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.
Paulo ku Tesalonika
1Atadutsa ku Amfipoli ndi Apoloniya, anafika ku Tesalonika, kumene kunali sunagoge ya Ayuda. 2Paulo, monga mwachizolowezi chake, analowa mʼsunagoge, ndipo anakambirana nawo Mawu a Mulungu kwa masabata atatu, 3kuwafotokozera ndi kuwatsimikizira kuti Khristu anayenera kufa ndi kuuka. Iye anati, “Yesu amene ndikukulalikirani ndiye Khristu.” 4Ena mwa Ayuda anakopeka mtima ndipo anatsatira Paulo ndi Sila, monganso linachitira gulu lalikulu la Agriki woopa Mulungu, pamodzi ndi amayi odziwika ambiri.
5Koma Ayuda ena anachita nsanje; kotero anasonkhanitsa anthu akhalidwe loyipa ochokera pa msika ndipo napanga gulu nayambitsa chipolowe mu mzindawo. Anathamangira ku nyumba ya Yasoni kukafuna Paulo ndi Sila kuti awabweretse pa gulu la anthu. 6Koma atalephera kuwapeza, anakokera Yasoniyo ndi abale ena ku bwalo la akulu a mzindawo akufuwula kuti, “Anthu awa, Paulo ndi Sila, amene akhala akusokoneza dziko lonse lapansi, tsopano afikanso kuno. 7Yasoni ndiye anawalandira mʼnyumba mwake. Onsewa akuchita zotsutsana ndi malamulo a Kaisara pomanena kuti palinso mfumu ina, yotchedwa Yesu.” 8Atamva zimenezi, gulu la anthu ndi akulu a mzinda anavutika mu mtima. 9Iwo analipiritsa Yasoni ndi anzakewo ndipo anawamasula.
Ku Bereya
10Mdima utagwa, abale anatumiza Paulo ndi Sila ku Bereya. Atafika kumeneko anapita ku sunagoge ya Ayuda. 11Tsopano anthu a ku Bereya anali akhalidwe labwino kusiyana ndi Atesalonika, pakuti iwo analandira mawu ndi chidwi chachikulu ndipo ankasanthula Malemba tsiku ndi tsiku kuti aone ngati zimene ankanena Paulozo zinali zoona. 12Ayuda ambiri anakhulupirira, monga anachitiranso amayi ndi amuna ambiri odziwika a Chigriki.
13Ayuda a ku Tesalonika atadziwa kuti Paulo akulalikira Mawu a Mulungu ku Bereya, anapitanso kumeneko, ndi kuwutsa mitima ya anthu nayambitsa chisokonezo. 14Nthawi yomweyo abale anatumiza Paulo ku nyanja koma Sila ndi Timoteyo anatsalira ku Bereya. 15Anthu amene anamuperekeza Paulo nafika naye ku Atene, ndipo anabwerera ku Bereya atawuzidwa kuti Sila ndi Timoteyo amutsatire msanga.
Ku Atene
16Paulo akudikira Timoteyo ndi Sila ku Atene, anavutika mu mtima kwambiri poona kuti mzindawo unali odzaza ndi mafano. 17Tsono anakambirana ndi Ayuda ndi Agriki amene amaopa Mulungu mʼsunagoge, komanso anthu amene amapezeka pa msika tsiku ndi tsiku ndi ena amene amakumana nawo. 18Gulu la Aepikureya ndi Astoiki, anthu anzeru, anayamba kutsutsana naye. Ena a iwo anafunsa kuti, “Kodi wolongololayu akufuna kunena chiyani?” Enanso anati, “Akuoneka ngati akulalikira milungu yachilendo.” Iwo ananena zimenezi chifukwa Paulo amalalikira Uthenga Wabwino wa Yesu ndi kuuka kwa akufa. 19Kenaka iwo anamutenga nafika naye ku bwalo la Areopagi kumene anamufunsa kuti, “Kodi tingadziweko chiphunzitso chatsopano chimene ukuchifotokozachi? 20Iwe ukubweretsa zinthu zina zachilendo mʼmakutu mwathu, ndipo ife tikufuna tidziwe tanthauzo lake.” 21Atene onse ndi alendo amene amakhala kumeneko samachita kanthu kena koma kufotokoza ndi kumvera fundo zatsopano.
22Paulo anayimirira mʼbwalo la Areopagi nati: “Inu anthu a ku Atene! Ine ndikuona kuti mʼnjira zonse ndinu opembedza kwambiri. 23Pakuti pamene ndimayenda ndi kuona zinthu zimene mumazipembedza, ndapezanso guwa lansembe lolembedwapo kuti, kwa mulungu wosadziwika. Tsopano chimene mumachipembedza osachidziwa ndi chimene ndikuchilalikira.
24“Mulungu amene analenga dziko lapansi ndiponso zonse zili mʼmenemo ndiye Ambuye wakumwamba ndi dziko lapansi ndipo sakhala mʼnyumba zachipembedzo zomangidwa ndi manja. 25Ndipo satumikiridwa ndi manja a anthu ngati kuti Iye amasowa kanthu, chifukwa Iye ndiye amapereka moyo ndi mpweya kwa anthu onse ndi zina zonse. 26Kuchoka kwa munthu mmodzi Iye analenga mtundu uliwonse wa anthu, kuti akakhale pa dziko lonse lapansi; ndipo Iye anakonzeratu nthawi yawo ndiponso malo enieni kumene adzakhale. 27Mulungu anachita izi kuti anthu amufunefune, ndikuti pomufunafunapo amupeze ngakhale kuti Iye sali kutali ndi aliyense wa ife. 28‘Pakuti timakhala mwa Iye, kuyenda mwa Iye ndi kukhala moyo mwa Iye.’ Monga olemba ndakatulo anu ena akuti, ‘Ife ndi zidzukulu zake.’
29“Tsono popeza ndife ana a Mulungu, tisaganize kuti umulungu wake ndi wofanana ndi ndalama zagolide, zasiliva, mwala, kapenanso fanizo lopangidwa mwaluso la nzeru za anthu. 30Nthawi imene anthu sankadziwa, Mulungu anawalekerera koma tsopano akulamulira kuti anthu onse, kulikonse atembenuke mtima. 31Pakuti Iye wayika tsiku limene adzaweruze dziko lapansi mwa chilungamo kudzera mwa Munthu amene anamusankha. Iye watsimikizira anthu onse zimenezi pomuukitsa.”
32Atamva za kuuka kwa akufa, ena a iwo anaseka, koma enanso anati, “Ife tikufuna tidzamvenso zimenezi tsiku lina.” 33Ndipo Paulo anatuluka mʼBwalolo. 34Anthu ena ochepa anamutsatira Paulo ndipo anakhulupirira. Pakati pawo panali Dionisiyo mmodzi wa bwalo la Areopagi ndi mayi wina wotchedwa Damalisi ndi enanso.
