1 Bahamba ke, badlula eAmfipoli naseApoloniya, bada baya kufika eTesalonika, apho yayikho *indlu yesikhungo yamaJuda.
2 Njengoko ebeqhele ukwenjenjalo, uPawulos waya endlwini yesikhungo leyo. Apho wayexoxa nabantu *ngeziBhalo imiGqibelo emithathu,
3 ezichaza iziBhalo, ecacisa kwangazo ukuba ubemelwe kukuva ubunzima *uKrestu, abuye avuke ekufeni. “Lo Yesu ndimvakalisayo nguKrestu,” wayesitsho uPawulos.
4 Abanye abantu boyisakala, bazimanya noPawulos noSilas. Enjenjalo namaGrike aliqela awayemhlonela uThixo, kwakunye namakhosikazi amaninzi aphambili entlalweni.
5 Kodwa akhathazeka amaJuda, aqokelela amatshijolo ezitalatweni, yaligquba elenza intswahla nesiphithi-phithi edolophini. Lawuhlasela umzi kaJason, liba balapho ooPawulos noSilas, liza kubasa ematyaleni.
6 Kodwa lakungabafumani, larhuqa uJason kunye namanye amakholwa, libasa kubaphathi-dolophu, likhwaza lisithi: “La madoda luqhushululu konke apho ahamba khona; ngoku eze nakule idolophu,
7 yaye uJason uwagcine phaya endlwini yakhe. Ewonke angabaphuli-mthetho *kaKhesare, kuba athi kukho nkosi yimbi inguKrestu Yesu.”
8 Ngaloo mazwi basitsho isihlwele nabaphathi-dolophu bakhathazeka.
9 Abaphathi-dolophu babahlawulisa imali yesibambiso ooJason nabanye abo ngaphambi kokubakhulula bahambe.
10 Kuthe nje kusandul' ukuhlwa, amakholwa abathumela eBheriya ooPawulos noSilas. Bafika apho, baya *kwindlu yesikhungo yamaJuda.
11 Abantu balapho bona babeneengqondo eziphangaleleyo kunabantu baseTesalonika. Baluphulaphula ngomdla bona udaba, bazifunda mihla le *neziBhalo, befuna ukuqonda ukuba uPawulos unyanisile na.
12 Kwaguquka abantu abaninzi, amadoda kunye namakhosikazi amaGrike akumgangatho ophezulu entlalweni.
13 Kodwa akuva amaJuda aseTesalonika ukuba uPawulos ulishumayela naseBheriya ilizwi likaThixo, aya apho, afika afaka umoya woqhushululu ebantwini.
14 Amakholwa amsa ngaselwandle uPawulos kwangoko. Basala bona ooSilas noTimoti eBheriya.
15 La madoda âhamba noPawulos, ada aya kutsho eAtene. Abuyela eBheriya nomyalelo kaPawulos wokuba ooSilas noTimoti mabakhawuleze baye kuye.
16 Kwathi xa uPawulos wayesalinde uSilas noTimoti eAtene, wafumana umnqa kukubona indlela ezazizininzi ngayo izithixo kuloo dolophu.
17 Waxoxa endlwini yesikhungo namaJuda kunye neentlanga ezazihlonela uThixo. Ngokukwanjalo wayexoxa nabantu ababegqitha-gqitha ebaleni lembutho.
18 Nabathile abaziintanda-bulumko zeqela *lamaEpikure *namaStoyike babencokola naye. Bambi babesithi: “Ngaba lifuna ukuthini eli pholopholo?” abanye besithi: “Ngathi ngunozakuzaku *woothixo basemzini.” Babesitsho ke kuba uPawulos wayeshumayela ngoYesu nangovuko lwabafileyo.
19 Baza ke bamthatha uPawulos, baya naye entlanganisweni, endaweni ekwakusithiwa yiAriyopago, bathi kuye: “Khawutsho! Sifuna ukuyazi le mfundiso intsha uthetha ngayo.
20 Ezinye zezinto esikuva uthetha ngazo ziyasimangalisa, ngoko ke sifuna ukuyazi intsingiselo yazo.”
21 Kaloku abantu baseAtene nabatyeleli bakhona kwakungekho nto babeyixabise ngaphezu kokuncokola okanye ukuphulaphula iingcamango ezintsha.
22 UPawulos waphakama wema entlanganisweni apho eAriyopago, wathi: “Bantu baseAtene, ndiyaphawula ukuba ningabantu abaluthanda ngokuncamisayo unqulo.
23 Kuthe xa bendihamba-hamba ndibuka iindawo zenu zonqulo, ndabona neqonga lamadini elibhaliweyo kwathiwa: ‘Kongaziwayo uThixo.’ Ngoko ke lowo nina nimnqula ningamazi, mna ndivakalisa yena kuni.
24 UThixo lo udale ihlabathi nezinto ezikulo, uyiNkosi yezulu nomhlaba. Ngoko ke akahlali zindlwini zenziwe ngabantu,
25 engaswele nto ngokokude abantu bazidube ngokumenzela nto. Kuba kaloku nguye ngokwakhe onika ubomi nomphefumlo, nazo zonke iimfuneko zoluntu lonke.
26 Zonke iintlanga zabantu wazidala zaphuma mlibeni mnye, wazenza ukuba ziwume wonke umhlaba. Yena ngokwakhe kwangaphambili wazimisela amaxesha obomi, kunye nemida yokuhlala kwazo.
27 Oku wakwenza ukuze zihlale zimzingela, hleze zimphuthaphuthe de zimfumane; nangona yena uThixo engekude kuthi sonke,
28 kuba kungaye sikho nje, sisuka-suka, siphilile. Kunjengoko zitshoyo ezinye zeembongi zenu ukuthi: ‘Nathi siyinzala yakhe.’
29 Singabantwana bakhe nje ke, masingacingi ukuba imo kaThixo ifana nento eqingqwe ngegolide, ngesiliva, okanye ngelitye, ngobugcisa bomntu.
30 UThixo wayewayeke ngabom loo maxesha apho abantu babengazi. Kungokunje uyalela abantu bonke, ezindaweni zonke, ukuba baguquke ezindleleni zabo ezimbi.
31 Kaloku uwumisele umhla apho aya kuligweba ihlabathi lonke liphela ngobulungisa, ngeNdoda ayimiseleyo. Le nto uyingqine kubantu bonke ngokuyivusa loo Ndoda ekufeni.”
32 Bathi bakumva uPawulos ethetha ngovuko lwabafileyo, bahlekisa ngaye. Bambi bathi: “Sisafuna ukuyiva kwakhona le ntetho yakho.”
33 Waza ke uPawulos wemka apho entlanganisweni.
34 Kambe abanye bazinikela, baza bamlandela. Phakathi kwabo kwakukho uDiyonisi, ilungu leAriyopago, nomfazi ogama linguDamari, kunye nabanye.