Ananiyasi na Safira
1 Koga mmwe nlume wakabe edang'wa Ananiyasi ana nkadzi uwe Safira, bakatengesa imwe thundu yabo. 2 Ngono kasumbika mamwe mari adumana ne nkadzi uwe, mari asala kaayisa ku batumwa ba Jesu. 3 Koga Pita kambhuzwa eti, “Ananiyasi, ini Satani azhala moyo uwo kuti unyepele Meya yakayengemala usumbike mamwe mari awawana watengesa nnda? 4 Wakati usathu ukatengesiwa apa wakabe usi uwo kene? Ne usinokuwutengesa, apa mari akabe asi awo kuashingisa sekwa unobona kene? Ini wakumbula kuthama tjithu tjakajali? Auzonyepela bathu, koga wanyepela Ndzimu!” 5 Kukati Ananiyasi ehwa ikoku koga, kawila pasi kafa; ngono bose bakahwa nge kwako bakatja kwazo. 6 Bazhuzha bakamilika, bakapetela mbili uwe, bakansengela kuzhe, ngono bakambiganya.
7 Shule kwe awara dzingabe thatu nkadzi uwe kangina, asingazibe tjashingikala. 8 Pita kambhuzwa kati, “Undibudze, kuti kene makatengesa nnda nge themba iyeyi?”
Kadabila eti, “Ee, ndiyo themba.”
9 Ndizo Pita kati kunli, “Iwe ne nlume uwo ini makumbula kulika Meya ya She? Bona, makumbo e bathu banobiganya nlume uwo apa nkoba, ngono banowokusengabo!” 10 Ipapo kawila pasi pa makumbo a Pita kafa. Bazhuzha bakangina bakabona kuti wafa, ndizo bakansengela kuzhe bakanombiganya kubapa ne nlume uwe. 11 Gubungano lose ne bamwe bose bakahwa ngekwa ikoku bakatja.
Makaabadzo ne matjenamiso
12 Batumwa ba Jesu bakashinga zwilakidzo zwinjinji ne matjenamiso manjinji pakati kwe bathu. Bagalimoyo bose bakabe beshanganila pa ntutshi wa Solomoni. 13 Mu bamwe kwakabe kusina ndodwa ne nng'ompela wakabe ana tjilopa tje kuzwibhatshanya nabo nenguba bathu bakabe bebakudza kwazo. 14 Koga bagalimoyo muna She bakapaphidzika, mibunga ye balume ne bakadzi bakagalamoyo. 15 Bathu bakati bebona tjakabe tjishingikala bakasenga bagwele bakabaladzika mu malawo nemu dzithobo pa dzizila kuti ntutshi wa Pita uwile bamwe babo ha epinda ipapo. 16 Ngono mibunga ye bathu ikazha idwa mu mizi yakapoteleka Jerusalema, bezhisa ibabo bakabe begwala ne bakabe bana meya mibi; ngono bose bakapodziwa.
Batumwa ba Jesu banodziyidziwa
17 Ntungamili we bapirisiti kamilika ne baakabe anabo bose, be bhiko le Basadusi, bakabe ne fupa, 18 ndizo bakasunga batumwa ba Jesu, ngono bakabalonga mu ng'umba ye busungwa ye bathu bose. 19 Koga busiku igogo ntumwa wa She kazhula mikoba ye ng'umba ye busungwa, kabadusa, ngono kati ku bali, 20 “Yendani munoma mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu, ngono mubudze bathu bose ngekwe matama e butjilo igogu butshwa.” 21 Batumwa ba Jesu bakati behwa ikoku bakangina mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu mangwanana bakatangisa kudiya.
Ntungamili we bapirisiti ne baakabe anabo bakati beswika bakadana lubazhe ne Gulukota le Iziraela ngono bakatuma bathu kuti banotola batumwa ba Jesu mu ng'umba ye busungwa babazhise mbeli kwabo. 22 Koga bashingi bakati beswika, bakasiwane batumwa mu ng'umba ye busungwa, ndizo bakabgwilila bakanobika beti, 23 “Tawana ng'umba ye busungwa yakakhiyiwa ne balindi bose bakalinda pa mikoba; koga tikati tizhula mikoba tikasheta watawana mukati!” 24 Nlauli we balindi be Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ne bapirisiti bakulu bakati behwa ikoku, bakatjenamila kuti kwashingikalani ku batumwa ba Jesu. 25 Ipapo mmwe kangina kati ku bali, “Hwililani! Balume bamakalonga mu ng'umba ye busungwa bamu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu banodiya bathu!” 26 Ndizo nlauli kayenda ne adzasha dzidze kanotola batumwa. Abazoshingisa simba, ngobe betja kikithidziwa nge bathu nge mabgwe.
27 Bakazhisa batumwa ba Jesu, bakathama kuti bame mbeli kwe makulukota, ngono Ntungamili we bapirisiti kababhuzwa, 28 kati, “Takamulaya takasimisa kuti musidiye nge zina ileli, koga ngwenu mazhadza Jerusalema nge zwidiyo zwenyu, ngono moshaka kutipa nlandu we lufu gugwe!”
29 Pita ne bamwe batumwa ba Jesu bakashandula beti, “Takafanila hwa Ndzimu, kusi bathu. 30 Ndzimu wa bobatategulu bedu wakamusa Jesu mu bafi, iye wamakabulaya nge kunlembeledza mu tjileyanyo. 31 Ndzimu wakammilidzila ku luboko gwawo gwe luji kube Ntungamili ne Ntjidzi, kuti Baiziraela bashandukile matjinyo abo kakale bazwiibhatigwe zwibi. 32 Ti batendeki be zwithu izwezwi, iswi ne Meya yakayengemala, iyo tjipo tje Ndzimu kuna ibabo banouhwilila.”
33 Bakati behwa ikoku, bakagwadzamoyo, ngono bakayemula kubabulaya. 34 Koga mmwe wabo, ali Nfarasi edang'wa kuyi Gamaliyele, wakabe ali n'diyi we nlayo, iye wakabe etetiwa kwazo nge bathu bose, kamilika kama mu lubazhe. Kadusa ndayilo kuti batumwa ba Jesu badusigwe kuzhe kwe tjibakana, 35 ngono ipapo kati ku lubazhe, “Balume be Iziraela, ibeni nge njele muna tjamunothama balume ibaba. 36 Mu misi yakapinda Teudasi wakaboneka ezwidana mmwe nkulu, ngono bathu bangabe mazana manna (400) bakabhatana naye. Koga wakabulawa, bose batobeli babe bakapalala kukasala kusina tjimwe. 37 Shule kwa ipapo, Judasi we Galili wakaboneka mu nsi we kubagwa kwe bathu kakwebela mbunga kunli, koga na iye wakabulawabo ngono batobeli babe bose bakapalala. 38 Ndizo ngwenu ndoti kumuli, idwani mu balume ibaba. Mubasunungule! Ha tjabakalangana kene nshingo wabo udwa mu bathu unowopela, 39 koga ha udwa ku Ndzimu, amungabakunde. Mungazwiwana munyanyayidza Ndzimu!”
Makulukota katobela gumbuludzo la Gamaliyele. 40 Bakadanila batumwa ba Jesu mukati, bakati babaloba bakabadwa bakati basitjabe batjalebeleka nge zina la Jesu kakale, ipapo bakabasunungula. 41 Batumwa ba Jesu bakadwa mu lubazhe bakashatha, ngobe Ndzimu wakawana bakafanila dziyidzigwa zina la Jesu. 42 Ngono mazhuba wose bakadwilila bediya be sumikila mu Ng'umba ye Ndzimu ne mu mizi ye bathu, besumikila ndebo mbuya inoti Jesu ndiye Mesiya.
Peter Condemns Ananias and Sapphira
1 Ananias and his wife Sapphira also sold a piece of property. 2 But they agreed to cheat and keep some of the money for themselves.
So when Ananias took the rest of the money to the apostles, 3 Peter said, “Why has Satan made you keep back some of the money from the sale of the property? Why have you lied to the Holy Spirit? 4 The property was yours before you sold it, and even after you sold it, the money was still yours. What made you do such a thing? You didn't lie to people. You lied to God!”
5 As soon as Ananias heard this, he dropped dead, and everyone who heard about it was frightened. 6 Some young men came in and wrapped up his body. Then they took it out and buried it.
7 Three hours later Sapphira came in, but she did not know what had happened to her husband. 8 Peter asked her, “Tell me, did you sell the property for this amount?”
“Yes,” she answered, “that's the amount.”
9 Then Peter said, “Why did the two of you agree to test the Lord's Spirit? The men who buried Ananias are by the door, and they will carry you out!” 10 At once she fell at Peter's feet and died.
When the young men came back in, they found Sapphira lying there dead. So they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 The church members were afraid, and so was everyone else who heard what had happened.
Peter's Unusual Power
12 The apostles worked many miracles and wonders among the people. All of the Lord's followers often met in the part of the temple known as Solomon's Porch. 13 No one outside their group dared join them, even though everyone liked them very much.
14 Many men and women started having faith in the Lord. 15 Then sick people were brought out to the road and placed on mats. It was hoped that Peter would walk by, and his shadow would fall on them and heal them. 16 A lot of people living in the towns near Jerusalem brought those who were sick or troubled by evil spirits, and they were all healed.
Trouble for the Apostles
17 The high priest and all the other Sadducees who were with him became jealous. 18 They arrested the apostles and put them in the city jail. 19 But that night an angel from the Lord opened the doors of the jail and led the apostles out. The angel said, 20 “Go to the temple and tell the people everything about this new life.” 21 So they went into the temple before sunrise and started teaching.
The high priest and his men called together their council, which included all of Israel's leaders. Then they ordered the apostles to be brought to them from the jail. 22 The temple police who were sent to the jail did not find the apostles. They returned and said, 23 “We found the jail locked tight and the guards standing at the doors. But when we opened the doors and went in, we didn't find anyone there.” 24 The captain of the temple police and the chief priests listened to their report, but they did not know what to think about it.
25 Just then someone came in and said, “Now those men you put in jail are in the temple, teaching the people!” 26 The captain went with some of the temple police and brought the apostles back. But they did not use force. They were afraid that the people might start throwing stones at them.
27 When the apostles were brought before the council, the high priest said to them, 28 “We told you plainly not to teach in the name of Jesus. But look what you have done! You have been teaching all over Jerusalem, and you are trying to blame us for his death.”
29 Peter and the apostles replied:
We don't obey people. We obey God. 30 You killed Jesus by nailing him to a cross. But the God our ancestors worshiped raised him to life 31 and made him our Leader and Savior. Then God gave him a place at his right side, so that the people of Israel would turn back to him and be forgiven. 32 We are here to tell you about all this, and so is the Holy Spirit, who is God's gift to everyone who obeys God.
33 When the council members heard this, they became so angry they wanted to kill the apostles. 34 But one of the members was the Pharisee Gamaliel, a highly respected teacher. He ordered the apostles to be taken out of the room for a little while. 35 Then he said to the council:
Men of Israel, be careful what you do with these men. 36 Not long ago Theudas claimed to be someone important, and about 400 men joined him. But he was killed, and all his followers were scattered. That was the end of that.
37 Later, when the people of our nation were being counted, Judas from Galilee showed up. A lot of people followed him, but he was killed, and all his followers were scattered.
38 So I advise you to stay away from these men. Leave them alone. If what they are planning is something of their own doing, it will fail. 39 But if God is behind it, you cannot stop it anyway, unless you want to fight against God.
The council members agreed with what he said, 40 and they called the apostles back in. They had them beaten with a whip and warned them not to speak in the name of Jesus. Then they let them go.
41 The apostles left the council and were happy, because God had considered them worthy to suffer for the sake of Jesus. 42 Every day they spent time in the temple and in one home after another. They never stopped teaching and telling the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.