IZenzo 17:1-34
17 Ke kaloku bahamba betyhutyha iAmfipoli neApoloniya baza baya eTesalonika,+ apho kwakukho indlu yesikhungu yamaYuda.
2 Ngoko ngokwesiko likaPawulos+ wangena ngaphakathi kuwo, yaye kangangeesabatha ezintathu waqiqa nawo ngeZibhalo,+
3 ecacisa yaye engqina ngeembekiselo ukuba kwakuyimfuneko ngoKRISTU ukubandezeleka+ nokuvuka kwabafileyo,+ kwaye esithi: “Nguye lowo uKRISTU,+ lo Yesu ndimvakalisa kuni.”
4 Ngokomphumo bambi babo baba ngamakholwa+ baza bazinxulumanisa noPawulos noSilas,+ yenjenjalo nenkitha enkulu yamaGrike awayenqula uThixo nabafazi abaziintloko abaninzi.
5 Kodwa amaYuda, aba nekhwele,+ athabathela kuwo amadoda athile angendawo kulawo angoongqikana kwindawo yemarike yaye ayila ihlokondiba aza aqala ukwenza isixeko sibe sisaqunge.+ Kwaye ayihlasela indlu kaYason+ efuna ukubazisa kulo igquba.
6 Athi akungabafumani arhuqela uYason nabazalwana abathile kubalawuli besixeko, edanduluka esithi: “Aba bantu bawubhukuqileyo+ umhlaba omiweyo bakho nalapha,
7 yaye uYason ubamkele ngomoya wokubuk’ iindwendwe. Kwaye bonke aba bantu benza ngokuchasene nemimiselo+ kaKesare, besithi kukho omnye ukumkani,+ uYesu.”
8 Eneneni saphazamiseka isihlwele nabalawuli besixeko bakuva ezi zinto;
9 yaye kuqala emva kokuthabatha isibambiso esilingeneyo kuYason nakwabanye babandulula.
10 Ngoko nangoko ngobusuku+ abazalwana babathumela uPawulos noSilas eBhereya, yaye bakufika, baya kwindlu yesikhungu yamaYuda.
11 Aba ke bona babechubekile kunabo baseTesalonika, kuba balamkela ilizwi ngeyona ntumekelelo inkulu yengqondo, bezincina ngenyameko+ iZibhalo+ mihla le mayela nokuba zinjalo kusini na ezo zinto.+
12 Ngoko ke abaninzi babo baba ngamakholwa, yaye benjenjalo nabafazi+ bamaGrike abadumileyo abaninzi namadoda.
13 Kodwa xa amaYuda avela eTesalonika aqondayo ukuba ilizwi likaThixo lalivakaliswa nguPawulos naseBhereya, eza nalapho ukuze azivuselele+ aze aziphazamise+ iindimbane.
14 Bandula ke abazalwana ngoko nangoko bathumela uPawulos ukuba ahambe de afikelele elwandle;+ kodwa uSilas noTimoti basala ngemva apho.
15 Noko ke, abo babekhaphe uPawulos bamzisa eAthene baza, emva kokufumana umyalelo wokuba uSilas noTimoti+ beze kuye ngokukhawuleza kangangoko kunokwenzeka, bemka.
16 Ke kaloku ngoxa uPawulos wayebalinde eAthene, wacatshukiswa+ kukubona ukuba isixeko sasizaliswe zizithixo.
17 Ngenxa yoko waqiqa kwindlu yesikhungu kunye namaYuda+ nabanye abantu ababenqula uThixo nakwindawo yemarike+ yonke imihla kunye nabo kwakusenzeka ukuba babekho.
18 Kodwa abathile kwizithandi-zobulumko+ ezamaEpikure nezamaStoyike babambana naye ngencoko, yaye bambi babeye bathi: “Yintoni na elingathanda ukuyixela eli pholopholo?”+ Abanye bathi: “Ubonakala engumvakalisi wezithixo zasemzini.” Oku kwakungenxa yokuba wayevakalisa iindaba ezilungileyo ezingoYesu novuko.+
19 Ngoko bambamba baza bamsa eAreyopago, besithi: “Ungasazisa na le mfundiso+ intsha uyithethayo?
20 Kuba wazisa izinto ezithile ezingaqhelekanga ezindlebeni zethu. Ngoko ke sinqwenela ukwazi intsingiselo yezi zinto.”+
21 Enyanisweni, onke ama-Athene nabasemzini abaphambukele apho babechitha ixesha labo lokuphola bengenzi nto ngaphandle kokuxela okuthile okanye ukuphulaphula okuthile okutsha.
22 Wema ke uPawulos phakathi kweAreyopago+ waza wathi:
“Madoda aseAthene, ndiyabona ukuba ezintweni zonke nibonakala ngathi nizinikele ngakumbi ekoyikeni izithixo+ kunokuba abanye benjalo.
23 Ngokomzekelo, ngoxa bendidlula ndaza ndaqwalasela ngenyameko izinto zenu ezihlonelwayo ndifumene nesibingelelo ekubhalwe kuso kwathiwa ‘Kongaziwayo uThixo.’ Ngoko ke oko ninikela kuko uzinikelo lobuthixo ngokungazi, ndivakalisa kona kuni.
24 UTHIXO owenza ihlabathi nazo zonke izinto ezikulo, ekubeni Yena, eyiNkosi yezulu nomhlaba,+ akahlali zitempileni zenziwe ngazandla,+
25 enganyanyekelwa nazizandla zabantu ngokungathi ebeswele nantoni na,+ ngenxa yokuba yena ubanika bonke abantu ubomi+ nempefumlo+ nezinto zonke.
26 Yaye wazenza ngokuphuma kumntu+ omnye zonke iintlanga zabantu,+ ukuba zihlale phezu komhlaba uphela,+ waza wamisa amaxesha amisiweyo+ nemida emiselweyo yokuhlala kwabantu,+
27 ukuze bona bafune uThixo,+ ukuba bangamphuthaphutha baze ngokwenene bamfumane,+ nangona, enyanisweni, engekude kuye ngamnye wethu.
28 Kuba ngaye sinobomi siyashukuma yaye sikho,+ kwananjengoko nabathile kwiimbongi+ eziphakathi kwenu betshilo ukuthi, ‘Kuba nathi siyinzala yakhe.’
29 “Ekubeni, ke ngoko, siyinzala kaThixo,+ sifanele singacingi ukuba Lowo Ungokobuthixo+ unjengegolide okanye isilivere okanye ilitye, njengento eqingqwe ngobugcisa nokuyila komntu.+
30 Enyanisweni, uThixo uye akawananza amaxesha okungazi okunjalo,+ kanti ngoku uxelela uluntu ukuba lufanele lonke kuyo yonk’ indawo luguquke.+
31 Ngenxa yokuba umise imini anenjongo ngayo yokuba agwebe+ umhlaba omiweyo ngobulungisa ngendoda ayimiseleyo, yaye ubanike isiqinisekiso bonke abantu ngokuba eye wayivusa+ kwabafileyo.”
32 Ngoko, bakuva ngovuko lwabafileyo, bambi baqalisa ukwenza intlekisa,+ ngoxa abanye bathi: “Siza kukuva ngale nto nangelinye ixesha.”
33 Ngaloo ndlela uPawulos waphuma phakathi kwabo,
34 kodwa amadoda athile azinikela aba ngamakholwa, ekwakukho phakathi kwawo noDiyonisiyo, umgwebi wenkundla yaseAreyopago,+ nomfazi ogama linguDamari, nabanye kunye nabo.
