Imisebenzi 17 - iBhayibhili Elingcwele 1978

UPawuli utshumayela eTesalonika

¹ Kwathi sebedabule iAmfipholi leApoloniya, bafika eTesalonika, lapho kwakukhona isinagoge labaJuda.

² UPawuli wangena kubo njengokujwayela kwakhe, waphikisana labo ngemibhalo amaSabatha amathathu,

³ ebavulela, etshengisa ngayo ukuthi kwakufanele ukuba uKristu ahlupheke, avuke kwabafileyo, esithi futhi: UJesu lo engimtshumayela kini unguKristu.

⁴ Abanye babo bakholwa, bazihlanganisa loPawuli loSilasi, njalo labanengi bamaGriki akholwayo, labesifazana abadumileyo abanengi.

⁵ Kodwa abaJuda baba lomona, bathatha abantu ababi phakathi kwamavila, babutha ixuku, benza isiyaluyalu phakathi komuzi; bahlasela indlu kaJasoni befuna ukubakhuphela ebantwini.

⁶ Kwathi bengabafumani badonsela uJasoni kanye labazalwane abathile kubaphathi bomuzi, bathi: Laba abayaluzisa ilizwe sebefikile lalapha,

⁷ uJasoni ubamukele; bonke laba benza okuphambene lemithetho kaKesari, besithi kukhona enye inkosi, enguJesu.

⁸ Abantu labaphathi bomuzi bethuka lapho besizwa lokhu.

⁹ Kwathi sebethethe isibambiso kuJasoni lakwabanye, babakhulula.

UPawuli utshumayela eBeriya

¹⁰ Masinyane abazalwane babasusa oPawuli loSilasi babathumela eBeriya ebusuku; bona sebefikile khona bangena esinagogeni labaJuda.

¹¹ LababaJuda babelungile kulalabo abaseTesalonika, ngoba balamukela ilizwi ngenhliziyo yonke, behlolisisa imibhalo insuku ngensuku ukubona ukuba zinjalo yini lezizinto.

¹² Ngakho abanengi kubo bakholwa, labesifazana bamaGriki abahloniphekayo abanengi kanye labesilisa.

¹³ Kwathi abaJuda base‐Tesalonika sebezwile ukuthi ilizwi likaNkulunkulu liyatshunyayelwa nguPawuli laseBeriya, beza lakhona, badunga bavusa ixuku.

¹⁴ Ngakho abazalwane bamsusa masinyane uPawuli bamusa ngasolwandle; kodwa uSilasi loTimothi basala khona.

¹⁵ Labo abaphelekezela uPawuli bamfikisa eAtene; sebamukele umlayezelo ngoSilasi loTimothi ukuba beze kuye masinyane basuka bahamba.

UPawuli utshumayela eAtene

¹⁶ Kwathi uPawuli esabalindele eAtene, umoya wakhe wakhathazeka phakathi kwakhe ebona umuzi ugcwele izithombe.

¹⁷ Ngakho waphikisana labaJuda labanye abakhonza uNkulunkulu esinagogeni, lasemidangeni waphikisana insuku zonke lalabo abasuka baba khona.

¹⁸ Abathile kuzo izazi zamaEpikuri lamaStoyiki baphikisana laye; abanye bathi: Umzenzisazi lo angathini na? Labanye bathi: Kungathi ungotshumayela onkulunkulu bezizweni; ngoba watshumayela ngoJesu langokuvuka kwabafileyo.

¹⁹ Basebemthatha, bemusa eAreyopagu besithi: Akusitshele ukuba iyini lemfundiso entsha oyifundisayo na?

²⁰ Ngoba uletha indaba ezimangalisayo endlebeni zethu; ngakho sifisa ukwazi ukuthi lezizinto ziyini.

²¹ Ngoba bonke abaseAtene labezizwe abahlala khona babengasebenzi lutho, kuphela ukuxoxa lokuzwa ngezinto ezintsha.

²² Ngakho uPawuli wema phakathi kweAreyopagu, wathi: Madoda aseAtene, ngiyabona ukuthi ezintweni zonke likhonza onkulunkulu kakhulu.

²³ Ngoba ngithe ngihamba ngikhangela izinto elikhonza ngazo, ngafumana ialtare elilotshwe ukuthi: NGELIKANKULUNKULU ONGAZIWAYO. Lokho elikukhonza lingakwazi, yikho engikutshumayela kini.

²⁴ UNkulunkulu owenza umhlaba lakho konke okukuwo, yena oyiNkosi yezulu lomhlaba, kahlali emathempelini enziwe ngabantu;

²⁵ futhi kakhonzwa ngezandla zabantu njengokungathi uswele ulutho, ngoba yena uqobo lwakhe uyabapha bonke abantu ukusila lokuphefumula lakho konke;

²⁶ wazenza izizwe zonke ngazinye ukuba zihlale ebusweni bonke bomhlaba, wazimisela izikhathi eziqunyiweyo lemikhawulo yokuhlala kwazo,

²⁷ ukuba zifune uNkulunkulu, ukuze mhlawumbe zimuzwe, zimfumane, kanti kakhatshana kulowo lalowo wethu.

²⁸ Ngoba sisila, sihambe, sihlale ngaye, njengokuba imbongi ezithile zakini zitshilo zathi: Ngoba futhi siyinzalo yakhe.

²⁹ Ngakhoke lokhu siyinzalo kaNkulunkulu, kakufanele ukuba sinakane ukuthi ubuNkulunkulu bunjengegolide ingabe isiliva loba ilitshe okwenziweyo ngeminwe langokunakana kwabantu.

³⁰ Ngoba izikhathi zokungamazi uNkulunkulu wazibekezelela, kodwa khathesi uyalaya bonke abantu endaweni zonke ukuba baphenduke,

³¹ ngoba umisile usuku azakuthonisisa umhlaba ngalo ngokulunga ngomuntu ammisileyo, enika bonke abantu ithemba ngokumvusa kwabafileyo.

³² Kwathi besizwa ngokuvuka kwabafileyo, abanye bahlekisana ngaye, kodwa abanye bathi: Sizaphinda sikuzwe ngalindaba.

³³ Ngakho uPawuli waphuma phakathi kwabo.

³⁴ Kodwa amadoda athile anamathela kuye, akholwa; phakathi kwawo kwakukhona uDiyonisiyu waseAreyopagu lowesifazana othiwa nguDamari, labanye kanye labo.