KwabaseFiliphi
1 Mina Phawuli loThimothi esiyizinceku zikaKhristu uJesu, kini lonke abangcwele abaseFiliphi+ abamanyene loKhristu uJesu, labadala* lezinceku ezikhonzayo:+
2 Umusa omkhulu lokuthula okuvela kuNkulunkulu uBaba wethu laseNkosini uJesu Khristu akube kini.
3 Ngiyambonga ngaso sonke isikhathi uNkulunkulu nxa ngilikhumbula. 4 Ngimbonga kuyo yonke imithandazo yami yokulincengela lonke. Ngiyathokoza loba nini nxa ngithandaza ngilincengela+ 5 ngenxa yokuthi kusukela ngelanga lokuqala kuze kube khathesi, belincedisa ukuthi izindaba ezinhle ziqhubekele phambili. 6 Nanku engileqiniso lakho: Lowo owaqalisa umsebenzi omuhle kini uzawuqedisa+ kuze kube lusuku lukaKhristu uJesu.+ 7 Kuqondile ukuthi ngicabange lokho ngani lonke njengoba ngilithanda ngenhliziyo yami yonke. Langisekela ngesikhathi ngisejele+ lalapho ngivikela izindaba ezinhle futhi ngizimisa ziqine ngokusemthethweni.+ Sonke sancedwa ngumusa omkhulu kaNkulunkulu.
8 UNkulunkulu ungufakazi wami wokuthi ngiyalikhanuka kakhulu lonke ngoba ngiyalithanda njengoba nje loKhristu uJesu elithanda. 9 Kanti njalo ngiqhubeka ngithandazela ukuthi uthando lwenu luqhubeke lukhula kakhulu,+ libe lolwazi oluqondileyo+ lokuqedisisa konke+ 10 futhi linanzelele ukuthi yiziphi izinto eziqakatheke kakhulu.+ Lokhu kuzalenza lingabi lasici njalo lingakhubi abanye+ kuze kufike usuku lukaKhristu. 11 Kuzakwenza lokuthi ligcwaliswe ngezithelo zokulunga ezitholakala ngoJesu Khristu,+ uNkulunkulu abesekhazinyuliswa futhi adunyiswe.
12 Engifuna likwazi bafowethu yikuthi izinto ezingehleleyo sezenze ukuthi izindaba ezinhle ziqhubekele phambili, 13 okokuthi ukubotshwa kwami+ ngenxa kaKhristu sekusaziwa+ yibo bonke abalindi benkosi labo bonke abantu nje. 14 Khathesi abafowethu abakhonza iNkosi sebelesibindi ngenxa yokubotshwa kwami. Batshengisa ukuthi balesibindi sokukhuluma ilizwi likaNkulunkulu bengesabi.
15 Abanye batshumayela ngoKhristu ngenxa yomona lokubangisana kodwa abanye bakwenza ngenhliziyo emhlophe. 16 Laba abakwenza ngenhliziyo emhlophe batshumayela ngoKhristu ngenxa yothando ngoba bayakwazi ukuthi ngibekwe ukuthi ngivikele izindaba ezinhle.+ 17 Kodwa abatshumayela ngenxa yomona bafuna ukuncintisana, kabahlosanga okuhle ngoba bafuna ukungidalela uhlupho ngesikhathi ngibotshiwe. 18 Besekuphetha ngani? Kuphetha ngokuthi uKhristu uyatshunyayelwa ngazo zonke izindlela, kungelani lokuthi bakwenza bezenzisa loba ngeqiniso futhi lokho kuyangithokozisa. Ngizaqhubeka ngithokoza sibili 19 ngoba ngiyakwazi ukuthi lokhu kuzakwenza ngisindiswe ngenxa yokuthi liyangithandazela lingincengela+ futhi umoya kaJesu Khristu uyangisekela,+ 20 njengoba nje ngilethemba njalo ngikhangelele ukuthi kangisoze ngiyangiswe loba sekutheni. Kodwa ngizakhuluma ngikhululekile uKhristu abesekhazinyuliswa ngomzimba wami njengenjayelo, kungelani lokuthi ngiyaphila kumbe ngifile.+
21 Phela mina nxa ngiphila ngiphilela uKhristu+ njalo nxa ngisifa yimi engincedakalayo.+ 22 Nxa ngiqhubeka ngiphila emhlabeni,* umsebenzi wami uzathela izithelo kodwa engikukhethayo angikuvezi. 23 Angikwazi ukuthi ngikhethe kuphi phakathi kwezinto lezi ezimbili ngoba ngiyafisa sibili ukukhululwa ngiyekuba loKhristu.+ Lokhu yikho okungcono kakhulu.+ 24 Kodwa kuqakatheke kakhulu ukuthi ngiqhubeke ngiphila emhlabeni ngenxa yenu. 25 Njengoba ngingakuthandabuzi lokho, ngiyakwazi ukuthi ngizaqhubeka ngiphila futhi ngilani lonke ukuze lithuthuke njalo lijabule ekukholweni. 26 Lokhu kuzakwenza ukuthi nxa sengilani futhi intokozo yenu enkulu iphuphume ngoba lingabalandeli bakaKhristu uJesu.
27 Lina nje ziphatheni* ngendlela evumelana lezindaba ezinhle ezimayelana loKhristu,+ ukwenzela ukuthi loba ngibuyile kini ngizolibona kumbe ngingabuyanga, ngizwe mayelana lani njalo ngikwazi ukuthi limi liqinile, limanyene* futhi liyavumelana.*+ Ngifuna ukwazi lokuthi lisebenzela ukholo lwezindaba ezinhle lindawonye 28 njalo alethuki lanxa beliphikisa. Konke lokhu kufakazela ukuthi bona bazabhujiswa+ kodwa lina lizasindiswa+ njalo lokhu kuvela kuNkulunkulu. 29 Phela seliphiwe isibusiso ngenxa kaKhristu esokuthi limkholwe liphinde limhluphekele+ 30 ngoba liphakathi kokulwa elangibona ngiphakathi kwakho+ futhi eselisizwa ngakho khathesi ukuthi ngilokhu ngiphakathi kwakho.