Umsebenzi Wabathunywa 17 FHB Father's Heart Bible™

17 ¹Emva kokucanda eAmfipoli naseApoloniya, bafika eThesalonika, apho kwakukho indlu yesikhungu yamaYuda. ²UPawulos, ngokwesiko lakhe, wangena kubo, waza wacengceleza nabo esebenzisa izibhalo ngeesabatha ezintathu. ³Evula echaza izibhalo ezithi uKrestu umelwe kukuva ubunzima aze avuke kwabafileyo, wathi: “Lo Yesu ndimvakalisayo kuni nguye uKrestu.” ⁴Bambi kubo bakholiswa, baza bazibandakanya noPawulos noSilas, kunye nenkitha enkulu yamaGrike amoyika uThixo, nabafazi abaliqela abaziimbalasane. ⁵Kodwa amaYuda akhweletiswa, aqokelela amadoda angendawo asendaweni yentengiso, ahlanganisa indimbane, awufaka esiphithiphithini umzi. Ahlasela indlu kaYason, efuna ukubakhuphela esihlweleni. ⁶Akuba engabafumananga, awarhuqa uYason nabanye abazalwana, awazisa phambi kwabaphathi bomzi, edanduluka esithi: “Aba madoda azamazamise ihlabathi liphela afike nalapha, ⁷waye uYason ewamkele. Bonke bachasa imimiselo kaKesare, besithi kukho omnye ukumkani, nguYesu. ⁸Baza bayixhokonxa indimbane nabaphathi bomzi abazivileyo ezi zinto.” ⁹Bathe ke bakuba bethabathe isiqinisekiso kuYason nakwabanye, babandulula.

AbaseBhereya Baphengulula Izibhalo

¹⁰Abazalwana bamndulula kwaoko uPawulos noSilas ngobusuku, basinga eBhereya; bakufika bangena endlwini yesikhungu yamaYuda. ¹¹La maYuda ayenezingqondo zivulekileyo ngaphezu kwalawo aseThesalonika, ekwamkela ilizwi ngovuyo, ephengulula izibhalo imihla ngemihla ukubona ukuba zinjalo na ezi zinto. ¹²Ngoko abaninzi kuwo bakholwa, kunye nabafazi abaziimbalasane bamaGrike namadoda amaninzi. ¹³Bathe amaYuda aseThesalonika akuva ukuba uPawulos uvakalisa ilizwi likaBawo wethu naseBhereya, aya khona nalapho, exhokonxa, exhokonxa izihlwele. ¹⁴Abazalwana kwaoko bamndulula uPawulos ukuba aye elwandle, kodwa uSilas noTimoti bahlala khona. ¹⁵Abo babemkhapha uPawulos bamsa eAthene, baza bemka benemiyalelo yokuba uSilas noTimoti bafike kuye ngokukhawuleza okukhulu.

UPawulos Ufika eAthene

¹⁶Ngelixa uPawulos ebalindile eAthene, wavuseleleka umoya wakhe ngaphakathi kwakhe, ebona umzi uzele zizithixo. ¹⁷Ngoko ke wayephikisana endlwini yesikhungu namaYuda nabakhonzi bakaThixo, kananjalo imihla ngemihla endaweni yentengiso nabo bonke awayebafumana apho. ¹⁸Bambi kwizilumko ezingamaEpikuro namaStoyike babephikisana naye. Bathi abanye: “Ufuna ukuthetha ntoni na lo mbhedengu?” Abanye bathi: “Kubonakala ngathi uvakalisa oothixo basemzini,” ngokuba wayeshumayela iindaba ezilungileyo ngoYesu nangovuko.

¹⁹Bamthabatha bamsa kwiAreyopago, bebuza besithi: “Singakwazi na ukuba yintoni le mfundiso intsha oyivakalisayo? ^a a v19 IAreyopago, okanye “iNduli kaMars,” yayiyinduli yelitye eAthene, apho ibhunga lomzi lalihlangana khona ukucamngca iimbono neemfundiso ezintsha. ²⁰Kuba uzisa izinto ezingaqhelekanga ezindlebeni zethu, ngoko sifuna ukwazi ukuba zithetha ntoni na.” ²¹Ke kaloku onke amaAthene nabasemzini ababehleli apho babechitha ixesha labo kungekho nto yimbi, kuphela kukuxelela okanye ukuva into entsha.

²²UPawulos wema phakathi kweAreyopago wathi: “Nina maAthene, ndibona ukuba ninenkonzo enkulu kakhulu ngeendlela zonke. ²³Kuba njengoko bendicanda ndihlolisisa izinto zenu ezinqulwayo, ndifumene isibingelelo esibhalwe ukuthi: ‘KuThixo ongaziwayo.’ Lowo nimnqula ningamazi, ndiyamvakalisa ngoku kuni. ²⁴UBawo wethu, owenza ihlabathi nako konke okukulo, engoyiNkosi yezulu nomhlaba, akahleli ezintweni ezingcwele ezenziwe ngezandla, ^b b v24 UPawulos uxelela amaAthene angakholwayo ukuba “uThixo ongaziwayo” awamnqulayo ngenene nguBawo wethu — uMdali wezinto zonke, ongenakufakwa kuyo nayiphi na indlu engcwele. ²⁵engakhonzwa zizandla zabantu, ngathi uswele into—yena ngokwakhe unika bonke ubomi, nokuphefumla, nazo zonke izinto. ²⁶Esuka kumntu omnye wenza zonke iintlanga zoluntu zihlale kulo lonke ihlabathi, emisela amaxesha azo amisiweyo nemida yamakhaya azo, ²⁷ukuze zifune uBawo wethu, mhlawumbi ziphuthaphuthe zimfumane—nangona engekho kude kuthi ngamnye, ²⁸kuba ‘Ngaye siphila, sinyakazele, sikho’; njengokuba nabanye beembongi zenu ngokwenu bathe, ‘Nathi siyinzala yakhe.’ ²⁹Ngoko ke, singabantwana bakaBawo wethu, asimelwe kukucinga ukuba ubuThixo bunjengegolide, nesilivere, nelitye—umfanekiso oyiliweyo bubuchule nengcinga yomntu. ³⁰Amaxesha okungazi uBawo wethu wawaleka ngaphandle, kodwa ngoku uwisela umthetho bonke abantu kuzo zonke iindawo ukuba baguquke. ³¹Umisele imini yokugweba ihlabathi ngobulungisa, ngomntu amnyulileyo—ekungqinela oku kubo bonke ngokumvusa kwabafileyo.” ^c c v31 Umntu amnyulileyo uBawo wethu ukuba agwebe ihlabathi nguYesu; ubungqina bukaBawo wethu kubo bonke bukukuba wamvusa uYesu kwabafileyo.

³²Bakuva ngovuko lwabafileyo, bambi bahlekisa; abanye bathi: “Siya kukuva ngale nto kwakhona.” ³³Waza ke uPawulos wemka kubo. ³⁴Kodwa bambi babandakana naye bakholwa, phakathi kwabo kukho uDionisiyo umAreyopagi, nomfazi ogama linguDamari, nabanye.