1Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. 4And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
5¶ But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. 8And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. 9And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
10¶ And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. 12Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. 13But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. 14And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. 15And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.
16¶ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry. 17Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him. 18Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. 19And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is? 20For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. 21(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
22¶ Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. 23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. 24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
32¶ And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. 33So Paul departed from among them. 34Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
Paulo Ne Silas Kɔ Tesalonika
1Wɔtoaa wɔn akwantuo no so firii Amfipoli ne Apolonia baa Tesalonika a na Yudafoɔ hyiadan wɔ no. 2Sɛdeɛ Paulo taa yɛ no, ɔkɔɔ hyiadan mu mprɛnsa ne nnipa no gyee akyinnyeɛ wɔ Atwerɛsɛm no ho, 3kyerɛɛ mu, dii adanseɛ sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ, Agyenkwa no hunu amane na ɔsɔre firi awufoɔ mu. Paulo kaa sɛ, “Saa Yesu a mereka ne ho asɛm akyerɛ mo yi ne Agyenkwa no.” 4Nnipa no bi gye diiɛ maa wɔdii Paulo ne Silas akyi. Saa ara nso na Helafoɔ bebree a wɔsom Onyankopɔn ne mmaa mpanin bi nso gye diiɛ de wɔn ho bɔɔ wɔn ara no no.
5Yudafoɔ mpanin no ani bereeɛ enti wɔboaboaa ahuhufoɔ bi ano maa wɔbɔɔ twi faa kuro no mu kɔtwaa Yason fie ho hyiaeɛ, pɛɛ sɛ wɔn nsa ka Paulo ne Silas de wɔn brɛ mpanin no. 6Esiane sɛ wɔn nsa anka wɔn no enti, wɔtwee Yason ne anuanom bi de wɔn baa mpanin no anim teateaam sɛ, “Saa nnipa a wɔma basabasa ba baabiara a wɔkɔ no aba yɛn kuro yi mu, 7ama Yason agye wɔn atena ne fie. Wɔn nyinaa abu Ɔhempɔn Kaesare mmara a ɔde ama yɛn sɛ yɛnni so no so, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔka sɛ, ɔhene foforɔ bi wɔ hɔ a wɔfrɛ no Yesu.” 8Saa asɛm yi hwanyanee dɔm no ne kuro no mu mpanin no. 9Kuro no mu mpanin no maa Yason ne anuanom no tuaa sika bi de dii wɔn agyinamu maa wɔgyaa wɔn.
Paulo Ne Silas Kɔ Beroia
10Adeɛ saeɛ ara pɛ, anuanom yi gyaa Paulo ne Silas ɛkwan ma wɔkɔɔ Beroia. Wɔduruiɛ no, wɔkɔɔ Yudafoɔ hyiadan mu. 11Na nnipa a wɔwɔ hɔ no nyɛ akyinnyegyefoɔ te sɛ Tesalonikafoɔ no. Wɔde ahosɛpɛ gyee asɛm no diiɛ a daa na wɔsua Atwerɛsɛm no pɛɛ sɛ wɔhunu sɛ nkyerɛkyerɛ a Paulo kyerɛkyerɛ no yɛ nokorɛ anaa. 12Nnipa no mu bebree a Helafoɔ mmaa atitire ne mmarima ka ho no gyee nkyerɛkyerɛ no diiɛ.
13Ɛberɛ a Yudafoɔ a wɔwɔ Tesalonika no tee sɛ Paulo akɔka Onyankopɔn asɛm no wɔ Beroia no, wɔkɔɔ hɔ nso kɔhwanyanee ɛhɔfoɔ no nso. 14Enti, ntɛm ara, anuanom no gyaa Paulo ɛkwan sɛ ɔnkɔ mpoano, nanso Silas ne Timoteo de, wɔtenaa Beroia. 15Nnipa a wɔkɔgyaa Paulo ɛkwan no de no kɔduruu Atene. Wɔresane akɔ Beroia no, Paulo kraa wɔn sɛ wɔnka nkyerɛ Silas ne Timoteo sɛ wɔmmɛka ne ho ntɛm.
Paulo Wɔ Atene
16Ɛberɛ a Paulo retwɛn Silas ne Timoteo wɔ Atene no, ɔhunuu ahoni pii wɔ kuro no mu. Yei maa ne werɛ hoeɛ yie. 17Enti, na ɔne Yudafoɔ ne amanamanmufoɔ a wɔsom Onyankopɔn no taa hyia wɔ hyiadan mu ma ɔkyerɛkyerɛ wɔn Onyankopɔn asɛm. Saa ara nso na daa na ɔne nkurɔfoɔ gye akyinnyeɛ wɔ adwabɔeɛ ara no no. 18Afei, ɔne Epikurofoɔ ne Stoikfoɔ anyansafoɔ bi nso gyee akyinnyeɛ. Ebinom kaa sɛ, “na ɛdeɛn na ɔtoatoafoɔ yi pɛ sɛ ɔkyerɛ yi?” Afoforɔ nso kaa sɛ, “Ɛsɛ deɛ ɔreka anyame afoforɔ bi ho asɛm.” Deɛ enti a wɔkaa yei ne sɛ, na Paulo reka Yesu Kristo ne ne wusɔreɛ ho asɛm. 19Wɔde Paulo kɔɔ Areopago17.19 Asekyerɛ ne “Ares kokoɔ.” Ares yɛ Helafoɔ nyame a ɔgyina hɔ ma aprannaa ne ɔko. nhyiamu anim kaa sɛ, “Yɛpɛ sɛ yɛte nkyerɛkyerɛ foforɔ a worekyerɛkyerɛ yi ase, 20ɛfiri sɛ, nsɛm a woka no bi yɛ yɛn asom asɛm foforɔ, enti yɛpɛ sɛ wokyerɛkyerɛ yɛn mu yie.” 21Na Atenefoɔ ne ahɔhoɔ a wɔwɔ hɔ no nni hwee yɛ sɛ wɔde wɔn adagyeɛ nyinaa bɛtie nsɛm foforɔ anaa wɔbɛka nsɛm foforɔ a wɔate no akyerɛ afoforɔ.
Paulo Asɛnka Wɔ Areopago
22Paulo sɔre gyinaa Areopago nhyiamu no anim kaa sɛ, “Atenefoɔ, mehunu sɛ moyɛ nnipa a mopɛ nyamesom yie. 23Ɛfiri sɛ, metuu mpase faa mo kuro yi mu, na mehunuu mmeaeɛ ahodoɔ a mosom no, mehunuu afɔrebukyia bi a wɔatwerɛ ho sɛ,
Onyame a wɔnnim no no de.
Enti, adeɛ a monnim na mosɔre no no, ɛno ho asɛm na mereka akyerɛ mo yi.
24“Onyankopɔn a ɔbɔɔ ewiase 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 dwumadie so de bɛma no no nso ho nhia no, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔno na ɔma nnipa nkwa ne biribiara a ɛhia wɔn. 26Ɔnam onipa baako so na ɔbɔɔ nnipa ahodoɔ nyinaa de wɔn tenaa asase so. Ɔno ankasa na ansa na ɔrebɛbɔ nnipa no, ɔhyehyɛɛ amanaman ɛberɛ a wɔbɛsɔre ne ɛberɛ a wɔbɛhwe ase. Saa ara nso na ɔhyehyɛɛ wɔn tenabea ahyeɛ. 27Ɛwom sɛ Onyankopɔn bɛn yɛn de, nanso ɔyɛ yei sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a nnipa bɛhwehwɛ nʼakyi kwan atwe abɛn no; 28sɛdeɛ obi ka sɛ, ‘Ne mu na yɛte ase na yɛkeka yɛn ho’ no no. Saa ara nso na mo nnwomtofoɔ bi nso aka sɛ, ‘Yɛn nso yɛyɛ ne mma’ no.
29“Ɛnneɛ sɛ yɛyɛ Onyankopɔn mma de a, ɛnsɛ sɛ yɛsusu sɛ Onyankopɔn tebea te sɛ ohoni bi a onipa de dwetɛ anaa sika anaa ɛboɔ ayɛ. 30Onyankopɔn buu nʼani guu ɛberɛ a na nnipa nnim no no so, nanso afei de, ɔhyɛ nnipa nyinaa sɛ wɔntwe wɔn ho mfiri akwammɔne so. 31Ɛfiri sɛ, wayi da bi ato hɔ a ɔnam onipa bi a wayi no no so bɛbu nnipa nyinaa atɛntenenee. Ɔnam sɔre a ɔmaa saa onipa yi sɔre firii awufoɔ mu no so adi adanseɛ akyerɛ nnipa nyinaa.”
32Ɛberɛ a nnipa no tee sɛ Paulo reka owusɔreɛ ho asɛm no, ebinom dii ne ho fɛw, na afoforɔ nso kaa sɛ, “Yɛpɛ sɛ wosane ka saa asɛm no bio.” 33Saa nsɛm a ɛkɔɔ so yi maa Paulo firii nhyiamu no ase hɔ kɔeɛ. 34Nanso, nnipa kakra bi gyee no diiɛ de wɔn ho bɔɔ no. Saa nnipa no mu bi ne Dionisio a ɔfra Areopagofoɔ mu ne ɔbaa bi a ne din de Damari ne afoforɔ bi.
