Faith and Service
(Matthew 18.6Matthew 7Matthew 21Matthew 22Mark 9.42)1 Jesus said to his disciples:
There will always be something that causes people to sin. But anyone who causes them to sin is in for trouble. A person who causes even one of my little followers to sin 2 would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their neck. 3 So be careful what you do.
Correct any followers of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry. 4 Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, “I am sorry,” you should still forgive that person.
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Make our faith stronger!”
6 Jesus replied:
If you had faith no bigger than a tiny mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree to pull itself up, roots and all, and to plant itself in the ocean. And it would!
7 If your servant comes in from plowing or from taking care of the sheep, would you say, “Welcome! Come on in and have something to eat”? 8 No, you wouldn't say that. You would say, “Prepare me something to eat. Get ready to serve me, so I can have my meal. Then later on you can eat and drink.” 9 Servants don't deserve special thanks for doing what they are supposed to do. 10 And that's how it should be with you. When you've done all you should, then say, “We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty.”
Ten Men with Leprosy
11 On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus went along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men with leprosy came toward him. They stood at a distance 13 and shouted, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14 Jesus looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.”
On their way they were healed. 15 When one of them discovered that he was healed, he came back, shouting praises to God. 16 He bowed down at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. The man was from the country of Samaria.
17 Jesus asked, “Weren't ten men healed? Where are the other nine? 18 Why was this foreigner the only one who came back to thank God?” 19 Then Jesus told the man, “You may get up and go. Your faith has made you well.”
God's Kingdom
(Matthew 24.23-28Matthew 37-41)20 Some Pharisees asked Jesus when God's kingdom would come. He answered, “God's kingdom isn't something you can see. 21 There is no use saying, ‘Look! Here it is’ or ‘Look! There it is.’ God's kingdom is here with you.”
22 Jesus said to his disciples:
The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not. 23 When people say to you, “Look there,” or “Look here,” don't go looking for him. 24 The day of the Son of Man will be like lightning flashing across the sky. 25 But first he must suffer terribly and be rejected by the people of today. 26 When the Son of Man comes, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 27 People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day when Noah went into the big boat. Then the flood came and drowned everyone on earth.
28 When Lot lived, people were also eating and drinking. They were buying, selling, planting, and building. 29 But on the very day Lot left Sodom, fiery flames poured down from the sky and killed everyone. 30 The same will happen on the day when the Son of Man appears.
31 At that time no one on a rooftop should go down into the house to get anything. No one in a field should go back to the house for anything. 32 Remember what happened to Lot's wife.
33 People who try to save their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives will save them. 34 On that night two people will be sleeping in the same bed, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. 35-36 Two women will be together grinding wheat, but only one will be taken. The other will be left.
37 Then Jesus' disciples spoke up, “But where will this happen, Lord?”
Jesus said, “Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures.”
Elondwelo molwomapukifo nekumaido okukufilafana po
1 Ndele Ye okwa lombwela ovalongwa vaye: “Itashi dulika omahongaulo ehe uye, ndelenee woo, ou te a eta! 2 Oshiwa kuye ngeno a mangelwe emanya loshini kofingo yaye, ye a ekelwe mefuta, shi dule eshi ta hongaula kamwe kaava vanini. 3 Lilungameneni nye vene!
“Omumwanyoko ngeenge ta nyono, mu hanyena, ndele ngeenge te lidilulula, mu kufila po. 4 Ndele ngeenge te ku ningi nai luheyali mefiku limwe alike, ndele ta aluka luheyali ndele ta ti: ‘Onde lialuluka,’ mu dimina po.”
5 Ovayapostoli ova tya kOmwene: “Tu wedela eitavelo.” 6 Ndele Omwene ta ti: “Ngeno omu na eitavelo li fike pombuto yoshinapi ndele tamu lombwele omukwiyu ou: ‘Lidikula po ove u litwike mefuta,’ ngeno tau mu udu.
7 “Ndele olyelye womunye e na omupiya ta pulula ile ta lifa, ngeenge ta di kepya ndele te mu lombwele ngeno: ‘Ila diva, ove u lye?’ 8 Ite mu lombwele mbela, ta ti: ‘Pakele nge po ouvalelo, ove u lidike ndele to yakula nge fimbo handi li ndele handi nu. Opo nee ove to ka lya ndele to nu.’ 9 Ile u shii ta pandula omupiya ou eshi a longa osho e shi lombwelwa? 10 Hano osho nanye yo, ngeenge mwa wanifa ashishe mwe shi lombwelwa, tyeni: ‘Ofye ovapiya vongaho, otwa longa osho ashike twa li tu noku shi longa.’ ”
Okuvelulwa kwovanashilundu omulongo
11 Ndelenee pa ningwa, Ye eshi a li mondjila ta i kuJerusalem, okwa enda nongaba yaSamaria naGalilea. 12 Ndele eshi e uya komukunda umwe wonhumba, ovalumenhu ovanashilundu omulongo ve mu shakeneka, ve li ofika kokule, 13 vo ova popya mokule tava ti: “Jesus, omuhongi, tu filonghenda!” 14 Ndele eshi e va mona, okwa tya kuvo: “Indeni mu ke liulikile kovapristeli.” Hano opa ningwa fimbo tava i, ova veluka. 15 Ndele umwe womuvo eshi a mona a veluka, okwa aluka nokuhambelela Kalunga nondaka inene, 16 ndele ye a wila poshi peemhadi daJesus ndele te mu pandula, ye nee okwa li Omusamaria. 17 Jesus okwa nyamukula ta ti: “Hamulongo ovo va velulwa? Venya omugoi ove li peni? 18 Inaku monika vali nande oumwe a aluka, a hambelele Kalunga, omunailongo oye tuu aeke?” 19 Ndele Ye okwe mu lombwela: “Fikama ove u ye, eitavelo loye le ku velula.”
Euyo louhamba waKalunga
20 Ndele eshi a pulwa kOvafarisai ouhamba waKalunga otau uya naini, okwe va nyamukula ta ti: “Ouhamba waKalunga itau uya u wetike, 21 ndele itaku tiwa: ‘tala opopo’, ile ‘tala opapenya,’ osheshi tala, ouhamba waKalunga ou li meni munye.”
22 Ndele Ye okwa lombwela ovalongwa vaye: “Omafiku tae uya, nye otamu kala mwa djuulukwa mu mone nande efiku limwe lOmona wOmunhu, nye itamu li mono. 23 Ndele tamu lombwelwa: ‘Tala, oku li penya,’ ile: ‘Tala, opapa,’ inamu ya ko. 24 Osheshi ongaashi oluvadi mokushela kwalo tali minikile kominghulo deulu fiyo okominghulo dikwao, osho ngaha Omona wOmunhu ta kala mefiku laye. 25 Ndele tete oye e nokuhepekwa unene ndele ta ekelwashi kepupi eli. 26 Ndele ngaashi pa ningilwe pomafiku aNoa, osho tapa ka ningwa pomafiku Omona wOmunhu, 27 va kala hava li ndele hava nu, va hombola ndele va hombolwa fiyo efiku olo Noa a ya mongulu yomomeva, eyelu le uya ndele ole va nyona po aveshe. 28 Ndele ngaashi pa ningilwe pomafiku aLot, va kala hava li ndele hava nu, va landa vo va landifa, va twika nova tunga, 29 ndelenee efiku olo Lot a dja mo muSodom, opa loka omundilo nosulfuri wa dja meulu, ndele owe va nyona po aveshe, 30 osho ngaha taku ka ningwa efiku olo Omona wOmunhu ta ka holoka.
31 “Efiku olo ou ta hangika kombada yongulu e na oinima yaye meumbo, aha londoloke e ke i tale ko, nosho tuu ou ta hangika mepya ina aluka mo. 32 Dimbulukweni omukainhu waLot. 33 Ou ta kendabala okulixupifila omwenyo waye, ote u kanifa, ndele ou te u kanifa, ote ke u xupifa. 34 Ohandi mu lombwele: oufiku winya ovalumenhu vavali tava kala momutala umwe; umwe ta tambulwa namukwao ta fiwa po. 35 Ovakainhu vavali tava hangwa poshini tava tu; umwe ta tambulwa namukwao ta fiwa po.
36 “Ovalumenhu vavali ve li mepya; umwe ta tambulwa namukwao ta fiwa po.”
37 Ndele vo ove mu nyamukula va tya: “Omwene, openi?” Ye okwa tya kuvo: “Oko ku na oshimhu, oko taku ongala eenhwa.”
