17:1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
17:2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
17:3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he said.
17:4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
17:5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
17:6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,
17:7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”
17:8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.
17:9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
17:10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
17:12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
17:13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.
17:14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.
17:15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
17:17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
17:18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
17:19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
17:20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”
17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
17:22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.
17:23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
17:24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
17:25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
17:26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
17:27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
17:28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’
17:29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone–an image made by man’s design and skill.
17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.
17:31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
17:32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.”
17:33 At that, Paul left the Council.
17:34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
17:1 And they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
17:2 And according to his custom Paul went in to them, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
17:3 Opening and setting before them that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and saying, This is the Christ, the Jesus whom I announce to you.
17:4 And some of them were persuaded and were joined to Paul and Silas, as well as a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and of the chief women not a few.
17:5 But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some evil men from among the loafers in the marketplace, gathered a crowd and set the city in an uproar; and coming upon the house of Jason, they sought to bring them to the populace.
17:6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city officials, shouting, These men who have upset the world have come here also,
17:7 Whom Jason has welcomed; and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.
17:8 And they stirred up the crowd and the city officials, who listened to these things.
17:9 And when they had taken bail from Jason and the rest, they released them.
17:10 And the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away during the night to Berea, who, when they arrived, went off into the synagogue of the Jews.
17:11 Now these people were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
17:12 Therefore many of them believed, and there were not a few Greek women of high standing and men.
17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been announced by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds.
17:14 And immediately the brothers then sent Paul off, to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there.
17:15 And those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they went off.
17:16 And while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he beheld that the city was full of idols.
17:17 He reasoned therefore in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
17:18 And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also confronted him. And some said, What would this babbler wish to say? And others, He seems to be an announcer of foreign deities ? because he was announcing Jesus and the resurrection as the gospel.
17:19 And they took hold of him and led him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is which is being spoken by you?
17:20 For you are bringing strange things to our ears. We intend to know therefore what these things mean.
17:21 (Now all the Athenians and the foreigners sojourning there spent their time on nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)
17:22 And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I observe that in every way you very much revere your deities.
17:23 For while I was passing through and carefully observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore you worship without knowing, this I announce to you.
17:24 The God who made the world and all things in it, this One, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
17:25 Neither is He served by human hands as though He needed anything in addition, since He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things.
17:26 And He made from one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, determining beforehand their appointed seasons and the boundaries of their dwelling,
17:27 That they might seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, even though He is not far from each one of us;
17:28 For in Him we live and move and are, as even some poets among you have said, For we are also His race.
17:29 Being then the race of God, we ought not to suppose that what is divine is like gold or silver or stone, like an engraving of art and thought of man.
17:30 Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now charges all men everywhere to repent,
17:31 Because He has set a day in which He is to judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He has designated, having furnished proof to all by raising Him from the dead.
17:32 And when they heard of a resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; and others said, We will hear you yet again concerning this.
17:33 Thus Paul went out from their midst.
17:34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
