Uhambo lwesibili lukaPawulu: ushumayela eThesalonika
1Kwathi sebedabulile i-Amfipholi ne-Apholoniya, bafika eThesalonika, lapho kwakukhona isinagoge* labaJuda. 2Kepha uPawulu njengokwenza kwakhe wangena kubo, waphendulana nabo amasabatha amathathu, ethathela emibhalweni, 3ebavulela, ebachasisela ukuthi kwakumelwe ukuba uKristu ahlupheke, avuke kwabafileyo, ethi futhi: “UJesu lo engimshumayela kini unguKristu.” 4Base bevuma abanye kubo, bazihlanganisa noPawulu noSila, futhi nesixuku esikhulu samaGreki akholwayo, kanye nabesifazane abadumileyo abangeyingcosana.
5Kepha abaJuda benomhawu bathatha kumabhukudwane abalisa abathile ababi, besusa isiyaluyalu phakathi kwabantu, baxokozelisa umuzi; bahlasela indlu kaJasoni befuna ukubakhiphela kubantu; 6kepha bengabafumani bamhudulela uJasoni kanye nabazalwane abathile kubaphathimuzi, bamemeza bathi: “Laba abayaluzisa izwe lonke sebefikile nalapha, 7uJasoni ubamukele; bonke laba benza okuphambene nezimiso zikaKesari, bethi kukhona enye inkosi, nguJesu.” 8Kepha bethusa isixuku nabaphathimuzi abezwa lokho, 9bathatha isibambiso kuJasoni nakwabanye, babakhulula.
UPawulu ushumayela eBereya
10Kepha abazalwane bamukisa oPawulu noSila masinyane ebusuku ukuba baye eBereya; bona sebefikile khona bangena esinagogeni* labaJuda. 11Labo-ke babebahle kunabaseThesalonika, balamukela izwi ngenhliziyo yonke, bahlolisisa imibhalo imihla ngemihla ukuba zinjalo yini lezo zinto. 12Ngakho abaningi kubo bakholwa, nabesifazane abanesithunzi abangamaGreki, namadoda angeyingcosana.
13Kwathi abaJuda baseThesalonika sebezwile ukuthi izwi likaNkulunkulu limenyezelwe nguPawulu naseBereya, beza nakhona, bazinyakazisa bezivusa izixuku. 14Khona abazalwane bamukisa masinyane uPawulu ukuba aze afike elwandle; kepha oSila noThimothewu basala khona. 15Abamphelekezelayo uPawulu bamfikisa e-Athene; kwathi sebamukele isiyalezo ngoSila nangoThimothewu sokuba beze kuye ngokushesha okukhulu, bamuka.
UPawulu ushumayela e-Athene
16Kwathi uPawulu esabalinda e-Athene, umoya wakhe wacunuka phakathi kwakhe ebona umuzi ugcwele izithombe. 17Ngakho-ke wakhuluma esinagogeni* kubaJuda nakuwo amakholwa nasesigcawini imihla ngemihla kubo ababesuke bekhona. 18Kepha abathile kuzo izazi zama-Epikhuru nezamaStoyiku baphikisana naye; abanye bathi: “Leli phoshophosho lithini na?” Abanye bathi: “Kungathi ungomemezela onkulunkulu abangaziwayo,” ngokuba wayeshumayela ivangeli ngoJesu nangokuvuka kwabafileyo. 19Base bemthatha, bamyisa e-Areyophagu, bethi: “Ungesazise ukuthi siyini lesi sifundiso esisha esikhulunywa nguwe na? 20Ngokuba uletha ezindlebeni zethu okuthile okungaziwayo; ngalokho sifuna ukwazi ukuthi lokhu kungaba yini.” 21Ngokuba bonke abase-Athene nabafokazi abakhe khona babengazilibazisi ngokunye, kuphela ngokukhuluma nokuzwa izindaba ezintsha.
22UPawulu wema-ke phakathi ne-Areyophagu, wathi: “Madoda ase-Athene, ngiyabona ngakho konke ukuthi nikhonza kakhulu onkulunkulu. 23Ngokuba kwathi ngihamba ngibuka izinto enizikhonzayo, ngafumana ne-altare okulotshwe kulo ukuthi: ELIKANKULUNKULU ONGAZIWAYO. Lokho-ke enikukhonza ningakwazi, yikho engikumemezela kini.
24“UNkulunkulu owenza umhlaba nakho konke okukuwo, yena oyiNkosi yezulu nomhlaba, akahlali emathempelini enziwe ngezandla; 25futhi akakhonzwa ngezandla zabantu ngokungathi udinga utho, yena obapha bonke ukuphila nokuphefumula nakho konke; 26wazenza izizwe zonke ngagazi linye ukuba zakhe ebusweni bonke bomhlaba, wamisa izikhathi ezinqunyiweyo nemikhawulo yokuhlala kwazo, 27ukuze zifune uNkulunkulu, ingabe zingamuzwa, zimfumane; ingani kakude kulowo nalowo kithi. 28‘Ngokuba siphila, sihamba, sikhona kuye,’ njengalokho izimbongi ezithile zakini zishilo zathi:
“ ‘Ngokuba futhi siyinzalo yakhe.’
29“Ngakho lokhu siyinzalo kaNkulunkulu, akufanele ukuba sithi ubuNkulunkulu bufana negolide noma isiliva noma itshe, okuqoshwe ngekhono nangesu lomuntu. 30Ngokuba izikhathi zokungazi wazithalalisa uNkulunkulu, kodwa kalokhu usememezela kubantu ukuba bonke ezindaweni zonke baphenduke, 31njengokuba umisile usuku azakwahlulela ngalo izwe ngokulunga ngomuntu ammisele lokho, enika bonke ithemba ngokumvusa kwabafileyo.”
32Kwathi bezwa ngokuvuka kwabafileyo, abanye bahleka usulu, kepha abanye bathi: “Siyakuphinda sikuzwe ngaleyo ndaba.” 33Kanjalo uPawulu waphuma phakathi kwabo. 34Kepha amadoda athile anamathela kuye, akholwa; phakathi kwawo kwakukhona noDiyonisiyu wase-Areyophagu, nowesifazane ogama lakhe linguDamari, nabanye kanye nabo.
