Luka 16

¹Wayesekhuluma nakubafundi bakhe, ethi: “Kwakukhona umuntu othile oyisicebi, owayenomphathi; yena wamangalelwa kuye ngokuthi uchitha impahla yakhe.

²Wambiza, wathi kuye: ‘Kuyini lokhu engikuzwa ngawe na? Landa ngobuphathi bakho, ngokuba ungebe usaba ngumphathi.’

³“Wayesethi umphathi phakathi kwakhe: ‘Ngizakwenze njani, lokhu inkosi yami ingaphuca ubuphathi? Anginamandla okulima, nginamahloni ukunxiba.

⁴Ngiyakwazi engiyakukwenza ukuba bangamukele ezindlini zabo, nxa ngikhishwa ebuphathini.’

⁵“Wababiza ngabanye abanamacala enkosini yakhe, wathi kowokuqala: ‘Unecala elingakanani enkosini yami na?’

⁶“Wathi: ‘Amabhati ayikhulu amafutha.’ “Wayesethi kuye: ‘Thatha incwadi yakho, usheshe uhlale phansi, ulobe amashumi ayisihlanu.’

⁷“Khona wathi komunye: ‘Wena-ke unecala elingakanani na?’ “Wathi: ‘Izilinganiso eziyikhulu zikakolweni.’ “Wathi kuye: ‘Thatha incwadi yakho, ulobe amashumi ayisishiyagalombili.’

⁸“Inkosi yambabaza umphathi ongalungile ngokuthi wenze ngokuhlakanipha, ngokuba abantwana balesi sikhathi bahlakaniphile esizukulwaneni sabo kunabantwana bokukhanya.

⁹Nami ngithi kini: Zenzeleni nina abahlobo ngokukaMamona ongalungile, ukuze kuthi, nxa kuphelile, banamukele ezindlini eziphakade.

¹⁰“Othembekile kokuncinyane uthembekile nakokukhulu; ongalungile kokuncinyane kalungile nakokukhulu.

¹¹Ngakho uma beningathembeki kokukaMamona ongalungile, ubani oyakuniphathisa okuyikhonakhona na?

¹²Futhi uma beningathembeki kokomunye, ubani oyakuninika okungokwenu na?

¹³“Akukho nceku engakhonza amakhosi amabili, ngokuba kokunye iyakuzonda enye, ithande enye, noma ibambelele kwenye, iyeyise enye. Ningeze nakhonza uNkulunkulu noMamona.”

¹⁴AbaFarisi ababethanda imali bakuzwa konke lokho, bamklolodela.

¹⁵Wayesethi kubo: “Nina ningabazishaya abalungileyo emehlweni abantu; kepha uNkulunkulu uyazazi izinhliziyo zenu, ngokuba lokho okuphakemeyo phakathi kwabantu kuyisinengiso emehlweni kaNkulunkulu.

¹⁶“Umthetho nabaprofethi kwakukhona kwaze kwafika uJohane; kusukela kuleso sikhathi ivangeli lombuso kaNkulunkulu liyashunyayelwa, wonke umuntu uphika ngokufuzula kuwo.

¹⁷Kepha kulula ukuba kudlule izulu nomhlaba kunokuba kuwe ibalana elilodwa lomthetho.

¹⁸“Yilowo nalowo olahla umkakhe, aganwe ngomunye, uyaphinga; noganwa ngolahliwe yindoda uyaphinga.

¹⁹“Kwakukhona umuntu othile onothileyo, owayegqoka ezibubende nezelineni elihle, ezijabulisa imihla ngemihla etamasa.

²⁰Kwakukhona futhi ompofu othile, nguLazaru igama lakhe, owayelahliwe ngasesangweni lakhe egcwele izilonda,

²¹enxanela ukusuthiswa ngemvuthuluka ewa etafuleni lesicebi; yebo, kweza nezinja, zamkhotha izilonda.

²²“Kwase kuthi wafa ompofu, wathwalwa yizingelosi, wasiwa esifubeni sika-Abrahama; nesicebi safa, sembelwa.

²³SesiseHayidese saphakamisa amehlo aso, sisebuhlungwini, sambona u-Abrahama ekude, noLazaru esesifubeni sakhe.

²⁴Samemeza sathi: ‘Baba Abrahama, ngihawukele, uthume uLazaru, agcobhoze isihloko somunwe wakhe emanzini, aphozise ulimi lwami, ngokuba ngiyahlushwa kuleli langabi.’

²⁵“Kepha u-Abrahama wathi: ‘Ndodana, khumbula ukuba wamukela okuhle kwakho usesekuphileni noLazaru kanjalo okubi; kodwa manje uyaduduzwa yena lapha, wena uyahlushwa.

²⁶Nangaphezu kwakho konke lokho kubekiwe umhosha omkhulu phakathi kwethu nani ukuba abafuna ukusuka lapha baye kini bangekwenze, nabalapho bangaweleli kithi.’

²⁷“Sase sithi: ‘Njalo ngiyakucela, baba, ukuba umthumele endlini kababa,

²⁸ngokuba nginabafowethu abayisihlanu, ukuze afakaze kubo, bangezi nabo kule ndawo yobuhlungu.’

²⁹“Kepha u-Abrahama wathi: ‘BanoMose nabaprofethi; mabezwe bona.’

³⁰“Sathi-ke: ‘Qha, baba Abrahama, kodwa uma kusuka umuntu kwabafileyo, aye kubo, bayakuphenduka.’

³¹“Kepha wathi kuso: ‘Uma bengalaleli uMose nabaprofethi, kabayikuvunyiswa, noma kuvuka umuntu kwabafileyo.’ ”