Acts 17
1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
Bathi sebedlule e-Amfipholi le-Apholoniya, bafika eThesalonika lapho okwakulesinagogu yamaJuda khona.
2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
Njengenjayelo yakhe uPhawuli waya esinagogweni, kwathi ngamaSabatha amathathu wabonisana labo ngeMibhalo,
3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he declared.
echaza njalo eveza obala ukuthi uKhristu wayemele ahlupheke njalo avuke kwabafileyo. Wathi, “UJesu lo engitshumayela ngaye kini unguye uKhristu.”
4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women.
Amanye amaJuda akukholwa lokho asehlanganyelana loPhawuli loSayilasi, njengalokho okwenziwa linani elikhulu lamaGrikhi abesaba uNkulunkulu, kugoqela lehlekanyana labesifazane abahloniphekayo.
5 The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.
Kodwa amaJuda aba lomona; ngakho asehuga izixhwali endaweni yokuthengisa, abalixuku elithile asevusa umsindo edolobheni. Aphuthumela endlini kaJasoni edinga uPhawuli loSayilasi efuna ukubaletha phambi kukazulu.
6 But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here,
Kodwa kwathi sebebaswele basebedonsela uJasoni labanye abazalwane abathile kubaphathi bedolobho bememeza besithi: “Amadoda la abekade edala uhlupho emhlabeni wonke manje aseze lapha,
7 and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!”
uJasoni yena wawemukela endlini yakhe. Bonke bahlinikeza imithetho kaKhesari besithi kulenye inkosi ethiwa nguJesu.”
8 On hearing this, the crowd and city officials were greatly disturbed.
Bathi bekuzwa lokhu abantu labaphathi bedolobho bazonda kakhulu.
9 And they collected bond from Jason and the others, and then released them.
Kwasekuthiwa uJasoni labanye bakhe kabakhuphe isibambiso ngemali ethile, kwayikhona bekhululwa ukuthi bahambe.
10 As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
Konela ukuthi kuhlwe abazalwane babasusa uPhawuli loSayilasi babasa eBheriya. Ekufikeni kwabo khona baya esinagogweni yamaJuda.
11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
AmaJuda eBheriya wona ayelesimilo esingcono kulaleso esamaThesalonika, ngoba alemukela ilizwi ngomfutho omkhulu njalo ayihlola iMibhalo insuku zonke ukuze abone ukuthi lokho uPhawuli ayekutsho kwakuliqiniso na.
12 As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men.
AmaJuda amanengi akholwa, kanye labesifazane abanengi bamaGrikhi abahloniphekayo lamadoda amanengi amaGrikhi.
13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they went there themselves to incite and agitate the crowds.
Kwathi amaJuda aseThesalonika esezwile ukuthi uPhawuli wayesetshumayela ilizwi likaNkulunkulu eBheriya, aya khona futhi, athela abantu umoya omubi abadunga.
14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.
Abazalwane bahle bathumela uPhawuli ngasokhunjini lolwandle, kodwa uSayilasi loThimothi basala eBheriya.
15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Amadoda ayephelekezela uPhawuli amtshiya e-Athene asebuyela lomlayezo wokuthi uSayilasi loThimothi bamlandele ngokuphangisa.
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols.
UPhawuli esabamelele e-Athene, wakhathazeka kakhulu ngokubona ukuthi idolobho lelo laligcwele izithombe.
17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.
Ngakho wabonisana lamaJuda kanye lamaGrikhi ayemesaba uNkulunkulu esinagogweni lasendaweni yokuthengisa zonke insuku lalabo ababekhonapho.
18 Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.
Ixuku lezazi zama-Ephikhuri lamaStoyikhi laphikisana laye. Abanye babo babuza bathi, “Uwumani lolu luzama ukuthini kanti?” Abanye bathi, “Kungathi utshumayela ngonkulunkulu bezizweni.” Bakutsho lokhu ngoba uPhawuli wayetshumayela izindaba ezinhle ngoJesu langokuvuka kwabafileyo.
19 So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
Basebehamba laye enkundleni ye-Ariyophagasi, bafika bathi kuye, “Ake usitshele ukuthi imfundiso le entsha oyethulayo iyini.
20 For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
Uletha ezindlebeni zethu imibono engajayelekanga, ngakho sifuna ukwazi ukuthi itshoni.”
21 Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas.
(Wonke ama-Atheni labezizwe ababehlala khona babechitha isikhathi sabo bengenzi lutho ngaphandle kokukhuluma lokulalela imibono emitsha.)
22 Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.
UPhawuli wasukuma enkundleni ye-Ariyophagasi wathi, “Madoda ase-Atheni! Ngiyabona ukuthi kukho konke lingabantu abakhonzayo.
23 For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.
Ngoba ngithe ngihambahamba, ngabona izithombe zenu, ngaze ngafumana i-alithari elilombhalo othi: Kunkulunkulu Ongaziwayo. Manje-ke lokho elikukhonza njengolutho olungaziwayo yikho engizakutshumayela kini.
24 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.
UNkulunkulu owenza umhlaba lakho konke okukuwo uyiNkosi yezulu lomhlaba, njalo kahlali emathempelini akhiwe ngezandla.
25 Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
Njalo kancediswa yizandla zabantu ingathi kukhona akuswelayo, ngoba yena ngokwakhe upha bonke abantu impilo, umphefumulo lokunye konke.
26 From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.
Ngomuntu oyedwa wenza zonke izizwe zabantu, ukuthi zakhe emhlabeni wonke; njalo wamisa izikhathi abazilungiselweyo lazo kanye izindawo abamele bahlale kuzo.
27 God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
UNkulunkulu wakwenza lokhu ukuze abantu bamdinge lokuthi mhlawumbe bamfinyelele bamfumane, loba nje uvele engakhatshana komunye lomunye wethu.
28 ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’
‘Ngoba siphila kuye, sihambe ngaye njalo sipheleliswe nguye.’ Njengokutsho kwezinye izimbongi zakini ukuthi, ‘Singabantwabakhe.’
29 Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.
Ngakho-ke njengoba singabantwana bakaNkulunkulu, kasingacabangini ukuthi ubuNkulunkulu bunjengegolide, loba isiliva kumbe ilitshe; umfanekiso obunjwe ngobungcitshi bomuntu.
30 Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.
Endulo uNkulunkulu kakunakanga ukungazi lokhu, kodwa khathesi uselaya bonke abantu ezindaweni zonke ukuba baphenduke.
31 For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.”
Ngoba uselumisile usuku lapho azakwahlulela khona umhlaba ngokulunga ngaye umuntu amkhethileyo. Usebuvezile ubufakazi balokhu kubo bonke abantu ngokumvusa kwabafileyo.”
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this topic.”
Bathi besizwa ngokuvuka kwabafileyo, abanye babo bamklolodela, kodwa abanye bathi, “Sifuna ukuphinda sikuzwe ukhuluma ngale indaba njalo.”
33 At that, Paul left the Areopagus.
Ngalokho-ke, uPhawuli wasesuka enkundleni.
34 But some joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others who were with them.
Abantu abathile baba ngabalandeli bakaPhawuli, bakholwa. Phakathi kwabo kwakuloDiyonisiyu owayelilunga le-Ariyophagasi, njalo lowesifazane okwakuthiwa nguDamari kanye labanye abalinani elithile.
