1 Ke kaloku, bakuba beyihambile iAmfipoli neApoloni, beza eTesalonika, apho yayikhona indlu yesikhungu yamaYuda.
2 Ngokwesiko ke likaPawulos wangena kuwo; waye iisabatha ezintathu exoxa nawo, ethabatha ezibhalweni, etyhila,
3 ebeka phambi kwawo ukuba uKristu* ubemelwe kukuva ubunzima, aze avuke kwabafileyo; nokuthi, Nguye ke uKristu, lo Yesu ndinazisa yena mna.
4 Inxenye kuwo yoyiseka, yazibandakanya noPawulos noSilas, kwanenkitha enkulu yamaGrike amhlonelayo uThixo; nakubafazi abaziintloko àbaba mbalwa.
5 Ke kaloku amaYuda angoyisekileyo, enomsindo, azithabathela amadoda athile angendawo, angamahilihili, enza ibubu, awuphithizelisa umzi, ayifikela nendlu kaYason, efuna ukubarholela eluntwini.
6 Akuba engabafumananga ke, amrholela uYason nabazalwana abathile kubaphathi bomzi, ebhomboloza esithi, Aba baliqungaqungileyo elimiweyo, bona bafikile nalapha;
7 athe uYason wabamkela ngobubele; baye bonke aba besenza okuchasene nemimiselo kaKesare,* besithi, Kukho kumkani wumbi unguYesu.
8 Asikhathaza ke isihlwele nabaphathi bomzi, bakuziva ezi zinto.
9 Bethabathe isibambiso kuYason nakwabanye, babakhulula.
10 Ke kaloku bathi abazalwana kwaoko bamndulula uPawulos noSilas ngobusuku, ukuba baye eBhereya; abathi bona bakufika, baya endlwini yesikhungu yamaYuda.
11 La ke aye enobuntu kunawaseTesalonika; la wona alamkela ilizwi ngentumekelelo yonke, ezincina izibhalo imihla ngemihla, ukuba zingaba zinjalo na ezi zinto.
12 Kwakholwa ke ngoko into eninzi kuwo, nakumaGrikekazi abekekileyo, nakumadoda, àbaba mbalwa.
13 Akùqonda ke awaseTesalonika amaYuda, ukuba ilizwi likaThixo lazisiwe nguPawulos naseBhereya, eza azizamazamisa nalapho izihlwele.
14 Bandula ke kwaoko abazalwana, bamsusa uPawulos ukuba abheke ngaselwandle; kwasala uSilas kwanoTimoti khona.
15 Bathe ke bona abamkhapháyo uPawulos, bamsa eAtene; bakuba bamkelé umthetho oya kooSilas noTimoti, wokuba beze kuye kwakamsinya, bemka.
16 Ke kaloku, akubon' ukuba uPawulos ubalindile eAtene, wacaphuka, akuwubona umzi uzizithixo kuphela.
17 Wayexoxa ke ngoko endlwini yesikhungu namaYuda, nabamhlonelayo uThixo; nasendaweni yembutho imihla ngemihla, nabasukuba bekhona.
18 Ke 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.
19 Bamthabatha ke bamsa eAreyopago,* besithi, Singakhe siyive na le mfundiso intsha ithethwa nguwe, ukuba iyini na?
20 Kuba uzisa izinto ezithile zasemzini ezindlebeni zethu; singa singázi ngoko, ukuba zingaba zifuna ukuba yintoni na ezi zinto.
21 Ke kaloku abaseAtene bonke, nabasemzini abangabahambi, babengazilibazisi nganto yimbi, ngaphandle kokuxela nokuva olona daba lutsha.
22 Wema ke uPawulos esazulwini seAreyopago, wathi:Madoda aseAtene, ndiyabona ukuba ezintweni zonke nincamisile ukuhlonela izithixo.
23 Kuba ndithe, ndihamba ndisingasinga izinto enizihlonelayo, ndafumana nesibingelelo ekubhalwe kuso, kwathiwa, KONGÀZIWAYO UTHIXO. Lowo ngoko nimhlonelayo ningamazi, ndinazisa yena mna.
24 UThixo yena, owenza ihlabathi neento zonke ezikulo, lowo, eyiNkosi nje yezulu nomhlaba, akahlali zitempileni zenziwe ngazandla.
25 Kananjalo akaphiliswa zizandla zabantu, ngokoswele into, inguye nje obanika bonke ubomi, nomphefumlo, nazo zonke izinto.
26 Kanjalo wazenza ngagazi-nye zonke iintlanga zabantu, ukuba zime phezu kwawo wonke umhlaba, emisa amaxesha abekwe ngenxa engaphambili, nemida yokuma kwazo;
27 ukuze bayifune iNkosi, ukuba kambe bangáphuthaphutha bayifumane, nakuba ingekude kuthi sonke ngabanye.
28 Kuba kuyo sihleli, siyashukuma, sikho; njengokuba neembongi ezithile zenu zitshilo ukuthi, Kuba nathi siyinzala yakhe.
29 Siyinzala kaThixo nje ke, akusifanele ukuba sibe ubuthixo obu bufana negolide nesilivere nelitye, into eqingqwe ngobungcibi nangengcinga yomntu.
30 Loo maxesha ke ngoko okungazi, uThixo wawayeka ngabomi; kungoku uyala abantu bonke ezindaweni zonke ukuba baguquke;
31 ngokokuba emise umhla, aza kuligweba ngawo elimiweyo ngobulungisa, ngendoda awayimisayo, ebanike bonke ukholo ngokuyivusa kwabafileyo.
32 Ke kaloku, bakuva ngokuvuka kwabafileyo, inxenye yayihlekisa ngaloo nto, abanye bathi, Sobuya sikuve wena ngale nto.
33 Waphuma njalo ke uPawulos phakathi kwabo.
34 Kodwa amadoda athile anamathele kuye, akholwa, anoDiyonisiyo waseAreyopago, nomfazi ogama linguDamari, nabanye ndawonye nabo.