Izenzo zikaPawulos noThecla ISAHLUKO 1 1 Xa uPawulos waya eIkoniyo, emva kokubaleka kwakhe eAntiyokwe, uDemas noHermogene baba ngamaqabane akhe, awayezaliswe luhanahaniso ngelo xesha. 2 Kodwa uPawulos wayejonge kuphela ububele bukaThixo, akabalimazanga, kodwa wayebathanda kakhulu. 3 Ngoko ke wazama ukwenza zonke iziprofeto neemfundiso zikaKristu zivumelane nabo, kunye noyilo lweVangeli loNyana othandekayo kaThixo, ebafundisa ulwazi ngoKristu, njengoko lwatyhilwa kuye. 4 Indoda ethile egama linguOnesiforo, yakuva ukuba uPawulos ufikile eIkoniyo, yaphuma ngokukhawuleza yaya kumhlangabeza, kunye nomkakhe uLectra, noonyana bakhe uSimmia noZeno, ukuze bammemele endlwini yabo. 5 Kuba uTito wayebanike inkcazelo yobuntu bukaPawulos, nangona babengamazi ubuso ngobuso, kodwa besazi nje ubuntu bakhe. 6 Bahamba ngendlela kakumkani baya eListra, bema apho bemlindile, bethelekisa bonke ababedlula ngendlela, nenkcazelo awayebanike yona uTito. 7 Ekugqibeleni babona indoda esiza (uPawulos), enesithomo esiphantsi, enempandla (okanye echetyiweyo) entloko, amathanga agobileyo, imilenze emihle, enamehlo angenanto; enempumlo egobileyo; ezele lubabalo; kuba ngamanye amaxesha wayebonakala njengomntu, ngamanye amaxesha wayenobuso bengelosi. UPawulos wambona uOnesiforo, waza wavuya. 8 UOnesiforo wathi: “Molo, sicaka sikaThixo osikelelekileyo.” UPawulos waphendula wathi: “Ubabalo lukaThixo malube nawe kunye nentsapho yakho.” 9 Kodwa uDemos noHermogenes baba nomona, baza, bebonakalisa unqulo olukhulu, uDemas wathi, Asingobakhonzi bakaThixo osikelelekileyo na? Kutheni ungasibulisanga? 10 Waphendula uOnesiforo wathi, Kuba andizibonanga kuni iziqhamo zobulungisa; nangona kunjalo, ukuba ninjalo, niya kwamkelwa endlwini yam. 11 UPawulos wangena endlwini kaOnesiforo, kwaza kwabakho uvuyo olukhulu phakathi kosapho ngenxa yoko, baza bazibhokoxa emthandazweni, eqhekeza isonka, ephulaphula uPawulos eshumayela ilizwi likaThixo malunga nokuzeyisa novuko, ngolu hlobo lulandelayo: 12 Banoyolo abahlambulukileyo entliziyweni; kuba baya kumbona uThixo bona. 13 Banoyolo abo bagcina inyama yabo ingangcoliswanga (okanye icocekile); kuba baya kuba yitempile kaThixo. 14 Banoyolo abo banomoya wokuzola (okanye abamsulwa); kuba uThixo uya kuzityhila kubo. 15 Banoyolo abo bashiya iziyolo zabo zehlabathi; kuba baya kwamkelwa nguThixo. 16 Banoyolo abo banabafazi, ngokungathi abanabo; kuba baya kwenziwa izithunywa zikaThixo. 17 Banoyolo abo bangcangcazelayo lilizwi likaThixo; kuba baya kuthuthuzelwa.
18 Banoyolo abo bagcina ubhaptizo lwabo lucocekile; kuba baya kufumana uxolo noYise, uNyana, noMoya oyiNgcwele. 19 Banoyolo abo balandela ubulumko (okanye imfundiso) bukaYesu Krestu; kuba baya kubizwa ngokuba ngoonyana boPhezukonke. 20 Banoyolo abo bagcina imiyalelo kaYesu Krestu; kuba baya kuhlala ekukhanyeni okungunaphakade. 21 Banoyolo abo, ngenxa yothando lukaKristu, bashiya uzuko lwehlabathi; kuba baya kugweba iingelosi, baze babekwe ngasekunene kukaKristu, kwaye abayi kunyamezela ubukrakra bomgwebo wokugqibela. 22 Banoyolo imizimba nemiphefumlo yeentombi ezinyulu; kuba ziyamkeleka kuThixo, kwaye aziyi kulahlekelwa ngumvuzo wobuntombi bazo; kuba ilizwi likaYise (wasezulwini) liya kusebenza ekusindisweni kwabo ngomhla woNyana wakhe, kwaye baya kuphumla ngonaphakade. ISAHLUKO 2 1 Kwathi uPawulos eshumayela le ntshumayelo ebandleni elalisendlwini kaOnesiforo, intombi ethile egama linguTekla, egama lingunina linguTiyokliya, eyayithembisene indoda egama linguTamyris, ihleli efestileni ethile endlwini yayo. 2 Apho, ejonge ifestile endlwini awayekuyo uPawulos, wayesiva ubusuku nemini iintshumayelo zikaPawulos ngoThixo, ngothando, ngokukholwa kuKristu, nangomthandazo; 3 Wayengavumi ukuphuma efestileni, de ngovuyo olukhulu wathotyelwa kwiimfundiso zokholo. 4 Ekugqibeleni, xa wabona abafazi abaninzi neentombi zingena kuPawulos, wanqwenela ngokunyanisekileyo ukuba acingelwe ukuba ufanele ukubonakala phambi kwakhe, aze eve ilizwi likaKristu; kuba wayengekamboni uPawulos, kodwa wayeve kuphela iintshumayelo zakhe, kwaye oko kuphela. 5 Kodwa xa wayengafuni ukunyanzelwa ukuba aphume ngefestile, unina wathumela kuThamyris, owafika ngovuyo olukhulu, enethemba lokumtshata ngoku. Wathi ke kuTheoclia, Uphi uThecla wam? 6 UTheoclia waphendula wathi, Thamyris, ndinento engaqhelekanga endifuna ukukuxelela yona; kuba uThecla, kangangeentsuku ezintathu, akazukusuka efestileni, akazukutya okanye asele, kodwa uzimisele kakhulu ukuva iintetho zobuchule nezikhohlisayo zomntu othile wasemzini, kangangokuba ndiyamncoma kakhulu, Thamyris, kangangokuba intombazana eyaziwayo ukuba ithobekile, iya kuvuma ukuba yoyiswe kangaka. 7 Kuba loo mntu uphazamise lonke isixeko saseIkoniyo, kwaneThekla yakho, phakathi kwezinye, Bonke abafazi namadoda aselula bayathontelana kuye ukuze bamkele imfundiso yakhe; yena, ngaphandle kwabo bonke abanye, ubaxelela ukuba kukho uThixo omnye kuphela, omele anqulwe yedwa, kwaye sifanele siphile ngobunyulu. 8 Nangona kunjalo, intombi yam uThecla, njengentambo yesigcawu ebotshelelwe efestileni, itsalwa ziintetho zikaPawulos, kwaye iziphulaphula ngomdla omkhulu, nangovuyo olukhulu; ngaloo ndlela, ngokumamela oko akutshoyo, intombi iyahendeka. Ngoku ke hamba, uthethe nayo, kuba ithembisene nawe.