ACT 17
17
Paul in Thessalonica
1 After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and his companions arrived in Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2 Following his usual practice, Paul went to them and for three Sabbaths engaged with them from the Scriptures,
3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. He declared, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ."
4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But the Jews became jealous. They recruited some worthless men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and created an uproar in the city. They stormed Jason's house, searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the people.
6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too,
7 and Jason has welcomed them as guests! They are all acting contrary to Caesar's decrees, claiming there is another king—Jesus."
8 They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things.
9 After receiving a bond payment from Jason and the others, they released them.
In Berea
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arriving, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11 Now the Berean Jews were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica. They received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to verify whether these things were true.
12 As a result, many of them believed, along with a considerable number of prominent Greek women and men.
13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was proclaiming God's message in Berea as well, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.
14 The believers immediately sent Paul away towards the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.
15 Those escorting Paul brought him as far as Athens. After receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as quickly as possible, they departed.
In Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols.
17 So he began reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
18 Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers engaged him in discussion. Some asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be promoting foreign deities"—because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
19 They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus council, asking, "May we understand what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
20 You are introducing some strange notions to our hearing, and we want to know what these things mean."
21 (Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time doing nothing except talking about or listening to the latest ideas.)
22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said:
Paul's Apologetic Preaching
"Men of Athens, I observe that in every respect you are extremely religious.
23 For as I walked around examining your objects of worship, I even discovered an altar with this inscription: 'To an Unknown God.' What you worship in ignorance, this I am proclaiming to you.
24 The God who made the universe and everything in it—He who is Lord of heaven and earth—does not dwell in sanctuaries constructed by human hands.
25 Nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to everyone life and breath and all things.
26 From one man He created every nation of humanity to inhabit the entire earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their territories,
27 so that they might seek God, if perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
28 'For in Him we live and move and exist,' as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His offspring.'
29 Being God's offspring, then, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, shaped by human artistry and imagination.
30 Although God overlooked the times of ignorance, He now commands all people everywhere to repent,
31 because He has established a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man He has appointed, having provided proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead."
32 When they heard about resurrection from the dead, some began mocking, while others said, "We will hear you again about this."
33 So Paul departed from their midst.
34 However, some people joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
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ACT 17: AFINT
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
ACT 17
17
Paul in Thessalonica
1 After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Paul and his companions arrived in Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
2 Following his usual practice, Paul went to them and for three Sabbaths engaged with them from the Scriptures,
3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. He declared, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ."
4 Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5 But the Jews became jealous. They recruited some worthless men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and created an uproar in the city. They stormed Jason's house, searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the people.
6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too,
7 and Jason has welcomed them as guests! They are all acting contrary to Caesar's decrees, claiming there is another king—Jesus."
8 They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things.
9 After receiving a bond payment from Jason and the others, they released them.
In Berea
10 As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arriving, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11 Now the Berean Jews were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica. They received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to verify whether these things were true.
12 As a result, many of them believed, along with a considerable number of prominent Greek women and men.
13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was proclaiming God's message in Berea as well, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.
14 The believers immediately sent Paul away towards the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.
15 Those escorting Paul brought him as far as Athens. After receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as quickly as possible, they departed.
In Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols.
17 So he began reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
18 Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers engaged him in discussion. Some asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be promoting foreign deities"—because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
19 They took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus council, asking, "May we understand what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
20 You are introducing some strange notions to our hearing, and we want to know what these things mean."
21 (Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time doing nothing except talking about or listening to the latest ideas.)
22 Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said:
Paul's Apologetic Preaching
"Men of Athens, I observe that in every respect you are extremely religious.
23 For as I walked around examining your objects of worship, I even discovered an altar with this inscription: 'To an Unknown God.' What you worship in ignorance, this I am proclaiming to you.
24 The God who made the universe and everything in it—He who is Lord of heaven and earth—does not dwell in sanctuaries constructed by human hands.
25 Nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to everyone life and breath and all things.
26 From one man He created every nation of humanity to inhabit the entire earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their territories,
27 so that they might seek God, if perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
28 'For in Him we live and move and exist,' as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His offspring.'
29 Being God's offspring, then, we ought not to think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, shaped by human artistry and imagination.
30 Although God overlooked the times of ignorance, He now commands all people everywhere to repent,
31 because He has established a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man He has appointed, having provided proof to everyone by raising Him from the dead."
32 When they heard about resurrection from the dead, some began mocking, while others said, "We will hear you again about this."
33 So Paul departed from their midst.
34 However, some people joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).