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 the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God. 3 Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him. 4 The Word was the source of life, and this life brought light to people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.
6 God sent his messenger, a man named John, 7 who came to tell people about the light, so that all should hear the message and believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came to tell about the light. 9 This was the real light—the light that comes into the world and shines on all people.
10 The Word was in the world, and though God made the world through him, yet the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his own country, but his own people did not receive him. 12 Some, however, did receive him and believed in him; so he gave them the right to become God's children. 13 They did not become God's children by natural means, that is, by being born as the children of a human father; God himself was their Father.
14 The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.
15 John spoke about him. He cried out, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘He comes after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.’”
16 Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another. 17 God gave the Law through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father's side, he has made him known.
John the Baptist's Message
(Matthew 3.1-12Mark 1.1-8Luke 3.1-18)19 The Jewish authorities in Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 John did not refuse to answer, but spoke out openly and clearly, saying: “I am not the Messiah.”
21 “Who are you, then?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No, I am not,” John answered.
“Are you the Prophet?” they asked.
“No,” he replied.
22 “Then tell us who you are,” they said. “We have to take an answer back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John answered by quoting the prophet Isaiah:
“I am ‘the voice of someone shouting in the desert:
Make a straight path for the Lord to travel!’”
24 The messengers, who had been sent by the Pharisees, 25 then asked John, “If you are not the Messiah nor Elijah nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?”
26 John answered, “I baptize with water, but among you stands the one you do not know. 27 He is coming after me, but I am not good enough even to untie his sandals.”
28 All this happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
29 The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.’ 31 I did not know who he would be, but I came baptizing with water in order to make him known to the people of Israel.”
32 And John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and stay on him. 33 I still did not know that he was the one, but God, who sent me to baptize with water, had said to me, ‘You will see the Spirit come down and stay on a man; he is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen it,” said John, “and I tell you that he is the Son of God.”
The First Disciples of Jesus
35 The next day John was standing there again with two of his disciples, 36 when he saw Jesus walking by. “There is the Lamb of God!” he said.
37 The two disciples heard him say this and went with Jesus. 38 Jesus turned, saw them following him, and asked, “What are you looking for?”
They answered, “Where do you live, Rabbi?” (This word means “Teacher.”)
39 “Come and see,” he answered. (It was then about four o'clock in the afternoon.) So they went with him and saw where he lived, and spent the rest of that day with him.
40 One of them was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 At once he found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah.” (This word means “Christ.”) 42 Then he took Simon to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, “Your name is Simon son of John, but you will be called Cephas.” (This is the same as Peter and means “a rock.”)
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come with me!” ( 44 Philip was from Bethsaida, the town where Andrew and Peter lived.) 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one whom Moses wrote about in the book of the Law and whom the prophets also wrote about. He is Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”
46 “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” answered Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, “Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!”
48 Nathanael asked him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 “Teacher,” answered Nathanael, “you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50 Jesus said, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You will see much greater things than this!” 51 And he said to them, “I am telling you the truth: you will see heaven open and God's angels going up and coming down on the Son of Man.”