Dama lakabe nthu
1 Mu kutangisa Dama lakabe lili yapo, ngono Dama lakabe lina Ndzimu kakale Dama lakabe lili Ndzimu. 2 Lakabe lina Ndzimu mu kutangisa. 3 Zwithu zose zwakathamiwa ndiye. Kuzhe kukwe akuna tjimwe tjakathamiwa tjisakathamiwa ndiye. 4 Munli kwakabe kuna butjilo, butjilo guli tjedza tje bathu. 5 Tjedza tjopenya mu zhalima, koga zhalima alizotjikunda.
6 Kwakabe kuna mmwe nlume atumwa nge Ndzimu, zina lile kuyi Johani, 7 wakazhila kutendeka ngekwe tjedza itjetjo, kuti bathu bose bagalemoyo ndiye. 8 Iye nge kukwe wakabe asi iye tjedza, koga, wakazha kuwopa butendeki ngekwe tjedza itjetjo. 9 Tjedza tje malebeswa tjinovonekela bathu bose tjakabe tjizha mu shango.
10 Wakabe ali mu shango, koga nenguba Ndzimu wakathama shango ndiye, shango aizonziba. 11 Wakazha ku shango ya kanyi kukwe koga bathu ba kanyi kukwe bakasin'amutjile. 12 Koga ibabo bakan'amutjila, bakagalamoyo mu zina lile, wakabapa fanilo dze kube bana be Ndzimu. 13 Ibaba ate bakazwagwa nge lopa kene kuda kwe nyama, kene nge kuda kwe nthu, koga Ndzimu ndiye wakathama kuti babe bana babe.
14 Dama lakabe nthu, kagala pakati kwedu ana ngoni kwazo ne malebeswa. Takabona gudzo lile, gudzo le Nkololo uyega wa Tate.
15 Johani wakapa butendeki nge kukwe, wakamimila eti, “Ndiye iwoyu wandakaleba nge kukwe nditi, ‘Iye unozha shule kwangu nkulu pandili, ngobe wakabe yapo ndi sathu abe yapo.’ ”
16 Ngobe ana ngoni njinji, wakatihwila ngoni epaphulula. 17 Ndzimu wakatizhisila nlayo* ndi Mushe, koga ngoni ne malebeswa takazwipiwa ndi Jesu Kirisiti. 18 Akuna ne nng'ompela wakatongo bona Ndzimu. Koga Nkololo uyega, ugele kubapa na Tate, ndiye wakazibisa Ndzimu bathu.
Thumo ya Johani we N'dubiki
(Matewu 3:1-12Mako 1:1-8Luke 3:1-18)19 Ogu ndigo butendeki gwa Johani gwa akaleba tjibaka tje Bajuta tjabakantumila bapirisiti ne Balevi banodwa mu Jerusalema kuwombhuzwa kuti n'diyi ani.
20 Johani wakaleba, aazozwilandula; wakaleba eti, “Ate ndili imi Mesiya.”
21 Bakambhuzwa beti, “Ndiwe ani ngono? Ndiwe Elija?”
Johani kabashandula kati, “Aa, ate ndili Elija.”
Bakambhuzwa kakale bakati, “Ndiwe Nlebesambeli?”
Kabadabila kati, “Aa.”
22 Bakati kunli, “Ngono ndiwe ani? Utidabile kuti naswi tinobudza batituma. Ukatini nge kuko?”
23 Johani kadabila nge matama a Isaya nlebesambeli eti,
“Ndimi hwi le unodanilila mu tjilambanyika eti,
‘Tambunudzani zila ya She.’ ”
24 Bamwe be Bafarasi, bakabe batumwa 25 baka mbhuzwa beti, “Ha usi Mesiya, usi Elija kene nlebesambeli, ini udubika bathu?”
26 Johani kabadabila kati, “Ndomudubika nge vula, koga pakati kwenyu kumile mmwe wamusingazibe. 27 Ndiye unozha shule kwangu, iye wandisakalizana kusunungula mitjili ye khwebana dzidze.”
28 Oku kwakabe kushingikala mu Bhetani seli kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani, Johani kwaakabe edubikako.
Jesu Pkhwizana ye Ndzimu
29 Tjimuka, Johani kabona Jesu ezha kunli, ngono kati, “Bonani Pkhwizana ye Ndzimu iyo inodusa tjibi tje shango! 30 Oyu ndiye wandakaleba nge kukwe nditi, ‘Kuna nlume unowozha shule kwangu, koga nkulu pandili, ngobe wakabepo kunditangila.’ 31 Imi nge kwangu ndakabe ndisinganzibe, koga ndakazha ndidubika bathu nge vula kuti ndizo azibgwe nge Baiziraela.”
32 Johani kapa butendeki eti, “Ndakabona Meya ideluka se njiba idwa kudzimu, ngono ikagala pezhugwi kukwe. 33 Ndakabe ndisinganzibe, koga iye wakandituma kuwodubika nge vula wakati kundili, ‘Iye waunowobona Meya ideluka igala pezhugwi kukwe, ndiye unowodubika nge Meya yakayengemala.’ 34 Ndakambona ngono apa butendeki kuti ndiye Nkololo we Ndzimu.”
Badiyiwa be kutanga ba Jesu
35 Tjimuka kakale Johani kabe ali mile ne badiyiwa babe babili, 36 ngono kati ebona Jesu epinda kati, “Bonani Pkhwizana ye Ndzimu!”
37 Ibabo badiyiwa babili bakahwa eleba ikoku, ngono bakatobela Jesu. 38 Jesu katjebuka, kababona bakantobela, ngono kababhuzwa kati “Moshakani?”
Bakati kunli, “Rabhi,” (kodwa kuti N'diyi) “mogala ngayi?”
39 Kabadabila kati, “Izhani mubone.” Bakayenda bakanobona paakabe egala, ngono bakashwa masikati iyawo wose naye; tjakabe tjingabe tjibaka tje bunna matewuko.
40 Mmwe we babili bakahwa Johani elebeleka bakatobela Jesu ndi Enduru nnung'una wa Simoni Pita. 41 Tje kutanga Enduru wakanoshaka nkulu uwe Simoni ngono kan'dwa kati, “Tawana Mesiya” Kodwiwa kuti Kirisiti. 42 Kayisa Simoni kuna Jesu. Jesu kanlinga kati kunli, “Ndiwe Simoni nkololo wa Johani ngono unowodang'wa Kefasi.” Kefasi ndilo zwalo Pita, kodwiwa shongwe.
Jesu edana Filipo na Natanaele
43 Tjimuka Jesu kayenda ku Galili. Kawana Filipo ngono kati kunli, “Unditobele!” 44 Filipo wakabe edwa ku Bhetisaida, kanyi kwa Enduru na Pita. 45 Filipo kabona Natanaele ngono kambudza kati, “Tambona iye wakalebgwa ndi Mushe mu lukwalo gwe nlayo ne mu hwalo dze balebesambeli. Iye Jesu we Nazareta nkololo wa Josefa.”
46 Natanaele kabhuzwa kati, “Apa kuna tjibuya tjingadwa mu Nazareta kene?” Filipo kadabila eti, “Izha ubone.”
47 Kukati Jesu ebona Natanaele ezha kunli, kati, “Bonani, woyu ndiye N'iziraela wakwako, usingabhuzwiwe.”
48 Natanaele kambhuzwa kati, “Mondiziba tjini?”
Jesu kan'dabila eti, “Ndakubona utjikusi kwe mpaya, Filipo asathu kawokudana.”
49 Natanaele kanshandula eti, “N'diyi, mu Nkololo we Ndzimu, mu Mambo we Iziraela!”
50 Jesu kati kunli, “Unogalamoyo koga, ngobe ndakubudza kuti ndakubona utjikusi kwe mpaya. Utjawobona zwithu zwikulu kupinda izwezwi!” 51 Kabuya kati kunli, “Ndolebesa tjose ndoti kumuli, mowobona kudzimu kuzhuka ne batumwa be Ndzimu betathila pezhugwi kakale bedelukila pasi mu Nkololo we nthu.”
The Word of Life
1 In the beginning was the one
who is called the Word.
The Word was with God
and was truly God.
2 From the very beginning
the Word was with God.
3 And with this Word,
God created all things.
Nothing was made
without the Word.
Everything that was created
4 received its life from him,
and his life gave light
to everyone.
5 The light keeps shining
in the dark,
and darkness has never
put it out.
6 God sent a man named John,
7 who came to tell
about the light
and to lead all people
to have faith.
8 John wasn't this light.
He came only to tell
about the light.
9 The true light that shines
on everyone
was coming into the world.
10 The Word was in the world,
but no one knew him,
though God had made the world
with his Word.
11 He came into his own world,
but his own nation
did not welcome him.
12 Yet some people accepted him
and put their faith in him.
So he gave them the right
to be the children of God.
13 They were not God's children
by nature or because
of any human desires.
God himself was the one
who made them his children.
14 The Word became
a human being
and lived here with us.
We saw his true glory,
the glory of the only Son
of the Father.
From him the complete gifts
of undeserved grace and truth
have come down to us.
15 John spoke about him and shouted, “This is the one I told you would come! He is greater than I am, because he was alive before I was born.”
16 Because of all that the Son is, we have been given one blessing after another. 17 The Law was given by Moses, but Jesus Christ brought us undeserved kindness and truth. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like.
John the Baptist Tells about Jesus
(Matthew 3.1-12Mark 1.1-8Luke 3.15-17)19-20 The religious authorities in Jerusalem sent priests and temple helpers to ask John who he was. He told them plainly, “I am not the Messiah.” 21 Then when they asked him if he were Elijah, he said, “No, I am not!” And when they asked if he were the Prophet, he also said “No!”
22 Finally, they said, “Who are you then? We have to give an answer to the ones who sent us. Tell us who you are!”
23 John answered in the words of the prophet Isaiah, “I am only someone shouting in the desert, ‘Get the road ready for the Lord!’ ”
24 Some Pharisees had also been sent to John. 25 They asked him, “Why are you baptizing people, if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?”
26 John told them, “I use water to baptize people. But here with you is someone you don't know. 27 Even though I came first, I am not good enough to untie his sandals.” 28 John said this as he was baptizing east of the Jordan River in Bethany.
The Lamb of God
29 The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said:
Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 He is the one I told you about when I said, “Someone else will come, who is greater than I am, because he was alive before I was born.” 31 I didn't know who he was. But I came to baptize you with water, so that everyone in Israel would see him.
32 I was there and saw the Spirit come down on him like a dove from heaven. And the Spirit stayed on him. 33 Before this I didn't know who he was. But the one who sent me to baptize with water had told me, “You will see the Spirit come down and stay on someone. Then you will know that he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.” 34 I saw this happen, and I tell you that he is the Son of God.
The First Disciples of Jesus
35 The next day, John was there again, and two of his followers were with him. 36 When he saw Jesus walking by, he said, “Here is the Lamb of God!” 37 John's two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus.
38 When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, “What do you want?”
They answered, “Rabbi, where do you live?” The Hebrew word “Rabbi” means “Teacher.”
39 Jesus replied, “Come and see!” It was already about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived. So they stayed on for the rest of the day.
40 One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!” The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same as the Greek word “Christ.”
42 Andrew brought his brother to Jesus. And when Jesus saw him, he said, “Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.” This name can be translated as “Peter.”
Jesus Chooses Philip and Nathanael
43-44 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. There he met Philip, who was from Bethsaida, the hometown of Andrew and Peter. Jesus said to Philip, “Follow me.”
45 Philip then found Nathanael and said, “We have found the one that Moses and the Prophets wrote about. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth.”
46 Nathanael asked, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Philip answered, “Come and see.”
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, “Here is a true descendant of our ancestor Israel. And he isn't deceitful.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”
49 Nathanael said, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God and the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus answered, “Did you believe me just because I said that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see something even greater. 51 I tell you for certain you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”