ImiSebenzi 17:1-34
17 Basebedabula e-Amfipholi le-Apholoniya bayafika eThesalonika lapho okwakulesinagogi lamaJuda khona.
2 UPhawuli wangena esinagogeni njengenjayelo. Okwamasabatha amathathu wayebonisana labo ngeMibhalo,
3 ebachasisela njalo ebatshengisa ngeMibhalo ukuthi uKhristu kwakumele ahlupheke futhi avuke kwabafileyo, esithi: “UJesu lo engilitshumayeza ngaye nguye uKhristu.”
4 Abanye babo baba ngamakholwa ngenxa yalokho, bazihlanganisa loPhawuli loSila. Lenza njalo lexuku elikhulu lamaGrikhi ayekhonza uNkulunkulu kanye lehlekana labesifazana abadumileyo.
5 Kodwa amaJuda aba lomhawu, asebiza amanye amadoda ayizigangi ayebhodabhoda emakethe, awabuthanisa aba lixuku. Ixuku lelo laqalisa ukuxokozela futhi labangela ukuthi kube lesiwowowo kulelodolobho. Laselihlasela indlu kaJasoni lifuna ukuthi uPhawuli loSila bakhitshelwe phandle, balethwe kulo.
6 Lathi selibaswele lahudula uJasoni labanye abazalwane labasa kubabusi bedolobho, limemeza lisithi: “Abantu laba asebephambanise umhlaba* wonke sebekhona lalapha,
7 futhi uJasoni ubemukele ngazo zombili emzini wakhe. Bonke baphikisana lemithetho kaKhesari, besithi kulenye inkosi okuthiwa nguJesu.”
8 Ixuku kanye lababusi bedolobho bathi bekuzwa lokho bakhathazeka.
9 Bathi sebethethe inhlawulo* eyeneleyo kuJasoni labanye bakhe babakhulula bahamba.
10 Ebusuku abazalwane bahle batshela uPhawuli loSila ukuthi baye eBheriya. Befika khonale bangena esinagogeni lamaJuda.
11 AbaseBheriya bona babezimisele ukufunda kulabaseThesalonika ngoba babelesifiso esikhulu sokwemukela ilizwi, behlolisisa iMibhalo nsuku zonke ukuze babone ukuthi zinjalo yini lezozinto.
12 Yikho abanengi babo baba ngamakholwa, lenza njalo lehlekana labesifazana abadumileyo abangamaGrikhi kanye lamanye amadoda.
13 Kodwa amaJuda aseThesalonika athe esizwa ukuthi uPhawuli wayesetshumayela ilizwi likaNkulunkulu laseBheriya, aya khona ukuze ayetshotshozela amaxuku futhi awadunge.
14 Abazalwane bahle bathi uPhawuli kaye elwandle, uSila loThimothi bona basala.
15 Kodwa ababephelekezela uPhawuli bahamba laye baze bayafika e-Athene, basebebuyela uPhawuli esebalayele ukuthi uSila loThimothi babuye kuye masinyane.
16 Kwathi uPhawuli elokhu esabamelele e-Athene, umoya wakhe wakhathazeka ebona ukuthi edolobheni lelo kugcwele izithombe.
17 Ngakho waqalisa ukubonisana lamaJuda ayesesinagogeni kanye labanye ababekhonza uNkulunkulu, njalo nsuku zonke wayesiya emakethe afike abonisane lababelapho.
18 Kodwa ezinye izinjulangqondo ezingama-Ephikhuri lamaStoyikhi zaqalisa ukuphikisana laye, ezinye zisithi: “Kanti uwumani lolu luzama ukuthini?” Ezinye zona zazisithi: “Kukhanya angathi utshumayela ngabonkulunkulu bezizweni.” Babesitsho njalo ngoba wayememezela izindaba ezinhle ngoJesu langokuvuswa kwabafileyo.
19 Basebemthatha bahamba laye e-Ariyophagu,* bathi: “Ake usitshele ukuthi imfundiso le entsha okhuluma ngayo ngeyani,
20 nanko usitshela izinto esingakaze sizizwe ngendlebe zethu, sifuna ukwazi ukuthi zitshoni.”
21 Phela bonke abantu base-Athene labezizweni ababehlala* lapho babengenzi lutho ngesikhathi sabo sokuzilibazisa ngaphandle kokukhuluma lokulalela izinto ezintsha.
22 UPhawuli wasesima phakathi laphakathi kwe-Ariyophagu, wathi:
“Bantu base-Athene, ngiyabona ukuthi kukho konke lina lizinikele ekwesabeni onkulunkulu* ukwedlula abanye abantu.
23 Ngokwesibonelo ngithe ngidlula ngikhangelisisa izinto elizikhonzayo, ngibone le-alithare elibhalwe ukuthi ‘ElikaNkulunkulu Ongaziwayo.’ Lokho elikukhonza lingakwazi yikho engilitshumayeza ngakho.
24 UNkulunkulu owenza umhlaba lakho konke okukuwo, lowo oyiNkosi yezulu lomhlaba, kahlali emathempelini akhiwe ngezandla,
25 njalo kancediswa yizandla zabantu angathi kulolutho aluswelayo, ngoba yena nguye onika abantu bonke ukuphila lokuphefumula lazo zonke izinto.
26 Ngomuntu oyedwa wenza zonke izizwe zabantu ukuze zihlale emhlabeni wonke futhi wamisa izikhathi ezibekiweyo, wafaka lemingcele yalapho abantu okumele bahlale khona,
27 ukuze bamdinge uNkulunkulu, bamlalamele baze bamthole sibili, njengoba yena engekho khatshana komunye lomunye wethu.
28 Phela siyaphila, siyahamba njalo sikhona ngenxa yakhe, njengoba nje lezinye izimbongi zenu zisitsho ukuthi, ‘Lathi singabantwabakhe.’
29 “Yikho-ke nxa thina singabantwana bakaNkulunkulu akumelanga sicabange ukuthi uNkulunkulu unjengegolide kumbe isiliva kumbe ilitshe, loba ukuthi unjengento ebaziweyo yalungiswa ngabantu.
30 UNkulunkulu ubengazinaki sibili izikhathi lezo zokungazi kodwa khathesi usememezela kubo bonke abantu ezindaweni zonke ukuthi kumele baphenduke,
31 ngoba usebeke ilanga ahlose ukwahlulela ngalo umhlaba wonke ngokulunga esebenzisa umuntu ambekileyo. Kanti njalo usenike abantu bonke ubufakazi balokhu ngokumvusa kwabafileyo.”
32 Bathi besizwa ngokuvuswa kwabafileyo abanye baqalisa ukumchothoza, kodwa abanye bathi: “Sizaphinda siyizwe futhi indaba yakho le.”
33 Ngakho uPhawuli wabatshiya,
34 kodwa abanye bamlandela baba ngamakholwa. Phakathi kwabo kwakuloDiyonisiyu owayengumahluleli womthethwandaba we-Ariyophagu,* lowesifazana okwakuthiwa nguDamari, kanye labanye.
Amabala angaphansi
^ Kumbe, “asebedale uhlupho emhlabeni.”
^ Kumbe, “ibheyili.”
^ Khangela iNgcazelo Yamabala.
^ Kumbe, “ababevakatshele.”
^ Kumbe, “liyakhonza kakhulu.”
^ Khangela iNgcazelo Yamabala.
