Paulo Ne Silas Kɔ Tesalonika
1Wɔtoaa wɔn akwantu no so fii Amfipoli ne Apolonia baa Tesalonika a na Yudafo hyiadan wɔ no. 2Sɛnea Paulo taa yɛ no, ɔkɔɔ hyiadan mu mprɛnsa ne nnipa no gyee akyinnye wɔ Kyerɛwsɛm no ho, 3kyerɛɛ mu, dii adanse sɛ, ɛsɛ sɛ Agyenkwa no hu amane na ɔsɔre fi awufo mu. Paulo kae se, “Saa Yesu a mereka ne ho asɛm akyerɛ mo yi ne Agyenkwa no.” 4Nnipa no bi gye dii ma wodii Paulo ne Silas akyi. Saa ara na Helafo bebree a wɔsom Onyankopɔn ne mmea mpanyin bi nso gye dii de wɔn ho bɔɔ wɔn ara ne no.
5Yudafo mpanyin no anibere nti, wɔboaboaa ahuhufo bi ano ma wɔbɔɔ twi faa kurow no mu kotwaa Yason fi ho hyiae, pɛɛ sɛ wɔn nsa ka Paulo ne Silas de wɔn brɛ mpanyin no. 6Esiane sɛ wɔn nsa anka wɔn no nti, wɔtwee Yason ne anuanom bi de wɔn baa mpanyin no anim teɛteɛɛ mu se, “Saa nnipa a wɔma basabasa ba baabiara a wɔkɔ no aba yɛn kurow yi mu, 7ama Yason agye wɔn atena ne fi. Wɔn nyinaa abu Ɔhempɔn Kaesare mmara a ɔde ama yɛn sɛ yenni so no so, efisɛ wɔka se ɔhene foforo bi wɔ hɔ a wɔfrɛ no Yesu.” 8Saa asɛm yi hwanyan dɔm no ne kurow no mu mpanyin no. 9Kurow no mu mpanyin no maa Yason ne anuanom no tuaa sika bi de dii wɔn akagyinamu ma wogyaa wɔn.
Paulo Ne Silas Kɔ Beroia
10Ade sae ara pɛ, anuanom yi gyaa Paulo ne Silas kwan ma wɔkɔɔ Beroia. Wodui no, wɔkɔɔ Yudafo hyiadan mu. 11Na nnipa a wɔwɔ hɔ no nyɛ akyinnyegyefo te sɛ Tesalonikafo no. Wɔde ahosɛpɛw gyee asɛm no dii a daa na wosua Kyerɛwsɛm no pɛɛ sɛ wohu sɛ nkyerɛkyerɛ a Paulo kyerɛkyerɛ no yɛ nokware ana. 12Nnipa no mu bebree a Helafo mmea atitiriw ne mmarima ka ho no gyee nkyerɛkyerɛ no dii.
13Bere a Yudafo a wɔwɔ Tesalonika no tee sɛ Paulo akɔka Onyankopɔn asɛm no wɔ Beroia no, wɔkɔɔ hɔ kɔhwanyan hɔfo no nso. 14Enti ntɛm ara na anuanom no gyaa Paulo kwan sɛ ɔnkɔ mpoano, nanso Silas ne Timoteo de, wɔtenaa Beroia. 15Nnipa a wokogyaa Paulo kwan no de no koduu Atene. Wɔresan akɔ Beroia no, Paulo kraa wɔn se wɔnka nkyerɛ Silas ne Timoteo sɛ wɔmmɛka ne ho ntɛm.
Paulo Wɔ Atene
16Bere a Paulo retwɛn Silas ne Timoteo wɔ Atene no, ohuu ahoni pii wɔ kurow no mu. Eyi maa ne werɛ howee yiye. 17Enti na ɔne Yudafo ne amanamanmufo a wɔsom Onyankopɔn no taa hyia wɔ hyiadan mu ma ɔkyerɛkyerɛ wɔn Onyankopɔn asɛm. Saa ara nso na daa na ɔne nkurɔfo gye akyinnye wɔ aguabɔbea ara ne no. 18Afei, ɔne Epikurofo ne Stoikfo anyansafo bi nso gyee akyinnye. Ebinom kae se, “Na dɛn na nnabrabani yi pɛ sɛ ɔkyerɛ yi?” Afoforo nso kae se, “Ɛyɛ sɛ ɔreka anyame afoforo bi ho asɛm.” Nea enti a wɔkaa eyi ne sɛ, na Paulo reka Yesu Kristo ne ne wusɔre ho asɛm. 19Wɔde Paulo kɔɔ Areopago17.19 Nkyerɛase ne “Ares koko.” Ares yɛ Helafo nyame a ogyina hɔ ma aprannaa ne ɔko. bagua anim kae se, “Yɛpɛ sɛ yɛte nkyerɛkyerɛ foforo a worekyerɛkyerɛ yi ase, 20efisɛ nsɛm a woka no bi yɛ yɛn asom asɛm foforo, enti yɛpɛ sɛ wokyerɛkyerɛ yɛn mu yiye.” 21Na Atenefo ne ahɔho a wɔwɔ hɔ no nni hwee yɛ sɛ wɔde wɔn adagyew nyinaa betie nsɛm foforo anaa wɔbɛka nsɛm foforo a wɔate no akyerɛ afoforo.
Paulo Asɛnka Wɔ Areopago
22Paulo sɔre gyinaa Areopago bagua no anim kae se, “Atenefo, mihu sɛ moyɛ nnipa a mopɛ nyamesom yiye. 23Efisɛ mituu mpase faa mo kurow yi mu, na mihuu mmeae ahorow a mosom no, mihuu afɔremuka bi a wɔakyerɛw ho se,
Onyame a wonnim no no de.
Enti ade a munnim na mosɔre no, ɛno ho asɛm na mereka akyerɛ mo yi.
24“Onyankopɔn a ɔbɔɔ wiase ne nneɛma a ɛwɔ mu nyinaa no na ɔyɛɛ ɔsoro ne asase. Awurade no nte asɔredan a nnipa asi mu. 25Saa ara nso na biribiara a nnipa nam wɔn dwumadi so de bɛma no no nso ho nhia no, efisɛ ɔno na ɔma nnipa nkwa ne biribiara a ehia wɔn. 26Ɔnam onipa baako so na ɔbɔɔ nnipa ahorow nyinaa de wɔn tenaa asase so. Ɔno ankasa na ansa na ɔrebɛbɔ nnipa no, ɔhyehyɛɛ amanaman bere a wɔbɛsɔre ne bere a wɔbɛhwe ase. Saa ara na ɔhyehyɛɛ wɔn tenabea ahye nso. 27Ɛwɔ mu sɛ Onyankopɔn bɛn yɛn de, nanso ɔyɛ eyi sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a nnipa bɛhwehwɛ nʼakyi kwan atwiw abɛn no; 28sɛnea obi ka se, ‘Ne mu na yɛte ase na yɛkeka yɛn ho’ no. Saa ara na mo nnwontofo bi nso aka se, ‘Yɛn nso yɛyɛ ne mma’ no.
29“Ɛno de, sɛ yɛyɛ Onyankopɔn mma de a, ɛnsɛ sɛ yesusuw sɛ Onyankopɔn tebea te sɛ ohoni bi a onipa de dwetɛ anaa sika anaa ɔbo ayɛ. 30Onyankopɔn buu nʼani guu bere a na nnipa nnim no no so, nanso afei de, ɔhyɛ nnipa nyinaa sɛ wɔntwe wɔn ho mfi akwammɔne so. 31Efisɛ wayi da bi ato hɔ a ɔnam onipa bi a wayi no no so bebu nnipa nyinaa atɛntrenee. Ɔnam sɔre a ɔmaa saa onipa yi sɔre fii awufo mu no so adi adanse akyerɛ nnipa nyinaa.”
32Bere a nnipa no tee sɛ Paulo reka owusɔre ho asɛm no, ebinom dii ne ho fɛw, na afoforo nso kae se, “Yɛpɛ sɛ wosan ka saa asɛm no bio.” 33Saa nsɛm a ɛkɔɔ so yi maa Paulo fii bagua no anim kɔe. 34Nanso, nnipa kakraa bi gyee no dii de wɔn ho bɔɔ no. Saa nnipa no mu bi ne Dionisio a ɔfra Areopagofo mu ne ɔbea bi a ne din de Damari ne afoforo bi.
In Thessalonica
1When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.17:5 Or the assembly of the people 6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
In Berea
10As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
13But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
In Athens
16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
24“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’17:28 From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’17:28 From the Cilician Stoic philosopher Aratus
29“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33At that, Paul left the Council. 34Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
