KumaHebhere 11:1-40
11 Ukholo kukulindela izinto onethemba lazo uqinisekile,+ ubungqina obucacileyo bezinto zokwenene ezingabonwayo.
2 Kuba uThixo wabonisa abantu bamaxesha akudala* ukuba uyabathanda ngenxa yokholo lwabo.
3 Ngenxa yokholo siyaqonda ukuba izinto ezisezulwini nasemhlabeni* zabekwa kakuhle ngelizwi likaThixo, ukuze izinto ezibonwayo zibekho ngenxa yezinto ezingabonakaliyo.
4 Ngenxa yokholo uAbheli wenza umbingelelo oxabiseke ngakumbi kuThixo kunokaKayin,+ ibe ngenxa yolo kholo wangqinelwa ukuba ulilungisa, kuba uThixo wazamkela izipho zakhe.+ Nangona wafayo, ukholo lwakhe lusathetha.+
5 Ngenxa yokholo uEnoki+ wafuduswa ukuze angafi ngendlela eqhelekileyo, yaye akazange afunyanwe ndawo kuba uThixo wayemfudusile.+ Kaloku, ngaphambi kokuba afuduswe wayenobungqina bokuba wayenze izinto ezithandwayo nguThixo.
6 Ngaphezu koko, asinakumvuyisa uThixo ngaphandle kokholo, kuba umntu osondela kuThixo umele akholelwe ukuba ukho ibe ungumvuzi wabo bamfuna ngokuzimisela.+
7 Ngenxa yokholo uNowa,+ emva kokuba elumkiswe nguThixo ngezinto ezingekabonwa,+ wabonisa ukuba uyamoyika uThixo waza wakha umkhombe+ ukuze asindise intsapho yakhe. Ngenxa yokholo lwakhe, waligwebela isohlwayo ihlabathi,+ waza waba yindlalifa yobulungisa obubakho ngenxa yokholo.
8 Ngenxa yokholo uAbraham,+ xa wayebizwa, wathobela waphuma waya kwindawo awayeza kuyinikwa ibe lilifa lakhe; waphuma, nangona wayengazi ukuba uya phi.+
9 Ngenxa yokholo wahlala njengomntu wasemzini kwilizwe lesithembiso,+ ehlala ezintenteni+ kunye noIsake noYakobi, ababeziindlalifa zesithembiso esifanayo nesakhe.+
10 Kuba wayelindele isixeko esineziseko zokwenene, isixeko esizotywe saza sakhiwa nguThixo.+
11 Ngenxa yokholo noSara wafumana amandla okuvelisa inzala, nakuba wayesele emdala kakhulu ukuba anganabantwana,+ kuba wayemazi ethembekile uThixo owenza isithembiso.
12 Ngoko umntu omnye owayefana nofileyo,+ waba nabantwana+ abaninzi okweenkwenkwezi zezulu nabangenakubalwa njengesanti engaselwandle.+
13 Bonke aba bantu bafa benokholo, nangona bengazange bazifumane izinto ezazithenjisiwe.+ Kodwa bazibona zisekude,+ bazivuyela, baxelela wonke umntu ukuba bangabantu basemzini yaye baza kuhlala ixesha elifutshane kwelo lizwe.
14 Kuba abantu abathetha ngolo hlobo babonisa ukuba bayifuna nyhani indawo eyeyabo.
15 Ukuba babehlala becinga ngendawo ababeyishiyile,+ babeza kuba nalo ithuba lokubuyela kuyo.
16 Kodwa ngoku bazimisele ukufumana indawo ebhetele, oko kukuthi, indawo yasezulwini. Ngoko ke uThixo akanazintloni ngabo, akanazintloni zokubizwa ngokuba nguThixo wabo,+ kuba ubalungiselele isixeko.+
17 Ngenxa yokholo uAbraham, xa wavavanywayo,+ kwafana nokuba unikele ngaye uIsake. Le ndoda eyayikuvuyele ukufumana izithembiso yazama ukunikela ngonyana wayo okuphela kwakhe,+
18 nangona kwakuthiwe kuyo: “Inzala oyithenjisiweyo iza kuphuma kuIsake.”+
19 Kodwa wazixelela ukuba uThixo angakwazi ukumvusa nasekufeni, yaye kwaba ngathi uvuswe ekufeni ngendlela efuziselayo.+
20 Ngenxa yokholo noIsake wasikelela uYakobi+ noEsawu,+ ebaxelela ngezinto ezaziza kwenzeka.
21 Ngenxa yokholo, xa uYakobi wayesele eza kufa,+ wasikelela ngamnye woonyana bakaYosefu+ waza wakhonza uThixo esimelele ngentonga yakhe.+
22 Ngenxa yokholo, xa uYosefu wayesele eza kufa, wathetha ngokuphuma kwamaSirayeli eYiputa, yaye wakhupha imiyalelo ngento emayenziwe ngamathambo akhe.+
23 Ngenxa yokholo uMoses wafihlwa iinyanga ezintathu ngabazali bakhe emva kokuba ezelwe,+ kuba babona ukuba mhle lo mntwana+ ibe abazange bawoyike umyalelo kakumkani.+
24 Ngenxa yokholo, xa uMoses wayekhulile,+ akazange avume ukubizwa ngokuba ngunyana wentombi kaFaro,+
25 wakhetha ukuphathwa kabuhlungu nabantu bakaThixo kunokunandipha isono okwexeshana,
26 kuba wayesithi ukuhlaziswa Kokhethiweyo* kububutyebi obungaphezu kobutyebi baseYiputa, kuba wayejonge ngqo emvuzweni.
27 Ngenxa yokholo wayishiya iYiputa,+ kodwa engawoyiki umsindo kakumkani,+ kuba wahlala eqinile ngokungathi uyambona Lowo ungabonakaliyo.+
28 Ngenxa yokholo wabhiyozela ipasika nokutshizwa kwegazi, ukuze umtshabalalisi angawenzakalisi amazibulo amaSirayeli.+
29 Ngenxa yokholo amaSirayeli adlula kuLwandle Olubomvu ngokungathi ngumhlaba owomileyo,+ kodwa xa amaYiputa azamayo, atshona.+
30 Ngenxa yokholo iindonga zaseYeriko zawa emva kokuba abantu bezijikeleze iintsuku ezisixhenxe.+
31 Ngenxa yokholo, uRahabhi owayethengisa ngomzimba akazange atshatyalaliswe kunye nabo bangazange bathobele, kuba wazamkela ngobubele iintlola.+
32 Yintoni enye endinokuyithetha? Ndingaphelelwa lixesha ukuba ndingabalisa ngoGidiyon,+ uBharaki,+ uSamson,+ uYifeta,+ uDavide+ noSamuweli+ nabanye abaprofeti.
33 Ngenxa yokholo boyisa amazwe,+ bazisa ubulungisa, bafumana izithembiso,+ bavala imilomo yeengonyama,+
34 baphelisa amandla omlilo,+ basinda ekubulaweni ngekrele,+ bathi bebuthathaka benziwa banamandla,+ boyisa ezimfazweni,+ baleqa imikhosi eyayihlasela ilizwe labo.+
35 Zavuswa izalamane zabafazi ezazifile,+ kodwa amanye amadoda angcungcuthekiswa kuba engazange avume ukulahla ukholo lwawo kuba nje efuna ukukhululwa, ukuze afumane uvuko olubhetele.
36 Abanye bavavanywa ngokuba kuhlekiswe ngabo yaye betywatyushwa. Ngaphezu koko, babevalelwa ejele+ babotshelelwe ngamatsheyina.+
37 Babethwa ngamatye,+ balingwa, basarhwa, babulawa ngekrele,+ bahambahamba ngeemfele zeegusha, ngeemfele zeebhokhwe,+ bengenanto, besebunzimeni,+ bephethwe kakubi.+
38 Ihlabathi lalingabafanelanga. Babehambahamba ezinkqantosini nasezintabeni, behlala emiqolombeni+ nasemingxunyeni.
39 Kodwa bonke aba bantu, nangona kwakubonakala ukuba babethandwa nguThixo ngenxa yokholo lwabo, abazange bazibone zisenzeka izinto ezazithenjisiwe,
40 kuba uThixo wakucinga kusengaphambili ukusinika into ebhetele,+ ukuze bangenziwa bagqibelele ngaphandle kwethu.
Umbhalo osemazantsi
^ Okanye “ookhokho bethu.”
^ Okanye “iinkqubo zezinto.” Funda Ingcaciso Yamagama.
^ Ngokoqobo, “kukaKristu.”