Johane 1

¹Ekuqaleni wayekhona uLizwi, uLizwi wayekuNkulunkulu, uLizwi wayenguNkulunkulu.

²Yena lowo wayekhona ekuqaleni kuNkulunkulu.

³Konke kwavela ngaye; ngaphandle kwakhe akuvelanga lutho kukho konke okuvelileyo.

⁴Ukuphila kwakukuye, ukuphila kwakungukukhanya kwabantu;

⁵ukukhanya kukhanya ebumnyameni, kepha ubumnyama abukwamukelanga.

⁶Kwavela umuntu ethunyiwe nguNkulunkulu, igama lakhe linguJohane.

⁷Lowo wezela ubufakazi ukuba afakaze ngokukhanya, ukuze bonke bakholwe ngaye.

⁸Yena wayengesikho ukukhanya, kepha wayengozofakaza ngokukhanya.

⁹Kwakungukukhanya okuqinisileyo okukhanyisa wonke umuntu, okwase kuza ezweni.

¹⁰Wayekhona ezweni, izwe lavela ngaye; kepha izwe alimazanga.

¹¹Weza kokwakhe, abakhe abamamukelanga.

¹²Kepha bonke abamamukelayo wabapha amandla okuba babe ngabantwana bakaNkulunkulu, labo abakholwa egameni lakhe,

¹³abangazalwanga ngagazi, nantando yenyama, nantando yendoda, kodwa bazalwa nguNkulunkulu.

¹⁴ULizwi waba yinyama, wakha phakathi kwethu, sabona inkazimulo yakhe, inkazimulo njengeyozelwe yedwa kuYise, egcwele umusa neqiniso.

¹⁵UJohane wafakaza ngaye, wamemeza wathi: “Nguyena lo ebengisho ngaye ukuthi: ‘Lowo ozayo emva kwami uvelile ngaphambi kwami, ngokuba wayekhona kuqala kunami.’ ”

¹⁶Ngokuba ekugcwaleni kwakhe samukele sonke umusa phezu komusa.

¹⁷Ngokuba umthetho wanikezwa ngoMose, umusa neqiniso kwavela ngoJesu Kristu.

¹⁸Akakho oke wabona uNkulunkulu; iNdodana ezelwe yodwa esesifubeni sikaYise yiyona embonakalisile.

¹⁹Lokhu kungubufakazi bukaJohane mhla abaJuda bethuma abapristi namaLevi bephuma eJerusalema ukuba bambuze ukuthi: “Wena ungubani na?”

²⁰Wavuma, kaphikanga, wavuma wathi: “Angisiye uKristu mina.”

²¹Bambuza bathi: “Uyini pho? Ungu-Eliya na?” Wathi: “Angisiye.” “UngumProfethi na?” Waphendula wathi: “Qha.”

²²Base bethi kuye: “Ungubani na? ukuze sibaphendule abasithumileyo; uzisho ukuthi ungubani na?”

²³Wathi: “Ngiyizwi lomemeza ehlane, ethi: ‘Lungisani indlela yeNkosi,’ ” njengalokho washo u-Isaya umprofethi.

²⁴Labo ababethunyiwe babevela kubaFarisi.

²⁵Bambuza-ke, bathi kuye: “Pho, ubhapathizelani, uma ungesiye uKristu, no-Eliya, nomProfethi, na?”

²⁶UJohane wabaphendula wathi: “Mina ngibhapathiza ngamanzi; umi phakathi kwenu eningamaziyo:

²⁷yena ozayo emva kwami, omchilo wesicathulo sakhe ngingafanele ukuwuthukulula.”

²⁸Lokho kwenzeka eBethabara ngaphesheya kweJordani, lapho uJohane wayebhapathiza khona.

²⁹Ngangomuso wabona uJesu eza kuye, wathi: “Bheka, iWundlu likaNkulunkulu elisusa izono zezwe.

³⁰Nguye ebengisho ngaye, ngithi: ‘Emva kwami kuza umuntu owavela ngaphambi kwami, ngokuba wayekhona kuqala kunami.’

³¹Nami bengingamazi; kodwa ukuze abonakaliswe ku-Israyeli, ngalokho ngizile ngibhapathiza ngamanzi.”

³²UJohane wafakaza wathi: “Ngibonile uMoya ehla ezulwini njengejuba, wahlala phezu kwakhe.

³³Nami bengingamazi, kodwa owangithuma ukubhapathiza ngamanzi wathi kimi: ‘Lowo oyakubona uMoya ehla ahlale phezu kwakhe, nguyena obhapathiza ngoMoya oNgcwele.’

³⁴Mina ngibonile, ngafakaza ukuthi: Lo uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu.”

³⁵Ngangomuso futhi wayemi uJohane nababili kubafundi bakhe.

³⁶Ebona uJesu ehamba, wathi: “Bheka, nanto iWundlu likaNkulunkulu.”

³⁷Abafundi ababili bezwa ekhuluma, bamlandela uJesu.

³⁸Khona uJesu waphenduka, wababona belandela, wathi kubo: “Nifunani na?” Bathi kuye: “Rabi,” okungukuthi ngokuhunyushwa: Mfundisi, “uhlalaphi na?”

³⁹Wathi kubo: “Wozani nibone.” Ngakho-ke beza babona lapho ehlala khona; bahlala naye ngalolo suku; kwakungaba yihora leshumi.

⁴⁰Omunye walabo ababili abamuzwa uJohane balandela uJesu wayengu-Andreya umfowabo kaSimoni Petru;

⁴¹yena wafumana kuqala umfowabo uSimoni, wathi kuye: “Simfumene uMesiya,” okungukuthi ngokuhunyushwa uKristu.

⁴²Wamyisa kuJesu; uJesu wambheka wathi: “Wena unguSimoni kaJona; uzakubizwa ngokuthi uKhefase,” okuhunyushwa ngokuthi uPetru.

⁴³Ngangomuso wayefuna ukuya eGalile, wafumana uFiliphu; uJesu wathi kuye: “Ngilandele.”

⁴⁴UFiliphu wayengowaseBetsayida, umuzi ka-Andreya noPetru.

⁴⁵UFiliphu wafumana uNathanayeli, wathi kuye: “Simfumene lowo aloba ngaye emthethweni uMose kanye nabaprofethi, uJesu waseNazaretha, indodana kaJosefa.”

⁴⁶UNathanayeli wathi kuye: “Kungase kuvele okuhle eNazaretha na?” UFiliphu wathi kuye: “Woza ubone.”

⁴⁷UJesu wabona uNathanayeli eza kuye, wathi ngaye: “Bheka, umIsrayeli uqobo okungekho nkohliso kuye.”

⁴⁸UNathanayeli wathi kuye: “Ungazelaphi na?” UJesu waphendula, wathi kuye: “Ungakabizwa nguFiliphu, uphansi komkhiwane, ngakubona.”

⁴⁹UNathanayeli wamphendula wathi: “Rabi, uyiNdodana kaNkulunkulu, uyiNkosi ka-Israyeli.”

⁵⁰UJesu waphendula, wathi kuye: “Ukholwa ngokuba ngithe kuwe ngakubona uphansi komkhiwane na? Uzakubona okukhulu kunalokho.”

⁵¹Wathi kuye: “Ngiqinisile, ngiqinisile ngithi kini: Nizakubona izulu livuliwe nezingelosi zikaNkulunkulu zenyuka, zehla phezu kweNdodana yomuntu.”