Imisebenzi 17
1 Kwathi sebedabule iAmfipholi leApoloniya, bafika eThesalonika, lapho okwakukhona isinagoge lamaJuda;
SO journeying through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of Jews:
2 njalo njengomkhuba kaPawuli wangena kuwo, wakhulumisana lawo ngokuvela emibhalweni okwamasabatha amathathu,
And Paul, according to his usual custom, went in to them, and for three sabbaths he reasoned with them from the scriptures,
3 evula etshengisa ukuthi kwakufanele uKristu ahlupheke avuke kwabafileyo, lokuthi: UJesu lo, mina engimtshumayela kini, unguKristu.
opening them clearly, and laying it evidently down that the Messiah must suffer, and rise again from the dead; and that this man is the Messiah, even Jesus, whom I preach unto you.
4 Labanye babo bakholwa, bazihlanganisa loPawuli loSilasi, njalo ixuku elikhulu lamaGriki akhonzayo, lakwabesifazana abadumileyo abangabalutshwana.
And some of them believed, and associated themselves with Paul and Silas; and of the religious Greeks a vast multitude, and of the wives of the first people not a few.
5 Kodwa amaJuda angakholwayo aba lomona, athatha amanye amadoda amabi angamavila emdangeni, enza ixuku, adunga umuzi; ahlasela indlu kaJasoni, edinga ukubakhuphela ebantwini;
But the unbelieving Jews, roused to a fit of zeal, and taking some of the lowest vulgar men of vile characters, and raising a mob, set the city in an uproar, and besetting the house of Jason, sought them to bring them unto the people.
6 kwathi engabatholi, adonsela uJasoni labazalwane abathile kubaphathi bomuzi, ememeza esithi: Laba abayaluzelisa umhlaba, bona sebefikile lalapha,
But not finding them there, they dragged Jason and certain brethren to the city magistrates, roaring out, These are the men who are movers of sedition through the world, and are come in hither;
7 uJasoni abemukeleyo; lalaba bonke benza okuphambene lemithetho kaKesari, besithi kukhona enye inkosi, enguJesu.
whom Jason has entertained in his house: and the practice of all these fellows is in direct opposition to all Caesar’s ordinances, for they affirm that another is king, one Jesus.
8 Asedunga ixuku labaphathi bomuzi besizwa lezizinto.
And they greatly agitated the people and the city magistrates when they heard these things.
9 Kwathi sebethethe isibambiso kuJasoni lakwabanye, abakhulula.
So after taking sufficient security from Jason and the rest, they dismissed them.
10 Njalo abazalwane bahle basusa uPawuli loSilasi babathuma eBeriya ebusuku; okwathi sebefikile khona basuka baya esinagogeni lamaJuda.
Then the disciples immediately by night sent off both Paul and Silas to Berea; who were no sooner arrived, than they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 Lawo ayelungile kulalawo aweThesalonika, emukela ilizwi ngokuvuma konke, ehlolisisa imibhalo insuku ngensuku, ukuthi zinjalo yini lezizinto.
Now these were more liberally minded men than those of Thessalonica, for they received the word with all readiness of mind, daily, examining the Scriptures if these things were really so.
12 Ngakho amanengi kuwo akholwa, lakwabesifazana abahloniphekayo abangamaGriki lakwabesilisa abangabalutshwana.
Then many of them truly believed: and of the Grecian proselyte women of respectability, and of the men not a few.
13 Kodwa kwathi amaJuda eThesalonika esekwazi ukuthi ilizwi likaNkulunkulu liyatshunyayelwa nguPawuli leBeriya, eza lakhona enyakazelisa amaxuku.
But when the Jews of Thessalonica knew that at Berea also the word of God was preached by Paul, they came thither, and stirred up the populace.
14 Njalo ngalesosikhathi abazalwane bahle bamthuma uPawuli kungathi uya elwandle; kodwa uSilasi loTimothi basala khona.
Then immediately on this the brethren sent off Paul, to go as if by sea: but Silas and Timothy abode there still.
15 Lalabo ababephelekezela uPawuli, bamfikisa eAtene; sebemukele umlayezelo oya kuSilasi loTimothi, ukuthi beze kuye ngokuphangisa okukhulu, basuka bahamba.
And those who conduced Paul brought him as far as Athens, and receiving an injunction for Silas and Timothy that they should come to him as speedily as possible, they departed.
16 Kwathi uPawuli esabalindele eAtene, umoya wakhe wakhathazeka phakathi kwakhe, ebona umuzi ugcwele izithombe.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit within him was greatly grieved, beholding the city so devoted to idolatry.
17 Ngakho waphikisana lamaJuda esinagogeni labanye abakhonzayo, lasemdangeni insuku zonke lalabo ahlangana labo.
Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews, and those who worshipped there, and in the forum every day with those he happened to meet.
18 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.
Then certain of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers attacked him: and some said, What will this chattering fellow say? but others, He seemeth to be a preacher of foreign deities, because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection.
19 Basebemthatha, bamusa eAreyopagu besithi: Singazi yini ukuthi iyini limfundiso entsha oyifundisayo?
So they took him and led him to the hill of Mars, saying, May we know what this novel doctrine taught by thee is?
20 Ngoba uletha indaba ezimangalisayo ezithile endlebeni zethu; ngakho sifisa ukwazi ukuthi lezizinto ziyini.
For thou bringest some strange stories to our ears; we wish therefore to know what these things mean.
21 Ngoba bonke abeAtene lezethekeli ezihlala khona babechitha isikhathi kungeyisikho ngolutho olunye, ngaphandle kokutshela lokuzwa into entsha.
Now all the Athenians and the strangers who come to sojourn there, take pleasure in spending their time in nothing else but in talking, or hearing of some novelty.
22 Kwathi uPawuli esima phakathi kweAreyopagu, wathi: Madoda maAtene, ngiyabona ukuthi ezintweni zonke kungathi lilenkolelo enkulu.
Then Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagus said, Ye men of Athens, I observe that in all things ye are too much devoted to the worship of daemons.
23 Ngoba ngithe ngidabula ngikhangela izinto zenu elizikhonzayo, ngasengifica ilathi elilotshwe ukuthi: KUNKULUNKULU ONGAZIWAYO. Lowo-ke elimkhonza lingamazi, nguye mina engimtshumayela kini.
For as I walked about, and attentively viewed the objects of your worship, I found even an altar on which was this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore you in ignorance adore, him I preach unto you.
24 UNkulunkulu owenza umhlaba lakho konke okukuwo, yena, oyiNkosi yezulu lomhlaba, kahlali emathempelini enziwe ngezandla,
The God who created the world, and all things in it, he that is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples of man’s construction;
25 futhi kakhonzwa ngezandla zabantu, njengoswela ulutho, ngoba yena uqobo lwakhe uyabapha bonke impilo lokuphefumula lazo zonke izinto;
nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed any creature, himself imparting to all beings life, and breath, and all things.
26 njalo wazenza zonke izizwe zabantu zivela egazini linye, ukuthi zihlale ebusweni bonke bomhlaba, wazimisela izikhathi eziqunyiweyo ngaphambili lemingcele yokuhlala kwazo;
And hath made from one man’s blood all the nations of mankind, to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, fixing the predetermined periods of their existence, and the boundaries of their several abodes;
27 ukuze zidinge iNkosi, ukuthi mhlawumbe sibili zimuzwe zimthole, njalo kanti kakhatshana kulowo lalowo wethu.
that they should seek the Lord, if indeed they might haply grope him out, and find him, though truly he is not far from any individual of us:
28 Ngoba kuye siphila njalo sihamba futhi sikhona; njengoba lembongi ezithile zakini zithe: Ngoba futhi siyinzalo yakhe.
for from him we derive life, and power of motion, and existence; as also some of your own poets have said, “For we are even his offspring.”
29 Ngakho lokhu siyinzalo kaNkulunkulu, kakufanele ukuthi sinakane ukuthi ubuNkulunkulu bunjengegolide kumbe isiliva loba ilitshe, okubazwe ngeminwe langokunakana kwabantu.
Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to imagine that the Divinity is like to gold, or silver, or stone sculptured by human art or contrivance.
30 Ngakho izikhathi zokungazi uNkulunkulu kazinanzanga, kodwa khathesi uyalaya bonke abantu endaweni zonke ukuthi baphenduke;
These times indeed of ignorance God then overlooked; but he now commands all men in every place to repent:
31 ngoba umisile usuku, azakwahlulela ngalo umhlaba ngokulunga, ngendoda ayimisileyo, waqinisa kubo bonke, ngokuyivusa kwabafileyo.
because he hath fixed the day in which he will judge the whole world in righteousness by the man whom he hath appointed; affording evidence of this to all, by raising him from the dead.
32 Kwathi besizwa ngokuvuka kwabafileyo, abanye bahleka usulu; kodwa abanye bathi: Sizaphinda sikuzwe ngalokhu.
But when they heard of the resurrection from the dead, Some scoffed: and others said, We will hear thee again on this subject.
33 Langokunjalo uPawuli waphuma phakathi kwabo.
And so Paul departed from the midst of them.
34 Kodwa amadoda athile anamathela kuye, akholwa; phakathi kwawo kwakukhona loDiyonisiyu umAreyopagu, lowesifazana obizo lakhe nguDamari, labanye kanye labo.
But certain persons cleaving to him, believed: among whom was even Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
