Acts 17
17
Paul and Silas in Thessalonica
1Paul and Silas traveled through the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to the city of Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue. 2As usual, Paul went into the synagogue. On three consecutive days of rest—holy days, he had discussions about Scripture with the synagogue members. 3He explained and showed them that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and come back to life, and that Jesus, the person he talked about, was this Messiah.
4Some of the Jews were persuaded to join Paul and Silas, especially a large group of Greeks who had converted to Judaism and the wives of many prominent men.
5Then the Jews became jealous. They took some low-class characters who hung around the public square, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason’s home and searched it for Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. 6When they didn’t find Paul and Silas, they dragged Jason and some other believers in front of the city officials. They shouted, “Those men who have made trouble all over the world are now here in Thessalonica, 7and Jason has welcomed them as his guests. All of them oppose the emperor’s decrees by saying that there is another king, whose name is Jesus.”
8The crowd and the officials were upset when they heard this. 9But after they had made Jason and the others post bond, they let them go.
10Immediately when night came, the believers sent Paul and Silas to the city of Berea.
Paul and Silas in Berea
When Paul and Silas arrived in the city of Berea, they entered the synagogue. 11The people of Berea were more open-minded than the people of Thessalonica. They were very willing to receive God’s message, and every day they carefully examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true. 12Many of them became believers, and quite a number of them were prominent Greek men and women.
13But when the Jews in Thessalonica found out that Paul was also spreading God’s word in Berea, they went there to upset and confuse the people. 14The believers immediately sent Paul to the seacoast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea.
Paul in Athens
15The men who escorted Paul took him all the way to the city of Athens. When the men left Athens, they took instructions back to Silas and Timothy to join Paul as soon as possible.
16While Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, he saw that the city had statues of false gods everywhere. This upset him. 17He held discussions in the synagogue with Jews and converts to Judaism. He also held discussions every day in the public square with anyone who happened to be there. 18Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers had discussions with him. Some asked, “What is this babbling fool trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be speaking about foreign gods.” The philosophers said these things because Paul was telling the Good News about Jesus and saying that people would come back to life.
19Then they brought Paul to the city court, the Areopagus, and asked, “Could you tell us these new ideas that you’re teaching? 20Some of the things you say sound strange to us. So we would like to know what they mean.”
21Everyone who lived in Athens looked for opportunities to tell or hear something new and unusual.
22Paul stood in the middle of the court and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious. 23As I was going through your city and looking closely at the objects you worship, I noticed an altar with this written on it: ‘To an unknown god.’ I’m telling you about the unknown god you worship. 24The God who made the universe and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn’t live in shrines made by humans, 25and he isn’t served by humans as if he needed anything. He gives everyone life, breath, and everything they have. 26From one man he has made every nation of humanity to live all over the earth. He has given them the seasons of the year and the boundaries within which to live. 27He has done this so that they would look for God, somehow reach for him, and find him. In fact, he is never far from any one of us. 28Certainly, we live, move, and exist because of him. As some of your poets have said, ‘We are God’s children.’ 29So if we are God’s children, we shouldn’t think that the divine being is like an image made from gold, silver, or stone, an image that is the product of human imagination and skill.
30“God overlooked the times when people didn’t know any better. But now he commands everyone everywhere to turn to him and change the way they think and act. 31He has set a day when he is going to judge the world with justice, and he will use a man he has appointed to do this. God has given proof to everyone that he will do this by bringing that man back to life.”
32When the people of the court heard that a person had come back to life, some began joking about it, while others said, “We’ll hear you talk about this some other time.”
33With this response, Paul left the court. 34Some men joined him and became believers. With them were Dionysius, who was a member of the court, and a woman named Damaris, and some other people.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Acts 17
17
Preaching Christ at Thessalonica
1Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to #Acts 17:11, 13; 20:4; 27:2; Phil. 4:16; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; 2 Tim. 4:10Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2Then Paul, as his custom was, #Luke 4:16; Acts 9:20; 13:5, 14; 14:1; 16:13; 19:8went in to them, and for three Sabbaths #1 Thess. 2:1–16reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and demonstrating #Luke 24:26, 46; Acts 18:5, 28; Gal. 3:1that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4#Acts 28:24And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and #Acts 15:22, 27, 32, 40Silas.
Assault on Jason’s House
5But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming #Acts 13:45envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of #Acts 17:6, 7, 9; Rom. 16:21Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, #(Acts 16:20)“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 7Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, #Luke 23:2; John 19:12; 1 Pet. 2:13saying there is another king—Jesus.” 8And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. 9So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
Ministering at Berea
10Then #Acts 9:25; 17:14the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and #Is. 34:16; Luke 16:29; John 5:39searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 12Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. 13But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. 14#Matt. 10:23Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. 15So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and #Acts 18:5receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.
The Philosophers at Athens
16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, #2 Pet. 2:8his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. 17Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. 18Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?”
Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them #1 Cor. 15:12Jesus and the resurrection.
19And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? 20For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” 21For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
Addressing the Areopagus
22Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24#Is. 42:5; Acts 14:15“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is #Deut. 10:14; Ps. 115:16; Matt. 11:25Lord of heaven and earth, #1 Kin. 8:27; Acts 7:48–50does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He #Gen. 2:7; Is. 42:5; Dan. 5:23gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and #Deut. 32:8; Job 12:23; Dan. 4:35the boundaries of their dwellings, 27#(Rom. 1:20)so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, #Deut. 4:7; Ps. 139:7, 10; Jer. 23:23, 24; (Acts 14:17)though He is not far from each one of us; 28for #(Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3)in Him we live and move and have our being, #Titus 1:12as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, #Ps. 115:4–7; Is. 40:18, 19; Rom. 1:23we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30Truly, #Acts 14:16; (Rom. 3:25)these times of ignorance God overlooked, but #Luke 24:47; Acts 26:20; (Titus 2:11, 12); 1 Pet. 1:14; 4:3now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31because He has appointed a day on which #Ps. 9:8; 96:13; 98:9; John 5:22, 27; Acts 10:42; Rom. 2:16He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by #Acts 2:24raising Him from the dead.”
32And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” 33So Paul departed from among them. 34However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.