Acts 17
1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
And having passed through Amphipolis, and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where the synagogue of the Jews was,
2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
and according to the custom of Paul, he went in to them, and for three Sabbaths he was reasoning with them from the Writings,
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.
opening and alleging that it was necessary [for] the Christ to suffer, and to rise again out of the dead, and that “this is the Christ—Jesus whom I proclaim to you.”
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.
And certain of them believed, and attached themselves to Paul and to Silas, also a great multitude of the worshiping Greeks, also not a few of the principal 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.
And the Jews, having been moved with envy, and having taken to themselves certain evil men of the agitators, and having made a crowd, were setting the city in an uproar; having also assailed the house of Jason, they were seeking them to bring [them] to the populace,
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,
and having not found them, they drew Jason and certain brothers to the city rulers, calling aloud, “These, having put the world in commotion, are also present here,
7 and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!”
whom Jason has received; and all these do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying another to be king—Jesus.”
8 On hearing this, the crowd and city officials were greatly disturbed.
And they troubled the multitude and the city rulers, hearing these things,
9 And they collected bond from Jason and the others, and then released them.
and having taken security from Jason and the rest, they 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.
And the brothers immediately, through the night, sent forth both Paul and Silas to Berea, who having come, 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.
and these were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Writings every day [to see] whether those things were so;
12 As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men.
therefore, many of them, indeed, believed, and not a few of the honorable Greek women and 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.
And when the Jews from Thessalonica knew that also in Berea was the word of God declared by Paul, they came there also, agitating the multitudes;
14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.
and then immediately the brothers sent forth Paul, to go on as it were to the sea, but both Silas and Timotheus were remaining 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.
And those conducting Paul, brought him to Athens, and having received a command to Silas and Timotheus that with all speed they may come to him, they departed;
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.
and Paul waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, beholding the city wholly given to idolatry,
17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.
therefore, indeed, he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the worshiping persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met with him.
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.
And certain of the Epicurean and of the Stoic philosophers, were meeting together to see him, and some were saying, “What would this seed picker wish to say?” And others, “He seems to be an announcer of strange demons”; because he proclaimed to them Jesus and the resurrection as good news,
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?
having also taken him, they brought [him] to the Areopagus, saying, “Are we able to know what this new teaching [is] that is spoken by you,
20 For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
for you bring certain strange things to our ears? We resolve, then, to know what these things would wish to be”;
21 Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas.
and all Athenians, and the strangers sojourning, for nothing else were at leisure but to say something, and to hear some newer thing.
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.
And Paul, having stood in the midst of the Areopagus, said, “Men, Athenians, in all things I perceive you as over-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.
for passing through and contemplating your objects of worship, I also found an altar on which had been inscribed: To God—unknown; whom, therefore—not knowing—you worship, this One I announce 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.
God, who made the world, and all things in it, this One, being Lord of Heaven and of earth, does not dwell in temples made with 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 served by the hands of men—needing anything, He giving life to all, and breath, and all things;
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.
He also made every nation of man of one blood, to dwell on all the face of the earth—having ordained times before appointed, and the bounds 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.
to seek the LORD, if perhaps they felt after Him and found, though, indeed, 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.’
for in Him we live, and move, and are; as certain of your poets have also 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.
Being, therefore, offspring of God, we ought not to think the Godhead to be like to gold, or silver, or stone, [an] engraving of art and imagination of man;
30 Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.
therefore indeed God, having overlooked the times of ignorance, now commands all men everywhere to convert,
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 set a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness, by a Man whom He ordained, having given assurance to all, having raised Him out of 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.”
And having heard of a resurrection of the dead, some, indeed, were mocking, but others said, “We will hear you again concerning this”;
33 At that, Paul left the Areopagus.
and so Paul went forth from the midst of them,
34 But some joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others who were with them.
and certain men having cleaved to him, believed, among whom [is] also Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman, by name Damaris, and others with them.
