IZenzo 17

17 ¹Bathi sebedabule i-Amfipholi ne-Apholoniya, bafika eThesalonika, lapho kwakukhona khona isinagoge lamaJuda. ²UPawulu, njengokwejwayelekile, wangena kubo wabonisana nabo esebenzisa imiBhalo amaSabatha amathathu. ³Evula echaza imiBhalo ukuthi uKhristu kwakufanele ahlupheke avuke kwabafileyo, wathi: “Lo Jesu engimmemezela kini unguKhristu.” ⁴Abanye babo bancengeka bazihlanganisa noPawulu noSilasi, kanye nenqwaba yamaGreki ayekhonza ngokuzinikela nabesifazane abaningi abaqavile. ⁵Kodwa amaJuda aba nomona, abutha amadoda amabi asemakethe, akha isixuku, adala isiyaluyalu emzini. Agasela endlini kaJasoni, efuna ukubakhiphela esixukwini. ⁶Bathi bengabatholi, bahudula uJasoni nabanye abazalwane phambi kwezikhulu zomuzi, bememeza bethi: “Lawa madoda aphendule izwe laba phansi phezulu asefike nalapha, ⁷uJasoni ubemukele. Bonke bephula imithetho kaKhesari, bethi kukhona enye inkosi—uJesu. ⁸Badunga isixuku neziphathimandla zomuzi ezezwa lezi zinto.” ⁹Kwathi sebethathe isibambiso kuJasoni nakwabanye, babakhulula.

AbaseBhereya Bahlola imiBhalo

¹⁰Abazalwane bahle bathumela uPawulu noSilasi ebusuku eBhereya; bathi befika bangena esinagogeni lamaJuda. ¹¹Lawa maJuda ayenengqondo evulekile kunalawo aseThesalonika, elamukela izwi ngentshiseko ehlola imiBhalo imihla ngemihla ukubona ukuthi lezi zinto ziyiqiniso yini. ¹²Ngakho abaningi babo bakholwa, kanye nenqwaba yabesifazane abadumile bamaGreki namadoda. ¹³Kwathi amaJuda aseThesalonika esezwile ukuthi uPawulu ushumayela izwi likaBaba wethu naseBhereya, eza nakhona, edunga evusa izixuku. ¹⁴Abazalwane bahle bamthumela uPawulu ngasolwandle, kodwa uSilasi noThimothewu basala khona. ¹⁵Labo ababephelezela uPawulu bamyisa e-Athene, base behamba bephethe umyalo wokuthi uSilasi noThimothewu beze kuye ngokushesha okukhulu.

UPawulu Ufika e-Athene

¹⁶Kwathi uPawulu esabalindile e-Athene, umoya wakhe wacunuka ngaphakathi kuye, ebona umuzi ugcwele izithombe. ¹⁷Ngakho waphikisana esinagogeni namaJuda nabakhonzi bakaNkulunkulu, nasemakethe imihla ngemihla nanoma ngubani owayelapho. ¹⁸Abanye bezazi zefilosofi zama-Epikuri namaStoyiki nabo baphikisana naye. Abanye babuza bathi: “Ufuna ukuthini lo mbhedi?” Abanye bathi: “Kubonakala sengathi umemezela onkulunkulu bezinye izizwe”—ngokuba wayeshumayela izindaba ezinhle zikaJesu nokuvuka kwabafileyo.

¹⁹Bamthatha bamletha e-Areyophagu, bebuza bethi: “Singazi yini ukuthi iyini le mfundiso entsha oyethulayo? ^a a v19 I-Areyophagu, noma “iNtaba kaMarse,” kwakuyigquma elinamatshe e-Athene lapho umkhandlu womuzi wawuhlangana khona ukucabanga ngemibono emisha nezimfundiso. ²⁰Ngokuba uletha izinto ezingaqhelekile ezindlebeni zethu, ngakho sifuna ukwazi ukuthi zisho ukuthini.” ²¹Phela bonke abase-Athene nabezizwe ababehlala khona babechitha isikhathi sabo bengenzi lutho ngaphandle kokuxoxa noma ukuzwa into entsha.

²²UPawulu wema phakathi kwe-Areyophagu wathi: “Nina base-Athene, ngiyabona ukuthi ninenkolo kakhulu ngazo zonke izindlela. ²³Ngokuba ngithe ngidabula ngihlola izinto zenu ezingcwele, ngafumana i-altare elalibhalwe ukuthi: ‘Kunkulunkulu ongaziwa.’ Lokho enikukhonza ningakwazi, yilokho engikumemezela kini manje. ²⁴UBaba wethu, owenza izwe nakho konke okukulo, oyiNkosi yezulu nomhlaba, akahlali emathempelini enziwe ngezandla, ^b b v24 UPawulu utshela abase-Athene abahedeni ukuthi “unkulunkulu ongaziwa” abamkhonzayo empeleni unguBaba wethu—uMdali wezinto zonke, ongenakufakwa kunoma yiliphi ithempeli. ²⁵futhi akakhonzwa ngezandla zabantu, kungathi kukhona akudingayo—yena uqobo unika wonke umuntu ukuphila, ukuphefumula, nakho konke. ²⁶Esuka kumuntu munye wenza zonke izizwe zabantu ukuba zihlale kuwo wonke umhlaba, emisela izikhathi zazo ezinqunyiwe nemingcele yamazwe azo, ²⁷ukuze bafune uBaba wethu, mhlawumbe bamphulule bamfumane—nakuba engekude komunye nomunye wethu, ²⁸ngokuba ‘Kuye siyaphila, siyanyakaza, sikhona’; njengoba ngisho abanye bezimbongi zenu beshilo ukuthi, ‘Nathi siyinzalo yakhe.’ ²⁹Ngakho njengoba singabantwana bakaBaba wethu, akufanele sicabange ukuthi ubunkulunkulu bunjengegolide, noma isiliva, noma itshe—umfanekiso obunjwe ngekhono nangomcabango womuntu. ³⁰Izikhathi zokungazi uBaba wethu wazenza sengathi akaziboni, kodwa manje uyala bonke abantu kuyo yonke indawo ukuba baphenduke. ³¹Umisile usuku lokwahlulela izwe ngokulunga, ngomuntu amkhethileyo—ekufakazela kubo bonke ngokumvusa kwabafileyo.” ^c c v31 Umuntu uBaba wethu amkhethela ukwahlulela izwe nguJesu; ubufakazi bukaBaba kubo bonke ukuthi wamvusa uJesu kwabafileyo.

³²Bathi bezwa ngokuvuka kwabafileyo, abanye bahleka usulu; abanye bathi: “Sizokuzwa futhi ngalokhu.” ³³Ngakho uPawulu wasuka phakathi kwabo. ³⁴Kodwa amanye amadoda azihlanganisa naye akholwa, kuhlanganisa uDiyonisiyu wase-Areyophagu, nowesifazane ogama lakhe linguDamari, nabanye.