IzEnzo 17:1-34
17 Manje bahamba badabula i-Amfipholi ne-Apholoniya bafika eThesalonika,+ lapho kwakukhona khona isinagoge lamaJuda.
2 Ngakho ngokwenqubo+ yakhe, uPawulu, waya kubo ngaphakathi, amasabatha amathathu wabonisana nabo ngemiBhalo,+
3 echaza futhi ebonisa ngezingcaphuno ukuthi kwakudingekile ukuba uKristu ahlupheke+ futhi avuke kwabafileyo,+ ethi: “Lona nguye uKristu,+ lo Jesu engimmemezela kini.”
4 Ngenxa yalokho abanye kubo baba ngamakholwa+ futhi bazihlanganisa noPawulu noSila,+ noquqaba olukhulu lwamaGreki olwalukhulekela uNkulunkulu nabaningana kwabesifazane abavelele benza kanjalo.
5 Kodwa amaJuda, eba nomhawu,+ athatha amadoda athile akhohlakele phakathi komahlalela basesigcawini bawahlanganisa nawo baba yiviyo benza isiyaluyalu emzini.+ Ahlasela umuzi kaJasoni+ efuna ukuba balethwe esixukwini esinesiyaluyalu.
6 Lapho engabatholi ahudulela uJasoni nabazalwane abathile kubabusi bomuzi, ememeza: “La madoda ayaluzisa+ umhlaba owakhiwe asekhona nalapha,
7 futhi uJasoni uwamukele ngemfudumalo. Wonke la madoda enza ngokuphikisana nezinqumo+ zikaKhesari, ethi kukhona enye inkosi,+ uJesu.”
8 Basiyaluzisa ngempela isixuku nababusi bomuzi lapho bezwa lezi zinto;
9 futhi ngemva kokuthatha kuqala isibambiso esanele kuJasoni nabanye babadedela.
10 Masinyane ebusuku+ abazalwane babamukisa bobabili uPawulu noSila ukuba baye eBhereya, futhi laba, lapho befika, baya esinagogeni lamaJuda.
11 Manje laba babenengqondo enhle kunabaseThesalonika, ngoba bamukela izwi ngengqondo enokulangazela okukhulu, behlola+ ngokucophelela imiBhalo+ nsuku zonke ukuthi zinjalo yini lezi zinto.+
12 Ngakho-ke abaningi kubo baba ngamakholwa, futhi benza kanjalo nabaningana kwabesifazane abangamaGreki abanedumela elihle+ namadoda.
13 Kodwa lapho amaJuda aseThesalonika ezwa ukuthi uPawulu wayememezela izwi likaNkulunkulu naseBhereya, afika nakhona ukuze avuse+ abantu futhi abayaluzise.+
14 Khona-ke masinyane abazalwane bammukisa uPawulu ukuba ahambe aze afike olwandle;+ kodwa uSila noThimothewu basala lapho.
15 Nokho, labo ababephelezela uPawulu bahamba naye baze bafika e-Athene, futhi ngemva kokwamukela umyalo wokuba uSila noThimothewu+ beze kuye masinyane ngangokunokwenzeka, bamuka.
16 Manje lapho uPawulu esabalindele e-Athene, umoya wakhe wacasuka+ ngaphakathi kuye lapho ebona ukuthi umuzi ugcwele izithombe.
17 Ngenxa yalokho wabonisana namaJuda+ esinagogeni kanye nabanye abantu ababekhulekela uNkulunkulu esigcawini+ nsuku zonke nalabo okwakwenzeka ukuba babe khona.
18 Kodwa abathile ezazini zefilosofi+ ezingama-Epikhuru nezingamaStoyiku baxoxa naye bemphikisa, futhi abanye babethi: “Lifuna ukuthini leli phoshophosho?”+ Abanye bethi: “Kubonakala sengathi umemezela onkulunkulu bezinye izizwe.” Lokhu kwakungenxa yokuthi wayememezela izindaba ezinhle zikaJesu novuko.+
19 Ngakho bambamba bamyisa e-Areyophagu, bethi: “Ungesazise yini ukuthi iyini le mfundiso+ entsha oyikhulumayo na?
20 Ngoba wethula ezindlebeni zethu izinto esizeshwamayo. Ngakho-ke sifisa ukwazi inhloso yalezi zinto.”+
21 Eqinisweni, bonke abase-Athene nabezinye izizwe ababengabafokazi lapho babechitha isikhathi sabo esikhululekile bengenzi lutho ngaphandle kokuxoxa noma ukulalela okuthile okusha.
22 UPawulu manje wema phakathi kwe-Areyophagu+ wathi:
“Madoda ase-Athene, ngiyabona ukuthi kukho konke nibonakala nithambekele kakhulu kunabanye ekwesabeni onkulunkulu.+
23 Ngokwesibonelo, lapho ngidlula futhi ngibheka ngokucophelela izinto enizihloniphayo ngithole ne-altare okuqoshwe kulo ukuthi ‘Kunkulunkulu Ongaziwa.’ Ngakho-ke lokho enizinikele kukho ngokungazi, yikho engikumemezela kini.
24 UNkulunkulu owenza umhlaba nakho konke okukuwo, iNkosi yezulu nomhlaba,+ njengoba Yena eyiyo, akahlali emathempelini enziwe ngezandla,+
25 futhi akakhonzwa ngezandla zabantu njengokungathi kukhona akudingayo,+ ngoba yena ngokwakhe unika bonke abantu ukuphila+ nomoya+ nazo zonke izinto.
26 Futhi ngomuntu oyedwa+ wenza zonke izizwe+ zabantu, ukuba zihlale kubo bonke ubuso bomhlaba,+ wanquma izikhathi ezimisiwe+ nemikhawulo emisiwe yokuhlala kwabantu,+
27 ukuba zifune uNkulunkulu,+ uma zingamphumputha zimthole ngempela,+ nakuba, eqinisweni, engekude kulowo nalowo kithi.
28 Ngoba ngaye siyaphila siyanyakaza futhi sikhona,+ njengoba nje abathile ezimbongini+ zakini beshilo, ‘Ngoba futhi siyinzalo yakhe.’
29 “Ngakho-ke, njengoba siyinzalo kaNkulunkulu,+ akufanele sicabange ukuthi uMuntu Waphezulu+ unjengegolide noma isiliva noma itshe, njengokuthile okuqoshwe ngobuciko nangomklamo womuntu.+
30 Yiqiniso, uNkulunkulu uye wangazinaka izikhathi zokungazi okunjalo,+ nokho manje utshela isintu ukuba sonke kuyo yonke indawo siphenduke.+
31 Ngoba umise usuku ajonge ukwahlulela+ ngalo umhlaba owakhiwe ngokulunga ngomuntu ammisile, futhi unikeze isiqinisekiso kubo bonke abantu njengoba eye wamvusa+ kwabafileyo.”
32 Nokho, lapho bezwa ngovuko lwabafileyo, abanye baqala ukuhleka usula,+ kuyilapho abanye bethi: “Sizobuye sikuzwe ngalokhu nangesinye isikhathi.”
33 Ngakho uPawulu waphuma kubo,
34 kodwa amanye amadoda azihlanganisa naye futhi aba ngamakholwa, kukhona noDiyonisiyu phakathi kwawo, umahluleli wenkantolo yase-Areyophagu,+ nowesifazane ogama lakhe linguDamari, kanye nabanye ngaphandle kwabo.
