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Ukufa KukaLazaro
1Kwakulendoda eyayithiwa nguLazaro eyayigula. YayingeyaseBhethani, umuzi okwakuhlala khona uMariya lodadewabo uMatha. 2(UMariya lo olomnewabo uLazaro owayephethwe ngumkhuhlane nguye owathela amakha ezinyaweni zeNkosi wazesula ngenwele zakhe.) 3Ngakho odadewabo laba bathumela ilizwi kuJesu bathi, “Nkosi, lowo omthandayo uyagula.”
4UJesu esekuzwile lokhu wathi, “Ukugula lokhu kakuzukucina ngokufa. Kodwa kungokodumo lukaNkulunkulu ukuze iNdodana kaNkulunkulu idunyiswe ngakho.” 5UJesu wayemthanda uMatha lodadewabo kanye loLazaro. 6Kodwa loba esezwile ukuthi uLazaro wayegula wazihlalela khona lapho ayekhona okwezinye insuku ezimbili. 7Wasesithi kubafundi bakhe, “Kasibuyeleni eJudiya.”
8Bathi, “Oh, Rabi, muvana nje amaJuda ake azama ukukukhanda ngamatshe kodwa wena usubuyela khona futhi?”
9UJesu waphendula wathi, “Kakusikho yini ukuthi kulamahola alitshumi lambili okukhanyisa kwelanga na? Umuntu ohamba emini kayikukhubeka ngoba ebona ngokukhanya kwalapha emhlabeni. 10Ukhubeka nxa ehamba ebusuku ngoba kalakho ukukhanya.”
11Esekutshilo lokhu wasebatshela wathi, “Umngane wethu uLazaro uselele kodwa ngiya khonale ukuyamvusa.”
12Abafundi bakhe baphendula bathi, “Nkosi, nxa kuvuma ukuthi alale, uzabangcono.” 13UJesu wayekhuluma ngokufa kwakhe kodwa abafundi bakhe babesithi kumbe utsho ukulala okujayelekileyo.
14Wasebatshela ephumela egcekeni wathi, “ULazaro usefile, 15kodwa ukuze lina likholwe, ngiyathaba ukuthi bengingekho lapho. Kodwa kasiyeni khona.”
16UThomasi (othiwa nguDidimasi) wathi kwabanye abafundi, “Lathi kasihambeni ukuze siyekufa laye.”
UJesu Ududuza Odadewabo BakaLazaro
17Ekufikeni kwakhe uJesu uLazaro wayesehlale ethuneni okwensuku ezine. 18EBhethani kwakungaphansi kwamakhilomitha amathathu usuka eJerusalema, 19yikho amaJuda amanengi ayebuyile ukuzakhalela uMatha loMariya ngokulahlekelwa kwabo ngumnewabo. 20Kwathi uMatha esizwa ukuthi uJesu wayesiza, waphuma wamhlangabeza kodwa uMariya wasala ngekhaya.
21UMatha wathi kuJesu, “Nkosi, aluba ubukhonapha ngabe umnewethu kafanga. 22Kodwa ngiyazi ukuthi lamanje uNkulunkulu uzakunika loba yini oyicelayo.”
23UJesu wathi kuye, “Umfowenu uzavuka njalo.”
24UMatha waphendula wathi, “Ngiyazi ukuthi uzavuka futhi ekuvukeni kwabafileyo ngosuku lokucina.”
25UJesu wathi kuye, “Mina ngiyikuvuka kwabafileyo lokuphila. Lowo okholwa kimi uzaphila loba engafa; 26njalo lowo ophilayo ekholwa kimi kasoze afa lanini. Uyakukholwa lokhu na?”
27Waphendula wathi, “Yebo Nkosi, ngiyakholwa ukuthi unguye uKhristu, iNdodana kaNkulunkulu, ozabuya emhlabeni.”
28Esekutshilo lokho wabuyela ngekhaya wabizela udadewabo uMariya eceleni wathi, “UMfundisi usekhona, uyakucela.” 29UMariya wathi ekuzwa lokhu wasuka masinyane waya kuJesu. 30UJesu wayelokhu engakangeni phakathi komuzi elokhu elapho ayehlangane khona loMatha. 31Kwathi amaJuda ayeloMariya endlini emduduza esebonile ukuthi wasukuma masinyane njani ephuma, amlandela ecabanga ukuthi mhlawumbe wayesiya ethuneni ukuyakhalela khona.
32UMariya wonela ukufika lapho uJesu ayekhona, wambona, wazilahla phansi ezinyaweni zakhe wathi, “Nkosi, kube ubukhona lapha, umnewethu ngabe kafanga.”
33UJesu embona ekhala kanye lamaJuda ayemlandele wadabuka kakhulu emoyeni, wakhathazeka. 34Wabuza wathi, “Limbeke ngaphi na?”
Baphendula bathi, “Woza uzobona Nkosi.”
35UJesu wakhala.
36AmaJuda asesithi, “Liyabona ukuthi wayemthanda njani!”
37Kodwa amanye awo athi, “Kanti yena lo owavula amehlo endoda eyayiyisiphofu wehlulekile ukwenza ukuthi umuntu lo angafi na?”
UJesu Uvusa ULazaro Kwabafileyo
38UJesu waphinda njalo wadabuka, wasondela ethuneni. Ithuna lalilubhalu, kulelitshe elalivale intuba. 39Wathi, “Lisuseni ilitshe.”
UMatha, udadewabo wendoda efileyo wathi, “Nkosi, khathesi sekulephunga elibi ngoba selensuku ezine simbekile.”
40UJesu wasesithi, “Kangikutshelanga ukuthi nxa ukholwa uzabona inkazimulo kaNkulunkulu na?”
41Ngakho balisusa ilitshe. UJesu wasekhangela phezulu wathi, “Baba ngiyakubonga ukuthi ungizwile. 42Mina bengisazi ukuthi uhlala ungizwa, kodwa ngikutshela lokhu ngisenzela abantu abemi lapha ukuze bakholwe ukuthi ungithumile.”
43Esekutshilo lokhu uJesu wamemeza ngelizwi elikhulu wathi, “Lazaro, phuma!” 44Umuyi waphuma, izandla lenyawo zakhe zithandelwe ngamaqhele elineni, kulelinye ilembu elalembese ubuso bakhe.
UJesu wathi kubo, “Khuphani izivunulo zokungcwaba limyekele ahambe.”
Icebo Lokubulala UJesu
45Ngakho amaJuda amanengi ayeze ukuzakhalela uMariya esekubonile uJesu akwenzayo, amkholwa. 46Kodwa amanye aya kubaFarisi bayabatshela lokho okwakwenziwe nguJesu. 47Abaphristi abakhulu labaFarisi basebebiza umhlangano weSanihedrini.
Babuzana bathi, “Kanti sivele senzani? Nangu phela umuntu lo esenza imimangaliso eminengi. 48Singamyekela aqhubeke ngalindlela, wonke umuntu uzakholwa kuye njalo amaRoma azakuza athathe indawo yethu lesizwe sethu.”
49Kwasekusithi omunye wabo owayethiwa nguKhayifasi, owayengumphristi omkhulu ngalowomnyaka, wakhuluma wathi, “Kalazi lutho! 50Kalikuboni lina ukuthi kungcono ukuba umuntu oyedwa afele abantu kulokuthi kubhubhe isizwe sonke.”
51Lokhu kazikhulumelanga yena ngokwakhe, kodwa njengomphristi omkhulu kwabanye ngalowomnyaka waphrofitha ukuthi uJesu wayezafela isizwe samaJuda, 52kungasisizwe leso sodwa, kodwa labantwana bakaNkulunkulu abahlakazekileyo ukuze balethwe ndawonye, benziwe babemunye. 53Kusukela ngalesosikhathi bakha amacebo okumbulala.
54Ngakho uJesu wayengasahambahambi obala phakathi kwamaJuda. Wasuka lapho waya emangweni owawuseduze kwenkangala, emzini owawuthiwa yi-Efrayimu, lapho ahlala khona labafundi bakhe.
55Kwathi sekuzakuba yisikhathi sePhasika lamaJuda, abanengi baqubuka elizweni baya eJerusalema ukuyahlanjululwa ngokomkhuba kungakabi yiPhasika. 56Babelokhu bethalaza befuna uJesu, kwathi bemi egumeni lethempeli babuzana bathi, “Licabangani? Ukuthi angaphutha yini emkhosini?” 57Kodwa abaphristi abakhulu labaFarisi basebelayele ukuthi nxa ekhona owayekwazi ukuthi uJesu wayengaphi, ahle abike ukuze bambophe.