Acts 17
1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
So Paul, as was his custom, went in to them and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he declared.
explaining and demonstrating that the Messiah had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and that “this Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Messiah.”
4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women.
Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of devout Greeks and not a few of the prominent women.
5 The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.
But the disobedient Jews rounded up some wicked men from the marketplace, and forming a mob they created an uproar in the city; and attacking the house of Jason, they wanted to bring them out to the crowd.
6 But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here,
But not finding them they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials vociferating: “These who have upset the whole world have come here too,
7 and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!”
to whom Jason has given lodging. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.”
8 On hearing this, the crowd and city officials were greatly disturbed.
Well they agitated the crowd and the city officials when they heard these things.
9 And they collected bond from Jason and the others, and then released them.
Then they took a security bond from Jason and the rest and let them go.
10 As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
Immediately, during the night, the brothers sent both Paul and Silas away to Berea; on arriving they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all goodwill, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things might be so.
12 As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men.
Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.
13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they went there themselves to incite and agitate the crowds.
But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the Word of God was also being proclaimed by Paul in Berea, they came too, agitating the crowds.
14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.
So then, without delay, the brothers sent Paul away, as if to go by sea, while both Silas and Timothy remained there.
15 Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
But those who were conducting Paul actually took him all the way to Athens; and receiving a command to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him as quickly as possible, they started back.
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols.
Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was increasingly aroused within him as he observed that the city was full of idols.
17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.
So he reasoned both in the synagogue with the Jews and devout persons, and in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
18 Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.
Then certain philosophers, both Epicureans and Stoics, encountered him. Some said, “What might this idea-scavenger want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign deities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
19 So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
So taking him in tow they led him to the Areopagus and said: “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
20 For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
Because you are bringing some strange things to our ears, and we would like to know what they might mean.”
21 Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas.
(Now all Athenians and resident foreigners spent their time in nothing else but to tell, or else to hear, some novelty.)
22 Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.
So standing in the middle of the Areopagus Paul said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;
23 For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.
because as I went along and scrutinized the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO UNKNOWN GOD. Now then, the one you worship as ‘unknown’, this is the One I 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 made by human hands.
The God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples built by hands,
25 Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
neither is He cared for by men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself has always given life and breath to all.
26 From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.
And from one blood He made every ethnic nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27 God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
so that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us;
28 ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’
because in Him we live and move and have our being. As also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’
29 Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.
Therefore, since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divinity is like gold or silver or stone—something shaped by human skill and imagination.
30 Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.
Such times of ignorance God did indeed overlook, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent,
31 For 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.”
because He has appointed a day in which He will judge the inhabited world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained; He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”
32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this topic.”
Well when they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some started scoffing, while others said, “We will hear you again about this.”
33 At that, Paul left the Areopagus.
And with that Paul went out from among them.
34 But some joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others who were with them.
However some men believed and joined him, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, also a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
