Acts 17
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
Now when they had gone through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Synagogue of the Jews:
2 Paul, as was his custom, went in to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
And Paul, as he generally did, went in to them, and on three Sabbath days had discussions with them from the holy Writings,
3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."
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.
4 Some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the prominent women.
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.
5 But the Jews, being moved with jealousy, 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.
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.
6 When they did not 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,
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;
7 whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."
Whom Jason has taken into his house: and they are acting against the orders of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.
8 The crowd and the rulers of the city were troubled when they heard these things.
And hearing these things the people and the rulers of the town were troubled.
9 When they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
And having made Jason and the others give an undertaking to keep the peace, they let them go.
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea. When they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
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.
11 Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
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.
12 Many of them therefore believed; also of the prominent Greek women, and not a few men.
And a number of them had faith, and no small number of the Greek women of high position and of the men.
13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, inciting and disturbing the crowds.
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.
14 Then the brothers immediately sent out Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there.
So the brothers sent Paul straight away to the sea: but Silas and Timothy kept there still.
15 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.
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.
16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.
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.
17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him.
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.
18 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 Jesus and the resurrection.
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.
19 They took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you?
And they took him to Mars' Hill, saying, Will you make clear to us what is this new teaching of yours?
20 For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean."
For you seem to us to say strange things, and we have a desire to get the sense of them.
21 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.
(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.)
22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus, and said, "You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.
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.
23 For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.
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.
24 The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands,
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;
25 neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.
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;
26 He made from one blood every nation of the human race to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the boundaries of their dwellings,
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,
27 that they should seek God, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
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:
28 'For in him we live, and move, and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.'
For in him we have life and motion and existence; as certain of your verse writers have said, For we are his offspring.
29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by human art and design.
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.
30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent,
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:
31 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 everyone by raising him from the dead."
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.
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, "We want to hear you again concerning this."
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.
33 Thus Paul went out from among them.
And so Paul went away from among them.
34 But some people joined with him, and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
But some men gave him their support: among whom was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
