Acts 17
1 Now when they had gone through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Synagogue of the Jews:
Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2 And Paul, as he generally did, went in to them, and on three Sabbath days had discussions with them from the holy Writings,
Paul, as was his custom, went in to them; and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3 Saying to them clearly and openly that Christ had to be put to death and come back to life again; and that this Jesus, whom, he said, I am preaching to you, is the Christ.
explaining and demonstrating that the Messiah had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Yeshua, whom I proclaim to you, is the Messiah.”
4 And some of them had faith, and were joined to Paul and Silas; and a number of the God-fearing Greeks, and some of the chief women.
Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas: of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women.
5 But the Jews, being moved with envy, took with them certain low persons from among the common people, and getting together a great number of people, made an outcry in the town, attacking the house of Jason with the purpose of taking them out to the people.
But the unpersuaded Jews took along some wicked men from the marketplace and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them out to the people.
6 And when they were not able to get them, they took Jason and some of the brothers by force before the rulers of the town, crying, These men, who have made trouble all over the world have now come here;
When they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the rulers of the city, crying, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here also,
7 Whom Jason has taken into his house: and they are acting against the orders of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.
whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Yeshua!”
8 And hearing these things the people and the rulers of the town were troubled.
The multitude and the rulers of the city were troubled when they heard these things.
9 And having made Jason and the others give an undertaking to keep the peace, they let them go.
When they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10 And the brothers straight away sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea: and they, when they came there, went to the Synagogue of the Jews.
The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea. When they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11 Now these were more noble than the Jews of Thessalonica, for they gave serious attention to the word, searching in the holy Writings every day, to see if these things were so.
Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
12 And a number of them had faith, and no small number of the Greek women of high position and of the men.
Many of them therefore believed; also of the prominent Greek women, and not a few men.
13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had news that Paul was preaching the word at Beroea, they came there, troubling the people and working them up.
But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes.
14 So the brothers sent Paul straight away to the sea: but Silas and Timothy kept there still.
Then the brothers immediately sent out Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there.
15 But those who went with Paul took him as far as Athens, and then went away, with orders from him to Silas and Timothy to come to him quickly.
But those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him very quickly, they departed.
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was troubled, for he saw all the town full of images of the gods.
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.
17 So he had discussions in the Synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and every day in the market-place with those who were there.
So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him.
18 And some of those who were supporters of the theories of the Epicureans and the Stoics, had a meeting with him. And some said, What is this talker of foolish words saying? And others, He seems to be a preacher of strange gods: because he was preaching of Jesus and his coming back from the dead.
Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also were conversing with him. Some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign deities,” because he preached Yeshua and the resurrection.
19 And they took him to Mars' Hill, saying, Will you make clear to us what is this new teaching of yours?
They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is, which you are speaking about?
20 For you seem to us to say strange things, and we have a desire to get the sense of them.
For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean.”
21 (Now all the Athenians and the men from other lands who come there were giving all their time to talking or hearing of anything new.)
Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
22 And Paul got to his feet on Mars' Hill and said, O men of Athens, I see that you are overmuch given to fear of the gods.
Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, “You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.
23 For when I came by, I was looking at the things to which you give worship, and I saw an altar with this writing on it, TO THE GOD OF WHOM THERE IS NO KNOWLEDGE. Now, what you, without knowledge, give worship to, I make clear to you.
For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, I announce to you.
24 The God who made the earth and everything in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, is not housed in buildings made with hands;
The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands.
25 And he is not dependent on the work of men's hands, as if he had need of anything, for he himself gives to all life and breath and all things;
He isn’t served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath and all things.
26 And he has made of one blood all the nations of men living on all the face of the earth, ordering their times and the limits of their lands,
He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons and the boundaries of their dwellings,
27 So that they might make search for God, in order, if possible, to get knowledge of him and make discovery of him, though he is not far from every one of us:
that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
28 For in him we have life and motion and existence; as certain of your verse writers have said, For we are his offspring.
‘For in him we live, move, and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’
29 If then we are the offspring of God, it is not right for us to have the idea that God is like gold or silver or stone, formed by the art or design of man.
Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and design of man.
30 Those times when men had no knowledge were overlooked by God; but now he gives orders to all men in every place to undergo a change of heart:
The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,
31 Because a day has been fixed in which all the world will be judged in righteousness by the man who has been marked out by him for this work; of which he has given a sign to all men by giving him back from the dead.
because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.”
32 Now on hearing about the coming back from death, some of them made sport of it, but others said, Let us go more fully into this another time.
Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, “We want to hear you again concerning this.”
33 And so Paul went away from among them.
Thus Paul went out from amongst them.
34 But some men gave him their support: among whom was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
But certain men joined with him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
