ImiSebenzi Yabaphostoli 17:1-34
17 Bathi besuka lapho badabula e-Amfipholi le-Apholoniya bayafika eThesalonika+ lapho okwakulesinagogi lamaJuda.
2 UPhawuli wangena esinagogeni njengenjayelo.+ Okwamasabatha amathathu wayebonisana labo ngeMibhalo,+
3 ebachasisela njalo ebatshengisa ngeMibhalo ukuthi uKhristu kwakumele ahlupheke+ futhi avuke kwabafileyo.+ Wayesithi: “UJesu lo engilitshumayeza ngaye nguye uKhristu.”
4 Abanye babo baba ngamakholwa ngenxa yalokho, bazihlanganisa loPhawuli loSila,+ lamaGrikhi amanengi ayekhonza uNkulunkulu enza njalo kanye labesifazana abanengana abadumileyo.
5 Kodwa amaJuda aba lomhawu+ asebiza amanye amadoda ayizigangi ayebhodabhoda emakethe, awabuthanisa aba liqembu elikhulu. Aqalisa ukwenza isiphithiphithi, abangela ukuthi kube lokuxokozela edolobheni lonke. Ahlasela indlu kaJasoni efuna ukuthi uPhawuli loSila bakhitshelwe phandle balethwe kuwo.
6 Athi esebaswele abamba uJasoni labanye abazalwane abasa kubabusi bedolobho ememeza esithi: “Abantu laba asebephambanise umhlaba* wonke sebekhona lalapha+
7 futhi uJasoni ubamukele ngazo zombili emzini wakhe. Bonke baphikisana lemithetho kaKhesari besithi kulenye inkosi okuthiwa nguJesu.”+
8 Abantu lababusi bedolobho bathi bekuzwa lokho bakhathazeka.
9 Bahlawulisa uJasoni labanye bakhe basebebakhulula bahamba.
10 Ebusuku abazalwane bahle batshela uPhawuli loSila ukuthi baye eBheriya. Bathi befika khonale bangena esinagogeni lamaJuda.
11 AbeBheriya bona babezimisele ukufunda kulabeThesalonika ngoba babelesifiso esikhulu sokwamukela ilizwi, behlolisisa iMibhalo nsuku zonke ukuze babone ukuthi zinjalo yini lezozinto.
12 Yikho abanengi babo baba ngamakholwa, benza njalo labesifazana abanengana abadumileyo abangamaGrikhi kanye lamanye amadoda.
13 Kodwa amaJuda aseThesalonika athi esizwa ukuthi uPhawuli wayesetshumayela ilizwi likaNkulunkulu laseBheriya, aya khona ukuze ayetshotshozela abantu ukuthi badale ingxabangxoza.+
14 Ngakho abazalwane bahle bathi uPhawuli aye elwandle,+ uSila loThimothi bona basala.
15 Kodwa ababephelekezela uPhawuli bahamba laye baze bayafika e-Athene. Bathi sebebuyela uPhawuli wabalayela ukuthi batshele uSila loThimothi+ babuye kuye masinyane.
16 UPhawuli wathi elokhu esabamelele e-Athene wakhathazeka emoyeni ebona ukuthi edolobheni lelo kugcwele izithombe.
17 Ngakho waqalisa ukubonisana lamaJuda ayesesinagogeni kanye labanye ababekhonza uNkulunkulu. Nsuku zonke wayesiya emakethe afike abonisane lababelapho.
18 Kodwa ezinye izinjulangqondo ezingama-Ephikhuri lezingamaStoyikhi zaqalisa ukuphikisana laye, ezinye zisithi: “Kanti uwumani lolu luzama ukuthini?” Ezinye zona zazisithi: “Kukhanya angathi utshumayela ngabonkulunkulu bezinye izizwe.” Babesitsho njalo ngoba wayetshumayela izindaba ezinhle ngoJesu langokuvuswa kwabafileyo.+
19 Bamthatha bahamba laye e-Ariyophagu,* bathi: “Ake usitshele ukuthi imfundiso le entsha okhuluma ngayo ngeyani.
20 Izinto ositshela zona asikaze sizizwe ngendlebe zethu, sifuna ukwazi ukuthi zitshoni.”
21 Phela bonke abantu be-Athene labezinye izizwe ababehlala* khonapho babengenzi lutho ngesikhathi sabo sokuzilibazisa ngaphandle kokukhuluma lokulalela izinto ezintsha.
22 UPhawuli wasesima phakathi laphakathi kwe-Ariyophagu+ wathi:
“Bantu be-Athene, ngiyabona ukuthi kukho konke lina lizinikele ekwesabeni onkulunkulu* ukwedlula abanye abantu.+
23 Ngokwesibonelo ngithe ngidlula ngikhangelisisa izinto elizikhonzayo, ngabona i-alithare elibhalwe ukuthi ‘ElikaNkulunkulu Ongaziwayo.’ Lokho elikukhonza lingakwazi yikho engilitshumayeza ngakho.
24 UNkulunkulu owenza umhlaba lakho konke okukuwo, lowo oyiNkosi yezulu lomhlaba+ kahlali emathempelini akhiwe ngezandla+
25 njalo kancediswa yizandla zabantu angathi kulolutho aluswelayo+ ngoba yena nguye onika abantu bonke ukuphila lokuphefumula+ lazo zonke izinto.
26 Ngomuntu oyedwa+ wenza zonke izizwe zabantu ukuze zihlale emhlabeni wonke,+ wamisa izikhathi ezibekiweyo, wafaka lemingcele yalapho abantu okumele bahlale khona+
27 ukuze bamdinge uNkulunkulu, bamlalamele baze bamthole+ njengoba yena engakhatshana komunye lomunye wethu.
28 Phela siyaphila, siyahamba futhi sikhona ngenxa yakhe, njengoba nje lezinye imbongi zenu zisitsho ukuthi, ‘Lathi singabantwabakhe.’
29 “Yikho nxa thina singabantwana bakaNkulunkulu+ akumelanga sicabange ukuthi uNkulunkulu unjengegolide kumbe isiliva kumbe ilitshe, loba ukuthi unjengento ebaziweyo kumbe elungiswe ngabantu.+
30 UNkulunkulu ubengelandaba lezikhathi lezo zokungazi+ kodwa khathesi usememezela kubo bonke abantu ezindaweni zonke ukuthi kumele baphenduke
31 ngoba usebeke ilanga ahlose ukwahlulela+ ngalo umhlaba wonke ngokulunga esebenzisa umuntu ambekileyo. Unike abantu bonke ubufakazi balokhu ngokumvusa kwabafileyo.”+
32 Bathi besizwa ngokuvuswa kwabafileyo abanye baqalisa ukumchothoza+ kodwa abanye bathi: “Sizaphinda siyizwe futhi indaba yakho le.”
33 Ngakho uPhawuli wabatshiya
34 kodwa abanye bamlandela baba ngamakholwa. Phakathi kwabo kwakuloDiyonisiyu owayengumahluleli womthethwandaba we-Ariyophagu, lowesifazana okwakuthiwa nguDamari kanye labanye.
Amabala angaphansi
^ Kumbe, “asebedale uhlupho emhlabeni.”
^ Khangela iNgcazelo Yamabala.
^ Kumbe, “ababevakatshele.”
^ Kumbe, “liyakhonza.”
