IZENZO 17

₁Ke kaloku, bakuba beyihambile iAmfipoli neApoloni, beza eTesalonika, apho yayikhona indlu yesikhungu yamaYuda. ₂Ngokwesiko ke likaPawulos wangena kuwo; waye iisabatha ezintathu exoxa nawo, ethabatha ezibhalweni, etyhila, ₃ebeka phambi kwawo ukuba uKristu• ubemelwe kukuva ubunzima, aze avuke kwabafileyo; nokuthi, Nguye ke uKristu, lo Yesu ndinazisa yena mna. ₄Inxenye kuwo yoyiseka, yazibandakanya noPawulos noSilas, kwanenkitha enkulu yamaGrike amhlonelayo uThixo; nakubafazi abaziintloko àbaba mbalwa.

₅Ke kaloku amaYuda angoyisekileyo, enomsindo, azithabathela amadoda athile angendawo, angamahilihili, enza ibubu, awuphithizelisa umzi, ayifikela nendlu kaYason, efuna ukubarholela eluntwini. ₆Akuba engabafumananga ke, amrholela uYason nabazalwana abathile kubaphathi bomzi, ebhomboloza esithi, Aba baliqungaqungileyo elimiweyo, bona bafikile nalapha; ₇athe uYason wabamkela ngobubele; baye bonke aba besenza okuchasene nemimiselo kaKesare,• besithi, Kukho kumkani wumbi unguYesu. ₈Asikhathaza ke isihlwele nabaphathi bomzi, bakuziva ezi zinto. ₉Bethabathe isibambiso kuYason nakwabanye, babakhulula.

₁₀Ke kaloku bathi abazalwana kwaoko bamndulula uPawulos noSilas ngobusuku, ukuba baye eBhereya; abathi bona bakufika, baya endlwini yesikhungu yamaYuda. ₁₁La ke aye enobuntu kunawaseTesalonika; la wona alamkela ilizwi ngentumekelelo yonke, ezincina izibhalo imihla ngemihla, ukuba zingaba zinjalo na ezi zinto. ₁₂Kwakholwa ke ngoko into eninzi kuwo, nakumaGrikekazi abekekileyo, nakumadoda, àbaba mbalwa.

₁₃Akùqonda ke awaseTesalonika amaYuda, ukuba ilizwi likaThixo lazisiwe nguPawulos naseBhereya, eza azizamazamisa nalapho izihlwele. ₁₄Bandula ke kwaoko abazalwana, bamsusa uPawulos ukuba abheke ngaselwandle; kwasala uSilas kwanoTimoti khona. ₁₅Bathe ke bona abamkhapháyo uPawulos, bamsa eAtene; bakuba bamkelé umthetho oya kooSilas noTimoti, wokuba beze kuye kwakamsinya, bemka.

₁₆Ke kaloku, akubon' ukuba uPawulos ubalindile eAtene, wacaphuka, akuwubona umzi uzizithixo kuphela. ₁₇Wayexoxa ke ngoko endlwini yesikhungu namaYuda, nabamhlonelayo uThixo; nasendaweni yembutho imihla ngemihla, nabasukuba bekhona. ₁₈Ke kaloku izithanda-bulumko ezithile zamaEpikure• nezamaStoyike• zamhlanganyela; yayisithi inxenye, Azi lifuna ukuthini na eli pholopholo? Abanye ke bathi, Ngathi ngumazisi wezithixo zasemzini; ngokuba wayebashumayeza iindaba ezilungileyo zikaYesu, novuko lwabafileyo.

₁₉Bamthabatha ke bamsa eAreyopago,• besithi, Singakhe siyive na le mfundiso intsha ithethwa nguwe, ukuba iyini na? ₂₀Kuba uzisa izinto ezithile zasemzini ezindlebeni zethu; singa singázi ngoko, ukuba zingaba zifuna ukuba yintoni na ezi zinto. ₂₁Ke kaloku abaseAtene bonke, nabasemzini abangabahambi, babengazilibazisi nganto yimbi, ngaphandle kokuxela nokuva olona daba lutsha.

₂₂Wema ke uPawulos esazulwini seAreyopago, wathi:

Madoda aseAtene, ndiyabona ukuba ezintweni zonke nincamisile ukuhlonela izithixo. ₂₃Kuba ndithe, ndihamba ndisingasinga izinto enizihlonelayo, ndafumana nesibingelelo ekubhalwe kuso, kwathiwa, KONGÀZIWAYO UTHIXO. Lowo ngoko nimhlonelayo ningamazi, ndinazisa yena mna.

₂₄UThixo yena, owenza ihlabathi neento zonke ezikulo, lowo, eyiNkosi nje yezulu nomhlaba, akahlali zitempileni zenziwe ngazandla. ₂₅Kananjalo akaphiliswa zizandla zabantu, ngokoswele into, inguye nje obanika bonke ubomi, nomphefumlo, nazo zonke izinto. ₂₆Kanjalo wazenza ngagazi-nye zonke iintlanga zabantu, ukuba zime phezu kwawo wonke umhlaba, emisa amaxesha abekwe ngenxa engaphambili, nemida yokuma kwazo; ₂₇ukuze bayifune iNkosi, ukuba kambe bangáphuthaphutha bayifumane, nakuba ingekude kuthi sonke ngabanye. ₂₈Kuba kuyo sihleli, siyashukuma, sikho; njengokuba neembongi ezithile zenu zitshilo ukuthi, Kuba nathi siyinzala yakhe.

₂₉Siyinzala kaThixo nje ke, akusifanele ukuba sibe ubuthixo obu bufana negolide nesilivere nelitye, into eqingqwe ngobungcibi nangengcinga yomntu. ₃₀Loo maxesha ke ngoko okungazi, uThixo wawayeka ngabomi; kungoku uyala abantu bonke ezindaweni zonke ukuba baguquke; ₃₁ngokokuba emise umhla, aza kuligweba ngawo elimiweyo ngobulungisa, ngendoda awayimisayo, ebanike bonke ukholo ngokuyivusa kwabafileyo.

₃₂Ke kaloku, bakuva ngokuvuka kwabafileyo, inxenye yayihlekisa ngaloo nto, abanye bathi, Sobuya sikuve wena ngale nto. ₃₃Waphuma njalo ke uPawulos phakathi kwabo. ₃₄Kodwa amadoda athile anamathele kuye, akholwa, anoDiyonisiyo waseAreyopago, nomfazi ogama linguDamari, nabanye ndawonye nabo.