< Acts 17 >
1 After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica. Here the Jews had a synagogue;
Now when they had gone through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica. Here there was a Jewish synagogue,
2 and, following his usual custom, Paul joined them, and for three Sabbaths addressed them, drawing his arguments from the scriptures.
and Paul, according to his usual custom, went in to them and, for three Sabbath Days, he reasoned with them out of the Scriptures,
3 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.’
explaining and quoting passages to prove that the Messiah had to suffer and to rise again from the dead and that "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming unto you is the Messiah."
4 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.
Some were persuaded and attached themselves to Paul and Silas, including a number of devout Greeks, and a large number of the leading women.
5 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;
But the Jews, moved with jealousy, called to their aid certain ill- favored and idle fellows, formed a mob, and began to set the town in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them out to the people.
6 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,
And when they had failed to find Paul and Silas, they began to drag Jason and some of the brethren before the politarchs, shouting. "These fellows who have upset the habitable earth are come hither also.
7 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!’
"Jason has received them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus."
8 On hearing this, the people and the city magistrates were much concerned;
Both the crowd and the politarchs were disturbed when they heard this,
9 and, before letting them go, they took bail from Jason and the others.
but when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10 That very night the followers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and on reaching that place, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
Now the brothers sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they got there they betook themselves to the Jewish synagogue.
11 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.
The Jews of Berea were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they very readily received the message with all readiness of mind, and day after day searched the Scriptures to see whether these things were so.
12 As a consequence, many of them became believers in Christ, besides a considerable number of Greek women of position, and of men also.
So many of them became believers, and so did not a few Greeks, women of honorable estate, and men.
13 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.
As soon as the Jews in Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul in Berea also, they came there, and stirred up and troubled the crowds.
14 The followers immediately arranged for Paul to go away to the coast, but both Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Beroea.
Then the brothers at once sent Paul down to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained behind.
15 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.
Those who were caring for Paul brought him as far as Athens, and there left him, with instructions to Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed.
16 While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his heart was stirred at seeing the whole city full of idols.
While Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred within him, when he noticed that the city was full of idols.
17 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.
He argued in the synagogues with the Jews and the devout proselytes, and also daily in the market-place with those that met him there.
18 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).
A few of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also encountered him again and again. Some were saying, "What has this beggarly fellow to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a setter forth of strange gods," because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
19 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?
Then they laid hold of him and brought him up to Mars Hill, saying. "May we be told what this new teaching of yours is?
20 For you are bringing some strange things to our notice, and we should like to know what they mean.’
"For you are bringing certain strange things to our ears. We want to know, therefore, what these things mean."
21 (All Athenians and the foreigners staying in the city found no time for anything else but telling, or listening to, the last new thing.)
(Now all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else, but to tell or to hear some new thing.)
22 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.
So Paul stood up in the center of Mars Hill, and said. "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all respects you are remarkably religious.
23 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.
"For as I was passing along and observing your objects of worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What you are worshiping in ignorance, this I am proclaiming to you.
24 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,
"The God who made the universe and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands,
25 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.
"neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all life and breath and all things.
26 He made all races of the earth’s surface – fixing a time for their rise and fall, and the limits of their settlements –
"He has made of one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons and the bounds of their habitation,
27 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;
"so that they might seek God, if perhaps they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from every on of us;
28 for in him we live and move and are. To use the words of some of your own poets – “His offspring, too, are we.”
"for in him we live and move and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, "‘For we also are his offspring.’
29 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.
"Since then we are God’s offspring, we ought not to imagine that the Godhead is like to gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man.
30 True, God looked with indulgence on the days of people’s ignorance, but now he is announcing to everyone everywhere the need for repentance,
"The times of ignorance God overlooked, but he now commands all men that they should all, everywhere, repent;
31 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.’
inasmuch as he has fixed a day in which he will judge the world justly, by the Man whom he has ordained, and he has given proof of all this by raising him from the dead."
32 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.
But on hearing of the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock; but others said, "We will hear you again on that subject."
33 And so Paul left the Court.
So Paul withdrew from them.
34 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.
A few, however, attached themselves to him and believed, among whom was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and some others.