Acts 17
1 Nowe as they passed through Amphipolis, and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a Synagogue of the Iewes.
After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica. Here the Jews had a synagogue;
2 And Paul, as his maner was, went in vnto them, and three Sabbath daies disputed with them by the Scriptures,
and, following his usual custom, Paul joined them, and for three Sabbaths addressed them, drawing his arguments from the scriptures.
3 Opening, and alleadging that Christ must haue suffered, and risen againe from the dead: and this is Iesus Christ, whom, said he, I preach to you.
He laid before them and explained that the Christ must undergo suffering and rise from the dead; and ‘It is this man,’ he declared, ‘who is the Christ – this Jesus about whom I am telling you.’
4 And some of them beleeued, and ioyned in companie with Paul and Silas: also of the Grecians that feared God a great multitude, and of the chiefe women not a fewe.
Some of the people were convinced, and threw in their lot with Paul and Silas, as did also a large body of Greeks who were accustomed to join in the Jewish services, and a great number of leading women.
5 But the Iewes which beleeued not, mooued with enuie, tooke vnto them certaine vagabonds and wicked fellowes, and whe they had assembled the multitude, they made a tumult in the citie, and made assault against the house of Iason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
But the Jewish leaders, becoming jealous, engaged some worthless fellows from the streets, and, getting a mob together, kept the city in an uproar. They attacked Jason’s house, with the intention of bringing Paul and Silas before the Popular Assembly;
6 But when they found them not, they drew Iason and certaine brethren vnto the heads of the citie, crying, These are they which haue subuerted the state of the world, and here they are,
and, not finding them there, they proceeded to drag Jason and some of the Lord’s followers before the city magistrates, shouting out, ‘These men, who have turned the world upside down, have now come here,
7 Whom Iason hath receiued, and these all doe against the decrees of Cesar, saying that there is another King, one Iesus.
and have been harboured by Jason! They are all defying the decrees of the Emperor. They say that someone else is king – a man called Jesus!’
8 Then they troubled the people, and the heads of the citie, when they heard these things.
On hearing this, the people and the city magistrates were much concerned;
9 Notwithstanding when they had receiued sufficient assurance of Iason and of the other, they let them goe.
and, before letting them go, they took bail from Jason and the others.
10 And the brethren immediatly sent away Paul and Silas by night vnto Berea, which when they were come thither, entred into ye Synagogue of the Iewes.
That very night the followers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and on reaching that place, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
11 These were also more noble men then they which were at Thessalonica, which receiued the woorde with all readinesse, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
These Jews of Beroea were better disposed than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message with great readiness, and daily examined the scriptures to see if what was said was true.
12 Therefore many of them beleeued, and of honest women, which were Grecians, and men not a fewe.
As a consequence, many of them became believers in Christ, besides a considerable number of Greek women of position, and of men also.
13 But when the Iewes of Thessalonica knewe, that the woord of God was also preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and mooued the people.
But, when the Jewish leaders in Thessalonica found out that God’s message had been delivered by Paul at Beroea, they came there too, exciting and disturbing the minds of the people.
14 But by and by the brethren sent away Paul to goe as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.
The followers immediately arranged for Paul to go away to the coast, but both Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Beroea.
15 And they that did conduct Paul, brought him vnto Athens: and when they had receiued a commandement vnto Silas and Timotheus that they shoulde come to him at once, they departed.
The friends who escorted Paul took him as far as Athens, and, after receiving a message for Silas and Timothy to join him as quickly as possible, they started on their return.
16 Nowe while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirite was stirred in him, when hee sawe the citie subiect to idolatrie.
While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his heart was stirred at seeing the whole city full of idols.
17 Therefore he disputed in the Synagogue with the Iewes, and with them that were religious, and in the market daily with whomesoeuer he met.
So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who joined in their worship, as well as daily in the public Square with those who happened to be there.
18 Then certaine Philosophers of the Epicures, and of the Stoickes, disputed with him, and some sayde, What will this babler say? Others sayde, He seemeth to be a setter forth of straunge gods (because hee preached vnto them Iesus, and the resurrection.)
Among others, some Epicurean and Stoic Philosophers joined issue with him. Some asked ‘What is this prater wanting to make out?’, while others said ‘He seems to be a preacher of foreign Deities.’ (This was because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the resurrection).
19 And they tooke him, and brought him into Mars streete, saying, May we not know, what this newe doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
So they laid hold of him and took him to the Court of Areopagus. ‘May we hear,’ they asked, ‘what new teaching this is which you are giving?
20 For thou bringest certaine strange thinges vnto our eares: we woulde knowe therefore, what these things meane.
For you are bringing some strange things to our notice, and we should like to know what they mean.’
21 For all the Athenians, and strangers which dwelt there, gaue them selues to nothing els, but either to tell, or to heare some newes.
(All Athenians and the foreigners staying in the city found no time for anything else but telling, or listening to, the last new thing.)
22 Then Paul stoode in the mids of Mars streete, and sayde, Yee men of Athens, I perceiue that in all things yee are too superstitious.
So Paul took his stand in the middle of the Court, and said – ‘People of Athens, on every hand I see signs of your being very devout.
23 For as I passed by, and behelde your deuotions, I founde an altar wherein was written, VNTO THE VNKNOWEN GOD. Whom ye then ignorantly worship, him shewe I vnto you.
For as I was going about, looking at your sacred shrines, I came upon an altar with this inscription – “To an Unknown God.” What, therefore, you worship in ignorance, that I am now proclaiming to you.
24 God that made the world, and all things that are therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaue and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands,
The God who made the world and all things that are in it – he, Lord as he is of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hands,
25 Neither is worshipped with mens handes, as though he needed any thing, seeing hee giueth to all life and breath and all things,
neither do human hands minister to his wants, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives, to all, life, and breath, and all things.
26 And hath made of one blood all mankinde, to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath assigned the seasons which were ordeined before, and the boundes of their habitation,
He made all races of the earth’s surface – fixing a time for their rise and fall, and the limits of their settlements –
27 That they shoulde seeke the Lord, if so be they might haue groped after him, and founde him though doubtlesse he be not farre from euery one of vs.
That they might search for God, if by any means they might feel their way to him and find him. And yet he is not really far from any one of us;
28 For in him we liue, and mooue, and haue our being, as also certaine of your owne Poets haue sayd, for we are also his generation.
for in him we live and move and are. To use the words of some of your own poets – “His offspring, too, are we.”
29 Forasmuch then, as we are the generation of God, we ought not to thinke that ye Godhead is like vnto gold, or siluer, or stone grauen by arte and the inuention of man.
Therefore, as the offspring of God, we must not think that the Deity has any resemblance to anything made of gold, or silver, or stone – a work of human art and imagination.
30 And the time of this ignorance God regarded not: but nowe hee admonisheth all men euery where to repent,
True, God looked with indulgence on the days of people’s ignorance, but now he is announcing to everyone everywhere the need for repentance,
31 Because hee hath appoynted a day in the which he wil iudge the world in righteousnes, by that man whome hee hath appoynted, whereof he hath giuen an assurance to all men, in that hee hath raised him from the dead.
because he has fixed a day on which he intends to judge the world with justice, by a man whom he has appointed – and of this he has given all people a pledge by raising this man from the dead.’
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection from the dead, some mocked, and other sayde, We will heare thee againe of this thing.
On hearing of a resurrection of the dead, some began jeering, but others said that they wanted to hear what he had to say about that another time.
33 And so Paul departed from among them.
And so Paul left the Court.
34 Howbeit certaine men claue vnto Paul, and beleeued: among whome was also Denys Areopagita, and a woman named Damaris, and other with them.
There were, however, some people who joined him, and became believers in Christ. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Court of Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and several others.
