Acts 17
1 After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica. Here the Jews had a synagogue;
Kwathi sebedabule iAmfipholi leApoloniya, bafika eThesalonika, lapho okwakukhona isinagoge lamaJuda;
2 and, following his usual custom, Paul joined them, and for three Sabbaths addressed them, drawing his arguments from the scriptures.
njalo njengomkhuba kaPawuli wangena kuwo, wakhulumisana lawo ngokuvela emibhalweni okwamasabatha amathathu,
3 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.’
evula etshengisa ukuthi kwakufanele uKristu ahlupheke avuke kwabafileyo, lokuthi: UJesu lo, mina engimtshumayela kini, unguKristu.
4 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.
Labanye babo bakholwa, bazihlanganisa loPawuli loSilasi, njalo ixuku elikhulu lamaGriki akhonzayo, lakwabesifazana abadumileyo abangabalutshwana.
5 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;
Kodwa amaJuda angakholwayo aba lomona, athatha amanye amadoda amabi angamavila emdangeni, enza ixuku, adunga umuzi; ahlasela indlu kaJasoni, edinga ukubakhuphela ebantwini;
6 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,
kwathi engabatholi, adonsela uJasoni labazalwane abathile kubaphathi bomuzi, ememeza esithi: Laba abayaluzelisa umhlaba, bona sebefikile lalapha,
7 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!’
uJasoni abemukeleyo; lalaba bonke benza okuphambene lemithetho kaKesari, besithi kukhona enye inkosi, enguJesu.
8 On hearing this, the people and the city magistrates were much concerned;
Asedunga ixuku labaphathi bomuzi besizwa lezizinto.
9 and, before letting them go, they took bail from Jason and the others.
Kwathi sebethethe isibambiso kuJasoni lakwabanye, abakhulula.
10 That very night the followers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and on reaching that place, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
Njalo abazalwane bahle basusa uPawuli loSilasi babathuma eBeriya ebusuku; okwathi sebefikile khona basuka baya esinagogeni lamaJuda.
11 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.
Lawo ayelungile kulalawo aweThesalonika, emukela ilizwi ngokuvuma konke, ehlolisisa imibhalo insuku ngensuku, ukuthi zinjalo yini lezizinto.
12 As a consequence, many of them became believers in Christ, besides a considerable number of Greek women of position, and of men also.
Ngakho amanengi kuwo akholwa, lakwabesifazana abahloniphekayo abangamaGriki lakwabesilisa abangabalutshwana.
13 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.
Kodwa kwathi amaJuda eThesalonika esekwazi ukuthi ilizwi likaNkulunkulu liyatshunyayelwa nguPawuli leBeriya, eza lakhona enyakazelisa amaxuku.
14 The followers immediately arranged for Paul to go away to the coast, but both Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Beroea.
Njalo ngalesosikhathi abazalwane bahle bamthuma uPawuli kungathi uya elwandle; kodwa uSilasi loTimothi basala khona.
15 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.
Lalabo ababephelekezela uPawuli, bamfikisa eAtene; sebemukele umlayezelo oya kuSilasi loTimothi, ukuthi beze kuye ngokuphangisa okukhulu, basuka bahamba.
16 While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his heart was stirred at seeing the whole city full of idols.
Kwathi uPawuli esabalindele eAtene, umoya wakhe wakhathazeka phakathi kwakhe, ebona umuzi ugcwele izithombe.
17 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.
Ngakho waphikisana lamaJuda esinagogeni labanye abakhonzayo, lasemdangeni insuku zonke lalabo ahlangana labo.
18 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).
Labathile kuzo izazi zamaEpikuri lamaStoyiki baphikisana laye. Labanye bathi: Uwumane lolu lufuna ukuthini? Kodwa abanye bathi: Kungathi ungotshumayela onkulunkulu bezizweni; ngoba ngevangeli watshumayela kubo uJesu lokuvuka kwabafileyo.
19 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?
Basebemthatha, bamusa eAreyopagu besithi: Singazi yini ukuthi iyini limfundiso entsha oyifundisayo?
20 For you are bringing some strange things to our notice, and we should like to know what they mean.’
Ngoba uletha indaba ezimangalisayo ezithile endlebeni zethu; ngakho sifisa ukwazi ukuthi lezizinto ziyini.
21 (All Athenians and the foreigners staying in the city found no time for anything else but telling, or listening to, the last new thing.)
Ngoba bonke abeAtene lezethekeli ezihlala khona babechitha isikhathi kungeyisikho ngolutho olunye, ngaphandle kokutshela lokuzwa into entsha.
22 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.
Kwathi uPawuli esima phakathi kweAreyopagu, wathi: Madoda maAtene, ngiyabona ukuthi ezintweni zonke kungathi lilenkolelo enkulu.
23 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.
Ngoba ngithe ngidabula ngikhangela izinto zenu elizikhonzayo, ngasengifica ilathi elilotshwe ukuthi: KUNKULUNKULU ONGAZIWAYO. Lowo-ke elimkhonza lingamazi, nguye mina engimtshumayela kini.
24 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,
UNkulunkulu owenza umhlaba lakho konke okukuwo, yena, oyiNkosi yezulu lomhlaba, kahlali emathempelini enziwe ngezandla,
25 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.
futhi kakhonzwa ngezandla zabantu, njengoswela ulutho, ngoba yena uqobo lwakhe uyabapha bonke impilo lokuphefumula lazo zonke izinto;
26 He made all races of the earth’s surface – fixing a time for their rise and fall, and the limits of their settlements –
njalo wazenza zonke izizwe zabantu zivela egazini linye, ukuthi zihlale ebusweni bonke bomhlaba, wazimisela izikhathi eziqunyiweyo ngaphambili lemingcele yokuhlala kwazo;
27 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;
ukuze zidinge iNkosi, ukuthi mhlawumbe sibili zimuzwe zimthole, njalo kanti kakhatshana kulowo lalowo wethu.
28 for in him we live and move and are. To use the words of some of your own poets – “His offspring, too, are we.”
Ngoba kuye siphila njalo sihamba futhi sikhona; njengoba lembongi ezithile zakini zithe: Ngoba futhi siyinzalo yakhe.
29 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.
Ngakho lokhu siyinzalo kaNkulunkulu, kakufanele ukuthi sinakane ukuthi ubuNkulunkulu bunjengegolide kumbe isiliva loba ilitshe, okubazwe ngeminwe langokunakana kwabantu.
30 True, God looked with indulgence on the days of people’s ignorance, but now he is announcing to everyone everywhere the need for repentance,
Ngakho izikhathi zokungazi uNkulunkulu kazinanzanga, kodwa khathesi uyalaya bonke abantu endaweni zonke ukuthi baphenduke;
31 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.’
ngoba umisile usuku, azakwahlulela ngalo umhlaba ngokulunga, ngendoda ayimisileyo, waqinisa kubo bonke, ngokuyivusa kwabafileyo.
32 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.
Kwathi besizwa ngokuvuka kwabafileyo, abanye bahleka usulu; kodwa abanye bathi: Sizaphinda sikuzwe ngalokhu.
33 And so Paul left the Court.
Langokunjalo uPawuli waphuma phakathi kwabo.
34 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.
Kodwa amadoda athile anamathela kuye, akholwa; phakathi kwawo kwakukhona loDiyonisiyu umAreyopagu, lowesifazana obizo lakhe nguDamari, labanye kanye labo.
