Acts 17
1 After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and Silas came to Thessalonica. Here the Jews had a synagogue;
Then, passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they went to Thessalonica. Here there was a synagogue of the Jews.
2 and, following his usual custom, Paul joined them, and for three Sabbaths addressed them, drawing his arguments from the scriptures.
Paul--following his usual custom--betook himself to it, and for three successive Sabbaths reasoned with them from 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.”
which he clearly explained, pointing out that it had been necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise again from the dead, and insisting, "The Jesus whom I am announcing to you is the Christ."
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 of the people were won over, and attached themselves to Paul and Silas, including many God-fearing Greeks and not a few gentlewomen of high rank.
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 jealousy of the Jews was aroused, and, calling to their aid some ill-conditioned and idle fellows, they got together a riotous mob and filled the city with uproar. They then attacked the house of Jason and searched for Paul and Silas, to bring them out before the assembly of 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,
But, failing to find them, they dragged Jason and some of the other brethren before the magistrates of the city, loudly accusing them. "These men," they said, "who have raised a tumult throughout the Empire, have come here also.
7 and have been harbored 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 into his house; and they all set Caesar's authority at defiance, declaring that there is another Emperor-- one called Jesus."
8 On hearing this, the people and the city magistrates were much concerned;
Great was the excitement among the crowd, and among the magistrates of the city, when they heard these charges.
9 and, before letting them go, they took bail from Jason and the others.
They required Jason and the rest to find substantial bail, and after that 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.
The brethren at once sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea, and they, on their arrival, went to the synagogue of the Jews.
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 at Beroea were of a nobler disposition than those in Thessalonica, for they very readily received the Message, and day after day searched the Scriptures to see whether it was as Paul stated.
12 As a consequence, many of them became believers in Christ, besides a considerable number of Greek women of position, and of men also.
As the result many of them became believers, and so did not a few of the Greeks--gentlewomen of good position, 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, however, as the Jews of Thessalonica learnt that God's Message had been proclaimed by Paul at Beroea, they came there also, and incited the mob to a riot.
14 The followers immediately arranged for Paul to go away to the coast, but both Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Beroea.
Then the brethren promptly sent Paul down to the sea-coast, 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's safety went with him as far as Athens, and then left him, taking a message from him to Silas and Timothy, asking them to join him as speedily as possible.
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 in 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.
So he had discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the other worshippers, and in the market place, day after day, with those whom he happened to meet.
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. Some of them asked, "What has this beggarly babbler to say?" "His business," said others, "seems to be to cry up some foreign gods." This was because he had been telling the Good News of 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 took him and brought him up to the Areopagus, asking him, "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 the things you are saying sound strange to us. We should therefore like to be told exactly what they 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.)
(For all the Athenians and their foreign visitors used to devote their whole leisure to telling or hearing about something new.)
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, taking his stand in the centre of the Areopagus, spoke as follows: "Men of Athens, I perceive that you are in every respect 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 passed along and observed the things you worship, I found also an altar bearing the inscription, 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' "The Being, therefore, whom you, without knowing Him, revere, Him I now proclaim 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,
GOD who made the universe and everything in it--He, being Lord of Heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries built by men.
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.
Nor is He ministered to by human hands, as though He needed anything--but He Himself gives to all men 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 caused to spring from one forefather people of every race, for them to live on the whole surface of the earth, and marked out for them an appointed span of life and the boundaries of their homes;
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;
that they might seek God, if perhaps they could grope for Him and find Him. Yes, though He is not far from any one 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 it is in closest union with Him that we live and move and have our being; as in fact some of the poets in repute among yourselves have said, 'For we are also 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 His nature resembles gold or silver or marble, or anything sculptured by the art and inventive faculty 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,
Those times of ignorance God viewed with indulgence. But now He commands all men everywhere to 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.”
seeing that He has appointed a day on which, before long, He will judge the world in righteousness, through the instrumentality of a man whom He has pre-destined to this work, and has made the fact certain to every one 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.
When they heard Paul speak of a resurrection of dead men, some began to scoff. But others said, "We will hear you again on that subject."
33 And so Paul left the Court.
So Paul went away 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 them being Dionysius a member of the Council, a gentlewoman named Damaris, and some others.
