1 UPawulos, umkhonzi kathixo, umpostile ke kaYesu Kristu, ngokokholo lwabanyulwa bakaThixo, nokuyazi inyaniso engokokuhlonela uThixo;
2 ngethemba lobomi obungunaphakade, awathi uThixo, ongenakuxoka, wabubeka idinga ngaphambi kwamaxesha angunaphakade,
3 walibonakalisa ke ilizwi lakhe ngamaxesha angawalo, ngokuvakalisa endakuphathiswayo mna, ngokommiselo woMsindisi wethu uThixo:
4 kuTito, umntwana wam wenene ngokwaselukholweni, esinobudlelane ngalo: Makube lubabalo, noxolo oluvela kuThixo uYise, nakuYesu Kristu, uMsindisi wethu.
5 Ndakushiya eKrete ngenxa yoku, ukuze uhambise ukuzilungisa izinto eziseleyo, umise amadoda amakhulu kwimizi ngemizi, njengoko ndakumisela ngako mna:
6 ukuba umntu ungongenakumangaleleka, eyindoda yamfazi mnye enabantwana abakholiweyo, abangamiselwa tyala lakuzibhubhisa, abangaswele kuthobela mntu.
7 Kuba umveleli umelwe kukuba ngongenakumangaleleka, njengegosa likaThixo; angabi ngowenza ukuzithandela kwakhe; angabi ngoqumba msinya; angabi ngogeziswa yiwayini; angabi ngumbethi; angabi ngongxamela nzuzo imbi.
8 Umelwe kukuthi abe ngobuka iindwendwe, umthandi wokulungileyo, onesidima, olilungisa, ongcwele, onokuzeyisa;
9 ebambelele ezwini elithembekileyo ngokwemfundiso, ukuze abe nako ukuvuselela ngayo imfundiso ephilileyo, nokubohlwaya badane abaphikayo.
10 Kuba baninzi abathethi bezinto ezingento nabakhohlisi, abaswele intobeko, ngokukodwa abo bolwaluko,
11 abamelwe kukuvingcwa imilomo; abathi izindlu ziphela bazibhukuqe, befundisa izinto ezingafanelekileyo ngenxa yenzuzo embi.
12 Wathi omnye wabo, kwaumprofeti wakowabo, AmaKrete ahlala engamaxoki, amarhamncwa amabi, amadla-kudla angasebenziyo.
13 Obo bungqina buyinene. Ngenxa yeli thuba bohlwaye kabukhali, badane, ukuze baphile elukholweni;
14 banganyamekeli zintsomi zabuYuda, namithetho yabantu abayinikela umva inyaniso.
15 Izinto zonke zihlambulukile kwabahlambulukileyo; kwabadyobhekileyo nabangakholwayo, akukho nto ihlambulukileyo; kusuke kwadyobheka nengqiqo nesazela sabo.
16 Bayavuma ukuba bayamazi uThixo; kanti ngayo imisebenzi bayamkhanyela, bengamasikizi, bengabangevayo, nakumsebenzi wonke olungileyo bengenakucikideka. |