1
Basi mtu mmoja alikuwa hawezi, Lazaro wa Bethania, mwenyeji wa mji wa Mariamu na Martha, dada yake.
At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
2
Ndiye Mariamu yule aliyempaka Bwana marhamu, akamfuta miguu kwa nywele zake, ambaye Lazaro nduguye alikuwa hawezi.
(Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, was to anoint the Lord with perfume and wipe His feet with her hair.)
3
Basi wale maumbu wakatuma ujumbe kwake wakisema, Bwana, yeye umpendaye hawezi.
So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
4
Naye Yesu aliposikia, alisema, Ugonjwa huu si wa mauti, bali ni kwa ajili ya utukufu wa Mungu, ili Mwana wa Mungu atukuzwe kwa huo.
When Jesus heard this, He said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5
Naye Yesu alimpenda Martha na umbu lake na Lazaro.
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.
6
Basi aliposikia ya kwamba hawezi, alikaa bado siku mbili pale pale alipokuwapo.
So on hearing that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was for two days,
7
Kisha, baada ya hayo, akawaambia wanafunzi wake, Twendeni Uyahudi tena.
and then He said to the disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
8
Wale wanafunzi wakamwambia, Rabi, juzijuzi tu Wayahudi walikuwa wakitafuta kukupiga kwa mawe, nawe unakwenda huko tena?
“Rabbi,” they replied, “the Jews just tried to stone You, and You are going back there?”
9
Yesu akajibu, Je! Saa za mchana si kumi na mbili? Mtu akienda mchana hajikwai; kwa sababu aiona nuru ya ulimwengu huu.
Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees by the light of this world.
10
Bali akienda usiku hujikwaa; kwa sababu nuru haimo ndani yake.
But if anyone walks at night, he will stumble, because he has no light.”
11
Aliyasema hayo; kisha, baada ya hayo, akawaambia, Rafiki yetu, Lazaro, amelala; lakini ninakwenda nipate kumwamsha.
After He had said this, He told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to wake him up.”
12
Basi wale wanafunzi wakamwambia, Bwana, ikiwa amelala, atapona.
His disciples replied, “Lord, if he is sleeping, he will get better.”
13
Lakini Yesu alikuwa amenena habari ya mauti yake; nao walidhania ya kuwa ananena habari ya kulala usingizi.
They thought that Jesus was talking about actual sleep, but He was speaking about the death of Lazarus.
14
Basi hapo Yesu akawaambia waziwazi, Lazaro amekufa.
So Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead,
15
Nami nafurahi kwa ajili yenu kwamba sikuwako huko, ili mpate kuamini; lakini na twendeni kwake.
and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”
16
Basi Tomaso, aitwaye Pacha, akawaambia wanafunzi wenziwe, Twendeni na sisi, ili tufe pamoja naye.
Then Thomas called Didymus said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.”
17
Basi Yesu alipofika, alimkuta amekwisha kuwamo kaburini yapata siku nne.
When Jesus arrived, He found that Lazarus had already spent four days in the tomb.
18
Na Bethania ilikuwa karibu na Yerusalemu, kadiri ya maili mbili hivi;
Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two miles away,
19
na watu wengi katika Wayahudi walikuwa wamekuja kwa Martha na Mariamu, ili kuwafariji kwa habari ya ndugu yao.
and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them in the loss of their brother.
20
Basi Martha aliposikia kwamba Yesu anakuja, alikwenda kumlaki; na Mariamu alikuwa akikaa nyumbani.
So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet Him, but Mary stayed at home.
21
Basi Martha akamwambia Yesu, Bwana, kama ungalikuwapo hapa, ndugu yangu hangalikufa.
Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.
22
Lakini hata sasa najua ya kuwa yo yote utakayomwomba Mungu, Mungu atakupa.
But even now I know that God will give You whatever You ask of Him.”
23
Yesu akamwambia, Ndugu yako atafufuka.
“Your brother will rise again,” Jesus told her.
24
Martha akamwambia, Najua ya kuwa atafufuka katika ufufuo siku ya mwisho.
Martha replied, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25
Yesu akamwambia, Mimi ndimi huo ufufuo, na uzima. Yeye aniaminiye mimi, ajapokufa, atakuwa anaishi;
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
26
naye kila aishiye na kuniamini hatakufa kabisa hata milele. Je! Unayasadiki hayo?
And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27
Akamwambia, Naam, Bwana, mimi nimesadiki ya kwamba wewe ndiwe Kristo, Mwana wa Mungu, yule ajaye ulimwenguni.
“Yes, Lord,” she answered, “I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
28
Naye alipokwisha kusema hayo, alikwenda zake; akamwita umbu lake Mariamu faraghani, akisema, Mwalimu yupo anakuita.
After Martha had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside to tell her, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”
29
Naye aliposikia, aliondoka upesi, akamwendea.
And when Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Him.
30
Na Yesu alikuwa hajafika ndani ya kijiji; lakini alikuwa akalipo pale pale alipomlaki Martha.
Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him.
31
Basi wale Wayahudi waliokuwapo na Mariamu nyumbani, wakimfariji, walipomwona jinsi alivyoondoka upesi na kutoka, walimfuata; huku wakidhania ya kuwa anakwenda kaburini ili alie huko.
When the Jews who were in the house consoling Mary saw how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
32
Basi Mariamu alipofika pale alipokuwapo Yesu, na kumwona, alianguka miguuni pake, akamwambia, Bwana, kama ungalikuwapo hapa, ndugu yangu hangalikufa.
When Mary came to Jesus and saw Him, she fell at His feet and said, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”
33
Basi Yesu alipomwona analia, na wale Wayahudi waliofuatana naye wanalia, aliugua rohoni, akafadhaika roho yake,
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
34
akasema, Mmemweka wapi? Wakamwambia, Bwana, njoo utazame.
“Where have you put him?” He asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they answered.
35
Yesu akalia machozi.
Jesus wept.
36
Basi Wayahudi wakasema, Angalieni jinsi alivyompenda.
Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”
37
Bali wengine wao wakasema, Je! Huyu aliyemfumbua macho yule kipofu, hakuweza kumfanya na huyu asife?
But some of them asked, “Could not this man who opened the eyes of the blind also have kept Lazarus from dying?”
38
Basi Yesu, hali akiugua tena nafsini mwake, akafika kwenye kaburi. Nalo lilikuwa ni pango, na jiwe limewekwa juu yake.
Jesus, once again deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.
39
Yesu akasema, Liondoeni jiwe. Martha, dada yake yule aliyefariki, akamwambia, Bwana, ananuka sasa; maana amekuwa maiti siku nne.
“Take away the stone,” Jesus said. “Lord, by now he stinks,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man. “It has already been four days.”
40
Yesu akamwambia, Mimi sikukuambia ya kwamba ukiamini utauona utukufu wa Mungu?
Jesus replied, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
41
Basi wakaliondoa lile jiwe. Yesu akainua macho yake juu, akasema, Baba, nakushukuru kwa kuwa umenisikia.
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted His eyes upward and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.
42
Nami nalijua ya kuwa wewe wanisikia sikuzote; lakini kwa ajili ya mkutano huu wanaohudhuria nalisema haya, ili wapate kusadiki kwamba ndiwe uliyenituma.
I knew that You always hear Me, but I say this for the benefit of the people standing here, so they may believe that You sent Me.”
43
Naye akiisha kusema hayo, akalia kwa sauti kuu, Lazaro, njoo huku nje.
After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
44
Akatoka nje yule aliyekufa, amefungwa sanda miguuni na mikononi, na uso wake amefungwa leso. Naye Yesu akawaambia, Mfungueni, mkamwache aende zake.
The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.
45
Basi wengi katika Wayahudi waliokuja kwa Mariamu, na kuyaona yale aliyoyafanya, wakamwamini.
Therefore many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in Him.
46
Lakini wengine wakaenda zao kwa Mafarisayo, wakawaambia aliyoyafanya Yesu.
But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.
47
Basi wakuu wa makuhani na Mafarisayo wakakusanya baraza, wakasema, Tunafanya nini? Maana mtu huyu afanya ishara nyingi.
Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs.
48
Tukimwacha hivi, watu wote watamwamini; na Warumi watakuja, watatuondolea mahali petu na taifa letu.
If we let Him go on like this, everyone will believe in Him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
49
Mtu mmoja miongoni mwao, Kayafa, aliyekuwa Kuhani Mkuu mwaka ule, akawaambia, Ninyi hamjui neno lo lote;
But one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all!
50
wala hamfikiri ya kwamba yafaa mtu mmoja afe kwa ajili ya watu, wala lisiangamie taifa zima.
You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
51
Na neno hilo yeye hakulisema kwa nafsi yake; bali kwa kuwa alikuwa Kuhani Mkuu mwaka ule, alitabiri ya kwamba Yesu atakufa kwa ajili ya taifa hilo.
Caiaphas did not say this on his own. Instead, as high priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus would die for the nation,
52
Wala si kwa ajili ya taifa hilo tu; lakini pamoja na hayo awakusanye watoto wa Mungu waliotawanyika, ili wawe wamoja.
and not only for the nation, but also for the scattered children of God, to gather them together into one.
53
Basi tangu siku ile walifanya shauri la kumwua.
So from that day on they plotted to kill Him.
54
Kwa hiyo Yesu hakutembea tena kwa wazi katikati ya Wayahudi; bali alitoka huko, akaenda mahali karibu na jangwa, mpaka mji uitwao Efraimu; akakaa huko pamoja na wanafunzi wake.
As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.
55
Na Pasaka ya Wayahudi ilikuwa karibu; na wengi wakakwea toka mashambani kwenda Yerusalemu kabla ya Pasaka, ili wajitakase.
Now the Jewish Passover was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to purify themselves before the Passover.
56
Basi wao wakamtafuta Yesu, wakasemezana hali wamesimama hekaluni, Mwaonaje? Haji kabisa sikukuu hii?
They kept looking for Jesus and asking one another as they stood in the temple courts, “What do you think? Will He come to the feast at all?”
57
Na wakuu wa makuhani na Mafarisayo walikuwa wametoa amri ya kwamba mtu akimjua alipo, alete habari, ili wapate kumkamata.
But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.