Tjifaniso tje ndzwali
(Mako 4:1-9Luke 8:4-8)1 Mu zhuba ilelo zwalo Jesu wakabhuda mu ng'umba kanogala pa gungwa. 2 Mibunga ye bathu ikankubunganila, kadzina kangina mu n'goro kagala muuli, bathu bose bali mile mu phili ye gungwa. 3 Ipapo wakababudza zwithu zwinjinji nge zwifaniso eti,
“Ndzwali wakabhuda enodzwala. 4 Ngono kati edzwala, imwe mbewu ikawila mu zijana, ngono nyuni dzikazha dzikaija. 5 Imwe ikawila mu lushale, ngono ikashaya mavu akalizanila. Yakatjimbidza kumela, ngobe kwakabe kusina mavu manjinji akaivukidza. 6 Koga kukati zhuba libhuda, mmela ukatshwa ngono ukawoma, ngobe usina midzi. 7 Imwe mbewu ikawila pakati kwe mihwa, ngono mihwa ukakula ukadzipa mmela. 8 Kakale imwe mbewu ikawila mu mavu mabuya ikazwala zwizwalo zwinopinda zwakadzwagwa ka zana (100), imwe kuli makumi matathatu (60), imwe kuli makumi matatu (30). 9 Iye una zebe, ngaahwe.”
Nshingo we zwifaniso
(Mako 4:10-12Luke 8:9-10)10 Badiyiwa babe bakazha kunli bakambhuzwa beti, “Ini ulebeleka ne bathu ibaba nge zwifaniso kene?”
11 Kabashandula eti, “Zibo ye masazibgwe e bushe gwe kudzimu yakapiwa imwi koga ibo abazoipiwa. 12 Iye unohwa unowopiwa kuhwisisa, ndizo unowohwisisa nge buzhalo, koga iye usingahwe ne tjitukununu tjaanohwisisa unowotjitolegwa. 13 Ndizo ndilebeleka nabo nge zwifaniso, ngobe ne bakalinga abatobona ne bakahwilila abatohwa kakale abatohwisisa. 14 Nge kwabo, kowoshingikala tjakalebgwa nge nlebesambeli Isaya eti,
“ ‘Nge malebeswa mowohwa koga musingahwisise;
nge malebeswa mowobona koga musingabonesese,
15 ngobe mimoyo ye bathu ibaba yakakukutala,
ne zebe dzabo dzolema kuhwa,
kakale bakazwimba mesho abo.
Ha babe bangabona nge mesho abo,
bakahwa nge zebe dzabo,
bakahwisisa nge mimoyo yabo,
bakashandukila kundili, ndabe ndingabapodza.’
16 “Akakombolegwa mesho enyu, ngobe anobona ne zebe dzenyu dzakakombolegwa ngobe dzohwa. 17 Ndolebesa ndoti, balebesambeli banjinji ne balulwami, bakayemula kubona tjamunobona koga bakasitjibone ne kuhwa tjamunohwa koga bakasitjihwe.
Jesu unotjenesa tjifaniso tje ndzwali
(Mako 4:13-20Luke 8:11-15)18 “Tjihwililani kuti tjifaniso tje ndzwali tjodwani. 19 Ha mmwe ehwa dama le bushe asingalihwisise, mbi unozha kadzamula tjadzwagwa mu moyo uwe. Eyi ndiyo mbewu yakadzwagwa mu zijana. 20 Yakadzwagwa mu lushale imilile nthu unohwa dama kaliamutjila tjinyolotjo nge kushatha. 21 Koga se asina midzi, unolibhata tjibaka tjifupi koga. Kudziyila ne kuhwisiwa zogwadza ngekwe dama koti kuzha, katjimbidza awa mu kugalamoyo. 22 Yakadzwagwa pakati kwe mihwa imilile nthu unohwa dama ngono kudziyidzika nge zwe butjilo igogu kose nenge butjengedzi gwe fumwa zwikalidzipa, kukayita kuti lishaye zwizwalo. 23 Koga yakadzwagwa mu mavu mabuya imilile nthu unohwa dama kalihwisisa. Unodusa zwizwalo zwinopinda zwakadzwagwa kuli zana (100), nge tjimwe tjibaka kuli makumi matathatu (60), ngono tjimwe tjibaka kuli makumi matatu (30).”
Tjifaniso tje gotsha
24 Jesu kababudza tjimwe tjifaniso eti, “Bushe gwe kudzimu gungafanidzanyiwa ne nthu wakadzwala mbewu mbuyanana mu nnda uwe; 25 koga kukati bathu bakayizela, tjita tjitje tjikazha tjikadzwala gotsha pakati kwe mathunde, ngono tjibe tjiyenda. 26 Kukati mathunde ekula edusa zwizwalo, gotsha na ilo likabhuda. 27 Balanda be mweni we nnda bakazha kunli bakati, ‘Tetshi, apa amuzobe madzwala mbewu mbuyanana mu nnda wenyu kene? Ini nnda una makotsha?’ 28 Kati ku bali, ‘Kuna tjita tjakathama ikoku.’ Balanda bakambhuzwa bakati, ‘Apa moshaka kuti tiyende tinolisimula kene?’ 29 Kashandula eti, ‘Aa, ngobe mowoti musimula makotsha, mukadwa musimulilanya ne mathunde. 30 Letjani kukule kose kuswikila nsi we kuvuna. Nge nsi iwoyo ndowobudza bavuni nditi, Kutanga kubunganyani makotsha muasunge nge zwishwa kuti apisiwe, kudwapo mu kubunganye mathunde mualonge mu dula langu.’ ”
Tjifaniso tje mbewu tukununu
(Mako 4:30-32Luke 13:18-19)31 Kababudza tjifaniso tjimwe eti, “Bushe gwe kudzimu gofanana ne shanga tukununu ye lusaba, yakati nthu kaitola kaidzwala mu nnda uwe. 32 Ndiyo mbewu tukununu tjose mu mbewu dzose, koga ha ikula ndiyo inobe hwulu pa matenjana wose, ngono inobe nti, nyuni kwadzinozha dzikabaka mashaka mu thabi dzawo.”
Tjifaniso tje mbidzo
(Luke 13:20-21)33 Kababudza tjimwe tjifaniso eti, “Bushe gwe kudzimu gonga mbidzo yakatogwa nge nkadzi kaishanganya ne bgwisa gunjinji gwe tjiwunga kudzina bgwisa gose gubila.”
Kushingisa zwifaniso kwa Jesu
(Mako 4:33-34)34 Jesu wakaleba zwithu zose izwezwi ku mibunga ye bathu nge zwifaniso. Akuna tjaakababudza asingashingise tjifaniso. 35 Oku kwakabe kuli kuti kusiwile pasi matama akalebgwa nge nlebesambeli eti,
“Ndowozhula nlomo wangu nge zwifaniso,
ndowoleba tjakabe tjakasumbikala
kudwa mu kubumbiwa kwe shango.”
Jesu unotjenesa tjifaniso tje gotsha
36 Ipapo kasiya mbunga we bathu kangina mu ng'umba. Badiyiwa babe bakazha kunli beti, “Utitjenesele tjifaniso tje gotsha mu nnda.”
37 Kadabila eti, “Oyu wakadzwala mbewu yakalulwama Nkololo we Nthu. 38 Nnda i shango, ngono mbewu mbuyanana imilile bana be bushe. Gotsha bana be mbi, 39 ne tjita tjinobadzwala ndi Satani. Kuvuna kodwa bupelo gwe shango, ngono bavuni batumwa be kudzimu. 40 Koga se gotsha lisimugwa likapisiwa mu moto, kowobe kwakajalo mu bupelo gwe shango. 41 Iye Nkololo we Nthu unowotuma batumwa babe, ngono banowosimula bedusa mu bushe gugwe tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinozhisa jinyo na ibo bose banoyita mbipo. 42 Banowobalashila mu bhuba le moto, kunowobe yapo kulila ne kulobanya meno nge kugwadziwa kukulu. 43 Ipapo balulwami banowopenya se zhuba mu bushe gwa Tate babo. Iye una zebe ngaahwe.
Tjifaniso tje fumwa yakasumbikala
44 “Bushe gwe kudzimu gofanana ne fumwa yakasumbikiwa mu nnda. Ha nthu aiwana kaivumbika ngono mu kushatha kukwe kanotengesa kose kwaakabe anako katenga nnda iwoyo.
Tjifaniso tje mabgwe mabuya
45 “Kakale Bushe gwe kudzimu gofanana ne ntengi unoshaka mabgwe mabuya. 46 Kukati awana le ntengo upezhugwi, kayenda kanotengesa kose kwaanako kalitenga.
Tjifaniso tje gwanga
47 “Kakale bushe gwe kudzimu gofanana ne gwanga gwakaposegwa mu gungwa ngono gukabhata njudzi dzose dze hwobe. 48 Gukati gwazhala balume bakagukwebela pa phili. Ipapo bakagala pasi bakakubunganyila hwobe dzakalulwama mu zwija, koga belasha dzisakalulwama. 49 Kowobe kwakajalo mu bupelo gwe shango. Batumwa be kudzimu banowozha kuwothubukanya babi mu balulwami. 50 Bakalashila babi mu bhuba le moto kunowobepo kulila ne kulobanya meno nge kugwadziwa kukulu.”
Zwithu zwitshwa ne zwikulukugwi
51 Jesu kababhuzwa kati, “Apa mahwisisa zwithu izwezwi zose kene?”
Bakadabila beti, “Ee.”
52 Ngono kati ku bali, “Ndizo N'diyi mmwe ne mmwe we nlayo wadiyiwa ngekwe bushe gwe kudzimu unofanana ne mweni we ng'umba unodusa mu dula lile fumwa tshwa ne hwulukugwi.”
Jesu unolambiwa ku Nazareta
(Mako 6:1-6Luke 4:16-30)53 Kukati Jesu apedza zwifaniso izwezwi kadwa ipapo, 54 kalinga ku shango ya kanyi kwabo kati eswika katangisa kudiya bathu mu ng'umba yabo ye mitembezelo, ngono bakakaabala. Bakabhuzwana beti, “Iwoyu nlume wakawana poni butjenjedu igogu ne masimba iyawa e kuthama matjenamiso kene? 55 Apa ate ali iye nkololo we mbezhi kene? Apa mmeyabe ate Mariya kene, kakale apa banung'una babe ate Jakubo na Josefa na Simoni na Judasi kene? 56 Apa hazwadzi dzidze dzose adzinaswi kene? Ngono iwoyu nlume wakazwitola ngayi kene zwithu izwezwi?” 57 Ngono bakakuthika nge kukwe. Koga Jesu kati ku bali, “Nlebesambeli aatoshaya tjilumbi mu shango imwe ne imwe kuzhe kwe shango ya kanyi kwabo nenge mu nsha wa kanyi kwabo.”
58 Aazoyita matjenamiso manjinji ipapo nge kusheta kugalamoyo kwabo.
A Story about a Farmer
(Mark 4.1-9Luke 8.4-8)1 That same day Jesus left the house and went out beside Lake Galilee, where he sat down to teach. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he had to sit in a boat, while the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he taught them many things by using stories. He said:
A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. 4 While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. 5 Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn't very deep. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have deep roots. 7 Some other seeds fell where thornbushes grew up and choked the plants. 8 But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants produced 100 or 60 or 30 times as much as was scattered. 9 If you have ears, pay attention!
Why Jesus Used Stories
(Mark 4.10-12Luke 8.9Luke 10)10 Jesus' disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you use stories to speak to the people?”
11 Jesus answered:
I have explained the secrets about the kingdom of heaven to you, but not to others. 12 Everyone who has something will be given more. But people who don't have anything will lose even what little they have. 13 I use stories when I speak to them because when they look, they cannot see, and when they listen, they cannot hear or understand. 14 So God's promise came true, just as the prophet Isaiah had said,
“These people will listen
and listen,
but never understand.
They will look and look,
but never see.
15 All of them have
stubborn minds!
They refuse to listen;
they cover their eyes.
They cannot see or hear
or understand.
If they could,
they would turn to me,
and I would heal them.”
16 But God has blessed you, because your eyes can see and your ears can hear! 17 Many prophets and good people were eager to see what you see and to hear what you hear. But I tell you they did not see or hear.
Jesus Explains the Story about the Farmer
(Mark 4.13-20Luke 8.11-15)18 Now listen to the meaning of the story about the farmer:
19 The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message about the kingdom, but don't understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches the message from their hearts. 20 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it at once. 21 But they don't have deep roots, and they don't last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.
22 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. But they start worrying about the needs of this life and are fooled by the desire to get rich. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. 23 The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and understand the message. They produce as much as 100 or 60 or 30 times what was planted.
Weeds among the Wheat
24 Jesus then told them this story:
The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a farmer scattered good seed in a field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and scattered weed seeds in the field and then left.
26 When the plants came up and began to mature, the farmer's servants could see the weeds. 27 The servants came and asked, “Sir, didn't you scatter good seed in your field? Where did these weeds come from?”
28 “An enemy did this,” he replied.
His servants then asked, “Do you want us to go out and pull up the weeds?”
29 “No!” he answered. “You might also pull up the wheat. 30 Leave the weeds alone until harvest time. Then I'll tell my workers to gather the weeds and tie them up and burn them. But I'll order them to store the wheat in my barn.”
Stories about a Mustard Seed and Yeast
(Mark 4.30-32Luke 13.18-21)31 Jesus told them another story:
The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field. 32 Although it is the smallest of all seeds, it grows larger than any garden plant and becomes a tree. Birds even come and nest on its branches.
33 Jesus also said:
The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a woman mixes a little yeast into three big batches of flour. Finally, all the dough rises.
The Reason for Teaching with Stories
(Mark 4.33Mark 34)34 Jesus used stories when he spoke to the people. In fact, he did not tell them anything without using stories. 35 So God's promise came true, just as the prophet had said,
“I will use stories
to speak my message
and to explain things hidden
since the creation
of the world.”
Jesus Explains the Story about the Weeds
36 After Jesus left the crowd and went inside, his disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the story about the weeds in the wheat field.”
37 Jesus answered:
The one who scattered the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seeds are the people who belong to the kingdom. The weeds are those who belong to the evil one, 39 and the one who scattered them is the devil. The harvest is the end of time, and angels are the ones who bring in the harvest.
40 Weeds are gathered and burned. That's how it will be at the end of time. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everyone who does wrong or causes others to sin. 42 Then he will throw them into a flaming furnace, where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain. 43 But everyone who has done right will shine like the sun in their Father's kingdom. If you have ears, pay attention!
A Hidden Treasure
44 The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when someone finds a treasure hidden in a field and buries it again. Such a person is happy and goes and sells everything in order to buy that field.
A Valuable Pearl
45 The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a shop owner is looking for fine pearls. 46 After finding a very valuable one, the owner goes and sells everything in order to buy that pearl.
A Fish Net
47 The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a net is thrown into a lake and catches all kinds of fish. 48 When the net is full, it is dragged to the shore, and the fishermen sit down to separate the fish. They keep the good ones, but throw the bad ones away. 49 That's how it will be at the end of time. Angels will come and separate the evil people from the ones who have done right. 50 Then those evil people will be thrown into a flaming furnace, where they will cry and grit their teeth in pain.
New and Old Treasures
51 Jesus asked his disciples if they understood all these things. They said, “Yes, we do.”
52 So he told them, “Every student of the Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom.”
The People of Nazareth Turn against Jesus
(Mark 6.1-6Luke 4.16-30)53 When Jesus had finished telling these stories, he left 54 and went to his hometown. He taught in their synagogue, and the people were so amazed that they asked, “Where does he get all this wisdom and the power to work these miracles? 55 Isn't he the son of the carpenter? Isn't Mary his mother, and aren't James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas his brothers? 56 Don't his sisters still live here in our town? How can he do all this?” 57 So the people were upset because of what he was doing.
But Jesus said, “Prophets are honored by everyone, except the people of their hometown and their own family.” 58 And because the people did not have any faith, Jesus did not work many miracles there.