimulo yezinkanyezi; yebo, enye inkanyezi yahlukile kwenye inkanyezi ngokukhazimula.
42Kunjalo nokuvuka kwabafileyo. Kuhlwanyelwa kunokubola, kuvuswa kungenakubola; 43kuhlwanyelwa kunokudelwa, kuvuswa kunenkazimulo; kuhlwanyelwa kunobuthakathaka, kuvuswa kunamandla. 44Kuhlwanyelwa kungumzimba wemvelo, kuvuswa kungumzimba womoya. Uma ukhona umzimba wemvelo, ukhona nowomoya. 45Kanjalo futhi kulotshiwe ukuthi umuntu wokuqala u-Adamu waba ngumphefumulo ophilayo; u-Adamu wokugcina waba ngumoya ophilisayo. 46Kepha okokuqala akusikho okomoya kodwa okwemvelo; bese kuba ngokomoya. 47Umuntu wokuqala wavela emhlabeni, engowenhlabathi; umuntu wesibili uvela ezulwini. 48Njengokuba enjalo owayengowenhlabathi, banjalo nalabo abangabenhlabathi; nanjengokuba enjalo ongowasezulwini, banjalo nabo abangabasezulwini. 49Futhi njengokuba besinesimo songowenhlabathi, siyakuba nesimo songowasezulwini futhi.
50Kepha ngisho lokhu, bazalwane, ukuthi inyama negazi akunakulidla ifa elingumbuso kaNkulunkulu; nokubola akulidli ifa elingukungaboli. 51Bhekani, ngiyanitshela imfihlakalo; asiyikulala sonke, kepha siyakuguqulwa sonke, 52ngesikhashanyana, ngokuphazima kweso, ngecilongo lokugcina; ngokuba icilongo liyakukhala, abafileyo bavuswe bengenakubola, thina siguqulwe. 53Ngokuba lokhu okubolayo kumelwe ukwembatha ukungaboli, nalokhu okufayo kumelwe ukwembatha ukungafi. 54Kepha nxa lokhu okubolayo sekwembethe ukungaboli, nalokhu okufayo sekwembethe ukungafi, kuzakugcwaliseka izwi elilotshiweyo lokuthi: “Ukufa kugingiwe kwaba ngukunqoba.”
55“Kufa, kuphi ukunqoba kwakho na?
Kufa, luphi udosi lwakho na?”
56Udosi lokufa yisono; amandla esono ngumthetho. 57Kepha makabongwe uNkulunkulu osinika ukunqoba ngeNkosi yethu uJesu Kristu.
58Ngakho-ke, bazalwane bami abathandekayo, yibani ngabagxilile, abangaxegiyo, abavame njalo emsebenzini weNkosi, nazi ukuthi ukusebenza kwenu akusilo ize eNkosini.
