Toksahkungnawk 17
1 Amphipolis hoi Apollonia vangpui to poeng hoi pacoengah, Thessalonika vangpui to a phak hoi, toah Judahnawk ih Sineko maeto oh:
Paul and Silas traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia [towns] and arrived at Thessalonica [city]. There was a Jewish meeting place there.
2 a sakzong ih baktih toengah, Pawl loe Sineko ah caeh moe, Sabbath vai thumto thung nihcae hoi nawnto Cabu thung ih lok to angdueng o,
(On the Sabbath/On the Jewish rest day) Paul went into the meeting house, as he usually did. For three weeks [he went there] on each Jewish day of rest. Referring to the Scriptures [about the Messiah], he spoke to the people who were there.
3 Kri loe patangkhang ueloe, duekhaih thung hoi angthawk let tih; nangcae khaeah kang thuih o ih Jesu loe Kri boeh ni, tiah a thuih pae.
He explained and showed that [the prophets wrote that] the Messiah needed to die and (to become alive again/to be raised from the dead [afterwards]). He told them: “This man Jesus, whom I am telling you about, is our Messiah. [He died and became alive again, just like the prophets predicted].”
4 To naah thoemto kaminawk mah tang o moe, Pawl hoi Silas hoiah angkom o; Sithaw zii paroeai Grik kaminawk hoi araengh kasang nongpatanawk mah doeh tang o.
Some of the Jews [there] were persuaded by {believed} [what Paul had said] and began to associate with Paul and Silas. There were also many non-Jewish people there who worshipped God and many important women [who also believed the message about Jesus], and they began to associate with Paul and Silas.
5 Toe tang ai Judahnawk loe uthaih tawnh o pongah, hmuen zawhhaih ahmuen ah kaom kahoih ai kaminawk to kawk o moe, nawnto amkhueng o sak, vangpui thungah lokpunghaih to sak o, Jason ih im to muk o moe, nihcae to rangpui hma ah ruet hanah pakrong o.
But [some leaders of] the Jews there in Thessalonica became jealous [because many people believed what Paul taught]. So they went to the public square and persuaded some lazy men [who were loitering there] to follow them. [In this way, the leaders of] the Jews gathered a crowd and incited them to become noisy and start a riot [against Paul and Silas]. Those [Jews and others] ran to the house of [a man named] Jason. [He was the man who had invited Paul and Silas to stay at his house]. They wanted to bring Paul and Silas outside to where the crowd [of people was waiting].
6 Nihcae to hnu o ai naah loe, Jason hoi thoemto nawkamyanawk to vangpui ukkung khaeah hoih o, long pum buenglueng tamlet ah sah kaminawk loe, haeah phak o boeh, tiah hang o;
They discovered that Paul and Silas were not there, but they found Jason [and grabbed him]. They dragged him and some of the [other] believers to where the city officials/authorities and [many other people were gathered]. The men [who had brought Jason] shouted, “Those [two] men have caused trouble [IDM] everywhere [HYP] [they have gone]. Now they have come to our city,
7 Jason mah nihnik to talawk moe, angmah im ah toemsak: nihnik loe Caesar ih lok to aek hoi, kalah siangpahrang, Jesu oh vop, tiah a thuih hoi, tiah a naa o.
and [this fellow] Jason invited them to stay at his house. All the people [of this sect] oppose what our Emperor has decreed. They say that another person, whose name is Jesus, is [the real] king!”
8 To lok to kaminawk mah thaih o naah, kaminawk hoi vangpui ukkungnawk palungphui o sak aep.
When the crowd of people [that had gathered] and the city authorities heard that, they became very angry and excited.
9 Jason hoi kalah kaminawk lokkamhaih saksak pacoengah, nihcae to tacawt o sak.
[They wanted to put the believers in jail. But instead], the officials made Jason and the other [believers] pay a fine and told them that they [would give the money back to them if Paul and Silas did not cause any more trouble]. Then the authorities let Jason and those other believers go.
10 Nawkamyanawk mah Pawl hoi Silas to khoving ah Berea vangpui bangah patoeh o roep: to vangpui a phak hoi naah Judahnawk ih Sineko ah a caeh hoi.
[So] that same night, the believers sent Paul and Silas [out of Thessalonica] to Berea [town]. When Paul and Silas arrived there, they went to the Jewish meeting place, [on a day when people had gathered there].
11 Berea vangpui ih kaminawk loe Thessalonika vangpui ih kaminawk pongah poekhaih kahoih tawnh o kue, nihcae mah loe koehhaih palung hoiah lok to talawk o moe, to loknawk loe Cabu thungah oh maw, tiah nithokkruek pakrong o.
The [Jews] in Thessalonica had not been very willing to listen to God’s message, but the [Jews] who lived in Berea were very willing to listen, so they listened very eagerly to the message [about Jesus]. Every day they read the Scriptures [for themselves] to find out if what Paul said [about the Messiah] was true.
12 To pongah paroeai kaminawk mah tang o; saiqat koi kaom Grik kami nongpa nongpatanawk mah doeh tang o.
As a result, many of the Jewish people believed [in Jesus], and also some of the important non-Jewish women and many non-Jewish men [believed in him].
13 Pawl mah Berea vangpui ah Sithaw lok to thuih, tiah Thessalonika vangpui ah kaom Judahnawk mah thaih o naah, toah a caeh o let bae moe, kaminawk to pacuek o.
But then the Jews in Thessalonica heard [people tell them] that Paul [was] in Berea and that he was preaching the message from God [about Jesus]. So they went to Berea and [told people there that what Paul was teaching was not true. Thus], they caused many of those people to get angry [at Paul].
14 Akra ai ah tuipui ah caeh roep hanah, nawkamyanawk mah Paul to patoeh o ving: toe Silas hoi Timote loe Berea vangpui ah cam hoi vop.
So [several of] the believers [in Berea] took Paul to the coast [to go to another province]. But Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea.
15 Pawl thak kaminawk mah anih to Athen ah caeh o haih: nihcae loe Pawl mah Silas hoi Timote kai khaeah karangah angzo hoi nasoe, tiah lok pat ih thuih pae hanah amlaem o let.
When Paul and the other men from Berea [arrived at the coast, they got on a ship and] went to Athens [city]. Then Paul said [to the men who had come with him], “Tell Silas and Timothy to come to me [here in Athens] as soon as they can.” Then those men left [Athens and returned to Berea].
16 Pawl mah Athen vangpui ah nihnik to zing, avang loe krang bokhaih hoiah koi boih boeh, tiah a hnuk naah, poek angpho.
In Athens, Paul waited for Silas and Timothy [to arrive. In the meantime, he walked around in the city. He] became very distressed/disturbed because he saw that throughout [HYP] the city there were many idols.
17 To pongah anih loe Judahnawk hoi Sithaw zom kaminawk hoiah lok angaek o, hmuen zawhhaih ahmuen ah nithokkruek anih khae angzo kaminawk hoiah lok aram o.
So he went to the Jewish meeting place and talked [about Jesus] with the Jews, and also with the Greeks who had accepted what the Jews believe. He also went to the public square/center every day and talked to the people [whom he met] there.
18 To naah amtukhaih bang palungha Epikuria hoi Stoik kaminawk mah anih ih lok to aek o. Thoemto kaminawk mah, Hae lokpung kami mah tih lok maw thuih han a koeh toeng? tiah a naa o. Kalah kaminawk mah, Anih loe kalah sithawnawk ni a thuih, tiah a naa o: Pawl mah Jesu kawng hoi angthawk lethaih lok to thuih pae pongah ni, to tiah a thuih o.
Paul met some teachers who liked to talk about what people should believe. [People called] some of them Epicureans and [they called] others Stoics. They told Paul [what they believed], and they asked him [what he believed. Then] some of them said [to one another], “This ignorant person is just talking nonsense [RHQ]!” Others said, “[We(exc) think] that he is teaching people about (foreign gods/[new] gods that we [(exc)] have not heard about).” They said that because Paul was telling them that Jesus [had died and] had become alive again [afterwards. They had not heard that message before].
19 To naah anih to Areopaga ah caeh o haih, anih khaeah, Na thuih ih hae kangtha amtukhaih loe kaicae mah panoek thaih han koiah om tih maw?
So they took Paul to the place where the city council met. [When they arrived] there, they said to Paul, “[Please] tell us, what is this new message that you [(sg)] are teaching people?
20 Ka thaih o vai ai ih lok to nang thuih: to loknawk loe tih thuih koehhaih ih maw, tiah panoek han ka koeh o, tiah a naa o.
You are teaching some things that startle us [(exc)], so we want to know what they mean.”
21 (To pongah Athen vangpui ah kaom kaminawk hoi angvinnawk boih loe tih tok doeh sah o ai, patukhaih kangtha hmuen to thuih moe, tahngaihaih bangah ni atue to patoh o.)
[They said that, because] the people of Athens and also the people from other regions who lived there continually talked about what was new [to them], or they listened to [others tell] what was new.
22 To pacoengah Pawl mah mae nuiah kaom Areopaga ahmuen ah angdoet moe, Athen kaminawk, nangcae loe hmuen boih ah taqawk bokhaih palung kami ah na oh o, tiah ka panoek.
Then Paul stood up before the men of the city council and said, “Citizens of Athens, I see that you (are very religious/think that it is very important to worship many gods).
23 Lam ka caeh naah, na bok o ih, PANOEK AI IH SITHAW HANAH, tiah tarik ih sithaw angbawnhaih hmuen maeto ka hnuk. Panoek ai ah na bok o ih hmuen to ni kang thuih o.
I [say that] because, while I was walking along and observing the objects [that represent different gods that] you worship, I even saw an altar that had these words [that someone had] carved [on it: THIS HONORS] THE GOD [THAT WE(exc)] DO NOT KNOW. So now I will tell you about [that God] whom you worship but you do not know.
24 Long hoi a thungah kaom hmuennawk boih sahkung Sithaw loe van hoi long Angraeng ah oh moe, ban hoi sak ih tempulnawk thungah om ai.
He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Because he rules over all [beings in] heaven and [on] earth, he does not dwell in shrines that people have made.
25 Sithaw mah kaminawk boih hanah hinghaih, anghahhaih takhi hoi angtoeng ih hmuennawk to paek, kaminawk ih ban hoiah Anih to bok han om ai, Anih loe hmuen maeto sak pae han kangaih Sithaw na ai ni.
He does not need to have anything made for him by people [MTY] {to have people [MTY] make [MTY] anything for him}, because everything that exists belongs to him. He is the one who causes (us [(inc)]/all people) to live and breathe, and [he gives us] all the things [that we(inc) need].
26 Anih mah long pum ah kaom kaminawk to athii kanghmong kami maeto khae hoiah ni tacawtsak, nihcae khosakhaih ramri hoi atue to a paek;
[In the beginning], God created one couple, and from them God produced all (the ethnic groups/the nations) that now live everywhere on the earth. He also decided where each ethnic group of people should live and how long they should live [there].
27 Anih loe aicae hoi kangthla ah om ai, toe kaminawk mah Angraeng to pakrong o moe, Anih khaeah phak o thai han hoi Anih to a hnuk o thai hanah, Sithaw mah hae tiah sak.
He wanted people to realize that they need him. Then maybe they would seek him and find him. [God wants us to seek him], although he is [really] close [LIT] to each one of us.
28 Aicae loe Anih khaeah ni a oh o boih, a hing o moe, kho a sak o; nangcae thung ih thoemto laa phawh kaminawk mah, Aicae doeh anih ih caa ah ni oh o, tiah thuih o.
As someone has said, ‘[It is only] because he enables us that we [(inc)] live and move and do [what we do].’ And, as some of your own poets have said, ‘We [(inc)] are God’s children.’
29 Aicae loe Sithaw caa ah oh o pongah, Sithaw loe kami mah poekhaih hoiah sakcop ih sui maw, to tih ai boeh loe phoisa maw, to tih ai boeh loe thlung baktiah poek han om ai.
Therefore, because we are God’s children [and can communicate like God does], we [(inc)] should not think that he is anything like an image [that people have made] of gold or silver or stone [which cannot communicate]. Those images are designed and skillfully made {People design and make those images}, [but they are not alive].
30 Canghnii ah loe Sithaw mah panoek ai ih hmuennawk to a khet sut, toe vaihi loe Sithaw mah ahmuen kruekah kaom kaminawk boih dawnpakhuem hanah lokpaek boeh.
During the times when people did not know [what God wanted them to do], he did not [immediately] punish [them for what they did]. But now God commands all people everywhere to turn away from their evil behavior.
31 Anih mah tokpaek ih kami mah, long hae toenghaih hoiah lokcaek hanah, atue to khaeh coek boeh; Anih duekhaih thung hoi angthawkhaih rang hoiah, Anih mah kaminawk boih hanah oep kaom hmuen to amtuengsak boeh.
[He tells us] that on a certain day that he has chosen he is going to judge [all of us(inc) people in] [MTY] the world. He has appointed a [certain] man to judge [us, and that man will judge each of us] fairly/justly. God has shown to all [people that he has appointed that man to judge everyone], because God (caused him to become alive again after he had died/raised him from the dead).”
32 Kadueh angthawk lethaih tamthang to nihcae mah thaih o naah, thoemto kaminawk mah pahnuih o thuih: kalah kaminawk mah loe na thuih ih hae lok hae tahngaih let han ka koeh o, tiah a naa o.
When the men of the council heard [Paul say] that ([a man] had become alive again after he had died/[someone] had been raised from the dead), some of them laughed scornfully. But others said, “We [(exc)] would like you [(sg)] to tell us more about this, some other time.”
33 To pongah Pawl mah nihcae to tacawt taak.
After they said that, Paul left the council [meeting].
34 Anih hnuk kabang thoemto kaminawk loe tanghaih tawn o: nihcae thungah Areopaga ah kaom kami Dionisia hoi Darmari, tiah ahmin kaom nongpata maeto pacoengah, anih hoi nawnto kaom thoemto kaminawk athum o.
However, some of the people there went along with Paul and became believers. Among those [who believed in Jesus] was a member of the council whose [name was] Dionysius. Also, an [important] woman whose name was Damaris and some other people [who had heard Paul’s message also believed in Jesus].
