Mabasa 17
1 Zvino vakati vagura nemuAmufipori neAporonia, vakasvika paTesaronika, paiva nesinagoge reVaJudha;
Paul and Silas traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia [towns] and arrived at Thessalonica [city]. There was a Jewish meeting place there.
2 zvino setsika yaPauro wakapinda kwavari, uye kwemasabata matatu akataurirana navo kubva mumagwaro,
(On the Sabbath/On the Jewish rest day) Paul went into the meeting house, as he usually did. For three weeks [he went there] on each Jewish day of rest. Referring to the Scriptures [about the Messiah], he spoke to the people who were there.
3 achizarura nekuratidza kuti Kristu waifanira kutambudzika nekumuka kubva kuvakafa, uye kuti: Uyu Jesu, ini wandinoparidza kwamuri, ndiye Kristu.
He explained and showed that [the prophets wrote that] the Messiah needed to die and (to become alive again/to be raised from the dead [afterwards]). He told them: “This man Jesus, whom I am telling you about, is our Messiah. [He died and became alive again, just like the prophets predicted].”
4 Zvino vamwe vavo vakatenda, vakazvibatanidza naPauro naSirasi, nechaunga chikuru cheVaGiriki vaishumira, nekuvakadzi vaikudzwa vasiri vashoma.
Some of the Jews [there] were persuaded by {believed} [what Paul had said] and began to associate with Paul and Silas. There were also many non-Jewish people there who worshipped God and many important women [who also believed the message about Jesus], and they began to associate with Paul and Silas.
5 Asi VaJudha vasingatendi vakaita godo, vakatora vamwe varume vakaipa dzaiva simbe dzepamusika, vakaita chaunga, vakamutsira guta bongozozo; vakawira imba yaJasoni, vachitsvaka kuvabudisira kuvanhu;
But [some leaders of] the Jews there in Thessalonica became jealous [because many people believed what Paul taught]. So they went to the public square and persuaded some lazy men [who were loitering there] to follow them. [In this way, the leaders of] the Jews gathered a crowd and incited them to become noisy and start a riot [against Paul and Silas]. Those [Jews and others] ran to the house of [a man named] Jason. [He was the man who had invited Paul and Silas to stay at his house]. They wanted to bring Paul and Silas outside to where the crowd [of people was waiting].
6 asi vakati vasingavawani, vakakakatira Jasoni nedzimwe hama kuvatungamiriri veguta, vachidanidzira vachiti: Ava vakanyonganisa nyika, ivo vasvika panowo,
They discovered that Paul and Silas were not there, but they found Jason [and grabbed him]. They dragged him and some of the [other] believers to where the city officials/authorities and [many other people were gathered]. The men [who had brought Jason] shouted, “Those [two] men have caused trouble [IDM] everywhere [HYP] [they have gone]. Now they have come to our city,
7 avo Jasoni vaakagamuchira; uye ava vese vanoita zvinopesana nezviga zvaKesari, vachiti umwe mambo ariko, anonzi Jesu.
and [this fellow] Jason invited them to stay at his house. All the people [of this sect] oppose what our Emperor has decreed. They say that another person, whose name is Jesus, is [the real] king!”
8 Uye vakanyonganisa chaunga nevatungamiriri veguta vachinzwa zvinhu izvi.
When the crowd of people [that had gathered] and the city authorities heard that, they became very angry and excited.
9 Zvino vakati vatora rubatso kuna Jasoni nekuvamwe, vakavaregedza.
[They wanted to put the believers in jail. But instead], the officials made Jason and the other [believers] pay a fine and told them that they [would give the money back to them if Paul and Silas did not cause any more trouble]. Then the authorities let Jason and those other believers go.
10 Zvino pakarepo hama dzikatuma Pauro naSirasi kuBheriya neusiku; vakati vachisvika vakabva vakaenda musinagoge reVaJudha.
[So] that same night, the believers sent Paul and Silas [out of Thessalonica] to Berea [town]. When Paul and Silas arrived there, they went to the Jewish meeting place, [on a day when people had gathered there].
11 Ava vakange vakanaka kukunda veTesaronika, vakagamuchira shoko nechido chese, vachinzvera magwaro zuva rimwe nerimwe, kana zvinhu izvi zvaiva zvakadaro.
The [Jews] in Thessalonica had not been very willing to listen to God’s message, but the [Jews] who lived in Berea were very willing to listen, so they listened very eagerly to the message [about Jesus]. Every day they read the Scriptures [for themselves] to find out if what Paul said [about the Messiah] was true.
12 Naizvozvo vazhinji vavo vakatenda, nevevakadzi vaikudzwa veVaGiriki, nevevarume vasiri vashoma.
As a result, many of the Jewish people believed [in Jesus], and also some of the important non-Jewish women and many non-Jewish men [believed in him].
13 Asi VaJudha veTesaronika vakati vachiziva kuti shoko raMwari rinoparidzwa naPauro paBheriyawo, vakasvikapowo vakabvongodza zvaunga.
But then the Jews in Thessalonica heard [people tell them] that Paul [was] in Berea and that he was preaching the message from God [about Jesus]. So they went to Berea and [told people there that what Paul was teaching was not true. Thus], they caused many of those people to get angry [at Paul].
14 Zvino nenguva iyoyo pakarepo hama dzakatuma Pauro seanoenda kugungwa; asi Sirasi naTimotio vakasarapo.
So [several of] the believers [in Berea] took Paul to the coast [to go to another province]. But Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea.
15 Zvino avo vakaperekedza Pauro, vakamusvitsa kuAtene; ndokuti vagamuchira kuraira kuna Sirasi naTimotio kuti vakurumidzise kuuya kwaari, vakabva vaenda.
When Paul and the other men from Berea [arrived at the coast, they got on a ship and] went to Athens [city]. Then Paul said [to the men who had come with him], “Tell Silas and Timothy to come to me [here in Athens] as soon as they can.” Then those men left [Athens and returned to Berea].
16 Zvino Pauro achakavagarira paAtene, mweya wake wakabvongonyodzeka maari, achiona guta rizere zvifananidzo.
In Athens, Paul waited for Silas and Timothy [to arrive. In the meantime, he walked around in the city. He] became very distressed/disturbed because he saw that throughout [HYP] the city there were many idols.
17 Naizvozvo wakapikisana neVaJudha musinagoge nevainamata Mwari, nepamusika zuva rimwe nerimwe nevanenge varipo.
So he went to the Jewish meeting place and talked [about Jesus] with the Jews, and also with the Greeks who had accepted what the Jews believe. He also went to the public square/center every day and talked to the people [whom he met] there.
18 Zvino dzimwe nyanzvi dzekufunga dzeVaEpikuro nedzeVaStoiko dzakaita nharo naye. Vamwe ndokuti: Uyu mubvotomoki anoda kurevei? Asi vamwe vakati: Anenge muparidzi wevamwari vekumwe; nokuti neevhangeri wakavaparidzira Jesu nekumuka.
Paul met some teachers who liked to talk about what people should believe. [People called] some of them Epicureans and [they called] others Stoics. They told Paul [what they believed], and they asked him [what he believed. Then] some of them said [to one another], “This ignorant person is just talking nonsense [RHQ]!” Others said, “[We(exc) think] that he is teaching people about (foreign gods/[new] gods that we [(exc)] have not heard about).” They said that because Paul was telling them that Jesus [had died and] had become alive again [afterwards. They had not heard that message before].
19 Zvino vakamubata, vakamuisa paAreopago vachiti: Tingaziva here kuti dzidziso iyi itsva inotaurwa newe chii?
So they took Paul to the place where the city council met. [When they arrived] there, they said to Paul, “[Please] tell us, what is this new message that you [(sg)] are teaching people?
20 Nokuti unouisa zvimwe zvinhu zvinoshamisa panzeve dzedu; naizvozvo tinoda kuziva kuti zvinhu izvi zvinoda kuva zvii?
You are teaching some things that startle us [(exc)], so we want to know what they mean.”
21 Nokuti vese VaAtene nevatorwa vaigarapo vakashandisa nguva yavo kwete pane chimwe chinhu, asi kunzwa kana kutaura chinhu chitsva.
[They said that, because] the people of Athens and also the people from other regions who lived there continually talked about what was new [to them], or they listened to [others tell] what was new.
22 Zvino Pauro amira pakati peAreopago, wakati: Varume VaAtene, pazvinhu zvese ndinoona kuti semune chitendero chikuru.
Then Paul stood up before the men of the city council and said, “Citizens of Athens, I see that you (are very religious/think that it is very important to worship many gods).
23 Nokuti ndati ndichipfuura nekucherekedza zvinhu zvenyu zvamunonamata, ndawana aritariwo yakanyorwa kuti: KUNA MWARI ASINGAZIKANWI. Naizvozvo uyo wamunonamata musingazivi, ndiye ini wandinokuparidzirai.
I [say that] because, while I was walking along and observing the objects [that represent different gods that] you worship, I even saw an altar that had these words [that someone had] carved [on it: THIS HONORS] THE GOD [THAT WE(exc)] DO NOT KNOW. So now I will tell you about [that God] whom you worship but you do not know.
24 Mwari wakaita nyika nezvinhu zvese zviri mairi, iye ari Ishe wedenga nepasi, haagari mutembere dzakaitwa nemaoko,
He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Because he rules over all [beings in] heaven and [on] earth, he does not dwell in shrines that people have made.
25 uye haashumirwi nemaoko evanhu, seanoshaiwa chinhu, nokuti iye anopa vese upenyu nekufema nezvinhu zvese;
He does not need to have anything made for him by people [MTY] {to have people [MTY] make [MTY] anything for him}, because everything that exists belongs to him. He is the one who causes (us [(inc)]/all people) to live and breathe, and [he gives us] all the things [that we(inc) need].
26 uye wakaita kubva paropa rimwe marudzi ese evanhu, kuti agare pachiso chese chenyika, atara nguva dzakagara dzatemwa uye miganhu yeugaro hwavo;
[In the beginning], God created one couple, and from them God produced all (the ethnic groups/the nations) that now live everywhere on the earth. He also decided where each ethnic group of people should live and how long they should live [there].
27 kuti vatsvake Ishe, zvimwe zvirokwazvo vamutsvangadzire vamuwane, kunyange asiri kure neumwe neumwe wedu.
He wanted people to realize that they need him. Then maybe they would seek him and find him. [God wants us to seek him], although he is [really] close [LIT] to each one of us.
28 Nokuti maari tinorarama uye tinofamba uye tiripo; sezvo vamwewo vanyanduri vekwenyu vakati: Nokuti tiri zvizvarwa zvakewo.
As someone has said, ‘[It is only] because he enables us that we [(inc)] live and move and do [what we do].’ And, as some of your own poets have said, ‘We [(inc)] are God’s children.’
29 Naizvozvo zvatiri zvizvarwa zvaMwari, hatifaniri kufunga kuti uMwari hwakafanana negoridhe kana sirivheri kana ibwe, zvakavezwa neumhizha kana murangariro wemunhu.
Therefore, because we are God’s children [and can communicate like God does], we [(inc)] should not think that he is anything like an image [that people have made] of gold or silver or stone [which cannot communicate]. Those images are designed and skillfully made {People design and make those images}, [but they are not alive].
30 Naizvozvo nguva dzekusaziva Mwari wakarega kurangarira, ikozvino anoraira vanhu vese kwese-kwese kuti vatendeuke.
During the times when people did not know [what God wanted them to do], he did not [immediately] punish [them for what they did]. But now God commands all people everywhere to turn away from their evil behavior.
31 Nokuti wakatara zuva, raachatonga nyika mukururama, nemurume waakagadza, akasimbisa kune vese, pakumumutsa kubva kuvakafa.
[He tells us] that on a certain day that he has chosen he is going to judge [all of us(inc) people in] [MTY] the world. He has appointed a [certain] man to judge [us, and that man will judge each of us] fairly/justly. God has shown to all [people that he has appointed that man to judge everyone], because God (caused him to become alive again after he had died/raised him from the dead).”
32 Zvino vakati vanzwa zvekumuka kwevakafa, vamwe vakasveveredza, asi vamwe vakati: Tichazokunzwazve pamusoro paizvozvi.
When the men of the council heard [Paul say] that ([a man] had become alive again after he had died/[someone] had been raised from the dead), some of them laughed scornfully. But others said, “We [(exc)] would like you [(sg)] to tell us more about this, some other time.”
33 Zvino nokudaro Pauro wakabuda pakati pavo.
After they said that, Paul left the council [meeting].
34 Asi vamwe varume vakamunamatira, vakatenda; pakati pavo Dhionisiowo muAreopago, nemukadzi wainzi Dhamarisi, nevamwe vanavo.
However, some of the people there went along with Paul and became believers. Among those [who believed in Jesus] was a member of the council whose [name was] Dionysius. Also, an [important] woman whose name was Damaris and some other people [who had heard Paul’s message also believed in Jesus].
