Sawltakte 17
1 Paul le Silas sia Amphipolis le Apollonia a kantan zawk uh ciang in, Thessalonica theng uh hi, tua mun ah Judah te synagogue om hi:
After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica. Here the Jews had a synagogue;
2 Taciang Paul sia ama ngeina bang in, synagogue sung ah tum a, sabbath ni nithum sung amate taw laithiangtho sung thu te kikum uh hi.
and, following his usual custom, Paul joined them, and for three Sabbaths addressed them, drawing his arguments from the scriptures.
3 Christ sia a thuak kul hamtang a hi na le thina pan thokik hamtang tu hi; ci in note tung ah ka pualak hi Jesus sia Christ a hihi, ci in pualak in hil thiang hi.
He laid before them and explained that the Christ must undergo suffering and rise from the dead; and ‘It is this man,’ he declared, ‘who is the Christ – this Jesus about whom I am telling you.’
4 Amate sung pan pawlkhat te in um uh a, Paul le Silas te kipawlpui uh hi; taciang tua te sung ah biakna sang a kipumpiak Greek mihon tampi le numei lampui tampi kihel uh hi.
Some of the people were convinced, and threw in their lot with Paul and Silas, as did also a large body of Greeks who were accustomed to join in the Jewish services, and a great number of leading women.
5 Ahihang a um ngawl Judah mite in haza uh a, van zuakna lamdung a vakvai mannung ngawl mite sam uh hi, taciang honpi khat hong pha uh a khuapi sung ah buaina piangsak uh hi, taciang Jason i inn sim uh a, mipi mai ah pusua tu in zong uh hi.
But the Jewish leaders, becoming jealous, engaged some worthless fellows from the streets, and, getting a mob together, kept the city in an uproar. They attacked Jason’s house, with the intention of bringing Paul and Silas before the Popular Assembly;
6 Taciang amate in a mu ngawl uh ciang in, Jason le suapui pawlkhat te khuapi ulian te kung ah kai uh a, hileitung lumlet te himun zong ah hongpai uh hi;
and, not finding them there, they proceeded to drag Jason and some of the Lord’s followers before the city magistrates, shouting out, ‘These men, who have turned the world upside down, have now come here,
7 Amate sia Jason in ama inn ah tungsak hi: hi te theampo in Caesar thupiakna te langpan uh a, Jesus a kici a dang kumpi khat om hi, ci uh hi, ci in au lialua uh hi.
and have been harboured by Jason! They are all defying the decrees of the Emperor. They say that someone else is king – a man called Jesus!’
8 Hi thu te mipi te le khuapi ulian te in a zak uh ciang in, buai mama uh hi.
On hearing this, the people and the city magistrates were much concerned;
9 Taciang Jason le a dang te sia a kisam za dangka liausak uh a, tua zawkciang in suaktasak kik uh hi.
and, before letting them go, they took bail from Jason and the others.
10 Zan ciang in suapui te in Paul le Silas sia Berea ah a zan a zan in paisak uh hi: tua mun a thet uh ciang in Judah mite i synagogue sung ah tum uh hi.
That very night the followers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and on reaching that place, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
11 Hi te sia Thessalonica mite sang in a thinsung uh phazaw hi, thalawptak in thu ngai uh a, tua a ngai uh thu te a man le man ngawl nisim laithiangtho sung ah zong uh hi.
These Jews of Beroea were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with great readiness, and daily examined the scriptures to see if what was said was true.
12 Tua ahikom amate sung ah mi tampi in um uh a; a zatak huai Greek nupi pasal tampi om uh hi.
As a consequence, many of them became believers in Christ, besides a considerable number of Greek women of position, and of men also.
13 Ahihang Thesslonica a om Judah mite in Berea khua ah zong Paul in Pathian thuhil hi, ci a heak uh ciang in, hongpai uh a, mipi te thawn uh hi.
But, when the Jewish leaders in Thessalonica found out that God’s message had been delivered by Paul at Beroea, they came there too, exciting and disturbing the minds of the people.
14 Tua zawk pociang in suapui te in Paul sia tuipi sang ah paisak uh hi: ahihang Silas le Timothy sia Berea ah taamlai hi.
The followers immediately arranged for Paul to go away to the coast, but both Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Beroea.
15 Paul a tha te in Athens dong tha uh hi: taciang Silas le Timothy sia manlangtak hongpai tu in thu nga uh a, pai uh hi.
The friends who escorted Paul took him as far as Athens, and, after receiving a message for Silas and Timothy to join him as quickly as possible, they started on their return.
16 Paul sia Athen pan Silas le Timothy te ngak in a om laitak, tua khuapi sung ah milim biakna bebek om hi, ci a mu ciang in, a thinsung sutha mama hi.
While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his heart was stirred at seeing the whole city full of idols.
17 Tua ahikom Judah mite i biakna lampui te taw synagogue sung ah thu ki nial uh a, vanzuakna ah a kisikpui te taw nisim in ki nial uh hi.
So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who joined in their worship, as well as daily in the public Square with those who happened to be there.
18 Tua zawkciang in thu ngaisun thiam Epicurean te le Stoic te taw ki mu uh hi. Taciang pawlkhat te in, hi a papau sia bang son ziam? a dang pawlkhat te zong in, hisia pa sia ngamdang te pathian te thu son hi tu hi, ci uh hi: banghangziam cile Paul in amate tung ah Jesus le a thawkikna thu son hi.
Among others, some Epicurean and Stoic Philosophers joined issue with him. Some asked ‘What is this prater wanting to make out?’, while others said ‘He seems to be a preacher of foreign Deities.’ (This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection).
19 Taciang amate in Paul man uh hi, taciang Areopagas ah paipui uh a, hi hilna thak na son te kote zong ka heak tu uh kisam ziam?
So they laid hold of him and took him to the Court of Areopagus. ‘May we hear,’ they asked, ‘what new teaching this is which you are giving?
20 Banghangziam cile a tumdang te ka bil uh ah nong zasak hi: tua ahikom hi thu te i deina sia bangziam, ci ka he nuam uh hi, ci uh hi.
For you are bringing some strange things to our notice, and we should like to know what they mean.’
21 Banghangziam cile Athen mite le leangna te theampo in thuthak son tu, a hibale ngai tu simngawl bangma dang atu amate hun a zang bua uh hi.
(All Athenians and the foreigners staying in the city found no time for anything else but telling, or listening to, the last new thing.)
22 Tua zawkciang in Paul sia Mars mual laizang ah ding a, no Athen mite, na theampo ah note sia biakna sang ah a hanciam mama te na hi uh hi, ci kong he hi.
So Paul took his stand in the middle of the Court, and said – ‘People of Athens, on every hand I see signs of your being very devout.
23 Banghangziam cile ka vakawm in biakna sang na hanciam nate ka en a, a ki he ngawl pathian atu ci a ki at biaktau khat ka mu hi. Tua ahikom note in he ngawlpi in na biak uh Pathian thu kong pualak hi.
For as I was going about, looking at your sacred shrines, I came upon an altar with this inscription – “To an Unknown God.” What, therefore, you worship in ignorance, that I am now proclaiming to you.
24 Tua Pathian sia leitung le a sung om theampo a vawtpa a hihi, ama sia van le lei i Topa hi a, khut taw a kisa biakinn sung ah om ngawl hi;
The God who made the world and all things that are in it – he, Lord as he is of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hands,
25 Pathian sia mi theampo tung ah nuntakna, husan le na theampo a piapa ahikom, mihing te khut taw i vawtsak tu bangma kisam ngawl hi;
neither do human hands minister to his wants, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives, to all, life, and breath, and all things.
26 Taciang Ama in leitung theampo ah a om minam theampo sia thisan khat in vawt a, amate om tu hun te le a om na mun tu ngam te zong ngealkholsak siat hi;
He made all races of the earth’s surface – fixing a time for their rise and fall, and the limits of their settlements –
27 Tabang in amate in Topa zong uh a, tham in a mu theina tu hi, Pathian sia eite khatsim kuama taw ki khuala ngawl hi:
That they might search for God, if by any means they might feel their way to him and find him. And yet he is not really far from any one of us;
28 Banghangziam cile i nungta a, i tuk i dian le i hina theampo sia Ama sung ah a hihi; tasia bangma in na laphuak te in zong, eite zong Ama suan te i hihi, ci hi.
for in him we live and move and are. To use the words of some of your own poets – “His offspring, too, are we.”
29 Tabang in Pathian suan te i hi man in, mihing te khutthiam le ngaisutna taw a kivawt kham, ngun le suangtum milim bang in Pathian sia i ngaisut tu hi ngawl hi.
Therefore, as the offspring of God, we must not think that the Deity has any resemblance to anything made of gold, or silver, or stone – a work of human art and imagination.
30 Mihing te in Pathian a heak ma hunlai in Pathian in a mu ngawl bang in omthong ngei napi; tu in mun theampo ah mi theampo maw ki sikkik tu in thupia hi:
True, God looked with indulgence on the days of people’s ignorance, but now he is announcing to everyone everywhere the need for repentance,
31 Banghangziam cile nasep a piaksa mihing khat zang in leitung ah thutang suana tungtawn thu a khen tu ni ciangtan zo hi; tua thu sia a ma a hihi, ci in mi theampo tung ah kilangsak tu in tua pa sia thina pan thokiksak zo hi, ci hi.
because he has fixed a day on which he intends to judge the world with justice, by a man whom he has appointed – and of this he has given all people a pledge by raising this man from the dead.’
32 Amate in mithi te thawkikna thu a zak uh ciang in, mi pawlkhat te in selno uh a: midang te in hi thu nangtung pan ka za kik nuam uh hi, ci uh hi.
On hearing of a resurrection of the dead, some began jeering, but others said that they wanted to hear what he had to say about that another time.
33 Taciang Paul sia amate sung pan in pusuak hi.
And so Paul left the Court.
34 Ahihang mi pawlkhat te in ama beal uh a, um uh hi: tua te sung ah Areopagas mi Dionysius, Damaris a kici nupi khat le midang te zong kihel uh hi.
There were, however, some people who joined him, and became believers in Christ. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and several others.
