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.
Gevurot Meyruach Hakodesh 17
17
1Now having passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonika, where there was a shul.
2And as he did bekvius (regularly), Rav Sha'ul joined their minyan, and on shloshah Shabbatot, he gave them drashot from the Kitvei HaKodesh,
3Making a Messianic midrash (homiletical interpretation of the Scriptures) and giving the pshat (rationale) for the yissurim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, that it was necessary for him to suffer and to stand up alive from the Mesim, saying, This one is the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, this Yehoshua whom I am proclaiming to you.
4And some of them were persuaded and were being mishtatef (join, become involved) in a chavurah with Rav Sha'ul and Sila, as did a large number of yirei Elohim (Yevanim) and not a few of the chashuve nashim.
5And the Yehudim without emunah, being filled with kinah, and having rounded up from the people of the market the gornisht and the no-goodniks, and having formed a mob, were throwing the city into an uproar. And the crowd was seeking to bring out Moshiachʼs Shlichim and throw them to the mob, so they attacked the bais of Jason.
6But not having found the Moshiachʼs Shlichim, they were dragging Jason and some other Achim b'Moshiach to the city manhigim, shouting, These, who have been turning the Olam Hazeh upside down, have come here also!
7And Jason is the one who has received them into his bais! And all these ones are acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is a king other than Caesar, this Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua!
8And they stirred up the mob and also the city manhigim who heard them saying these things.
9And having taken the bond money from Jason and the rest, they released them.
10And, immediately during the lailah, the Achim b'Moshiach sent both Rav Sha'ul and Sila to Berea. When Moshiachʼs Shlichim arrived, they joined the minyan in the shul.
11But these Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians. The Berean Yehudim received the dvar Hashem with all readiness, yom yom (daily) making a chazora (review) and examining and horiva over (analyzing) the Kitvei HaKodesh, to see if these things might be so.#17:11 Dt 29:29
12Therefore, many of them became Messianic Jews, and also of the chashuve Yevanim, not a few nashim and anashim came to emunah.
13But when the Yehudim without emunah from Thessalonika realized that also in Berea the dvar Hashem was being proclaimed by Rav Sha'ul, they came also to Berea, agitating and stirring up mobs.
14And immediately, then, the Achim b'Moshiach sent away Rav Sha'ul to go as far as to the sea, but both Sila and Timotiyos remained in Berea.
15Now the ones escorting Rav Sha'ul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions to have Sila and Timotiyos come to Rav Sha'ul in Athens as quickly as possible, the ones escorting him departed.
16And awaiting them in Athens, the ruach of Rav Sha'ul was being distressed within him as he observed the city being full of elilim.
17Therefore, Rav Sha'ul was dialoguing and arguing in the shul with the Yehudim and with the yirei Elohim and also in the marketplace yom yom#17:17 street preaching to the ones who happened to be there.
18Also some of the Apikoros (Epicurean) and Stoic philosophers started conversing with Rav Sha'ul, and some were saying, What might this babbler wish to say? And others said, He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign deities. They said this because of what Rav Sha'ul was proclaiming: Yehoshua and the Techiyas HaMesim.
19And having taken hold of Rav Sha'ul, they brought him to the Areopagus, saying, Are we able to have da'as of what this new teaching is, which is being spoken by you?
20For some surprising things you bring to our hearing. Therefore, we desire to have da'as of what these things mean.
21Now all the Athenians and the visiting foreigners and tourists in Athens used to spend time doing nothing but shmoozing about the latest novelty in the news.
22And Rav Sha'ul, taking his stand in the middle of the Areopagus, said, Anashim, Athenians, with respect to everything how very religious indeed I observe you to be.
23For passing through and looking carefully at your objects of worship, I found also an altar on which had been inscribed “To the unknown g-d.” Therefore, what you worship without da'as, this I proclaim to you.
24 Hashem, the One having made HaOlam and all the things in it, this One being Adon HaShomayim vaHaAretz, does not dwell in temples made by human hands.#17:24 Isa 42:5; Dt 10:14; Isa 66:1; 1Kgs 8:27
25Nor is Hashem served by human hands, as if Hashem were in need of something, since He gives to all Chayyim and breath and everything.#17:25 Ps 50:10-12; Isa 42:5
26And Hashem made from one ancestor every nation of anashim dwelling pnei kol haAretz. And Hashem has set the zmanim and the fixed boundaries of their habitations,#17:26 Dt 32:8; Job 12:23
27So that they would seek Hashem, if efsher (perhaps) they might grope for Him and might find Him, though Hashem is not far from each one of us.#17:27 Dt 4:7; Isa 55:6; Jer 23:23,24
28For “we live in Him and in Him we move and have our being,” as also some of your poets have said, “For we are all His offspring.”#17:28 Dt 30:20; Job 12:10; Dan 5:23; Epimenides; Aratus
29Therefore, being offspring of Hashem, we ought not to think that Hashemʼs essence is like gold or silver or stone, a tzelem (image) made by the skill and thought of Bnei Adam.#17:29 Isa 40:18-20
30While Hashem has disregarded and let pass the Am HaAretz times of ignorance, now, however, Hashem proclaims to kol bnei Adam everywhere, Make teshuva,
31Because he set a day in which he is about to bring MISHPAT#17:31 Ps 9:8 on the Olam Hazeh in tzedek#17:31 Dan 9:24 by an ISH#17:31 Zech 6:12 whom he appointed, having furnished proof to all by having made him to stand up alive again from the Mesim.#17:31 Ps 9:8; 96:13; 98:9; Isa 53:11 MEGILLOT YAM HAMELACH (DEAD SEA SCROLLS)
32And when they heard of the Techiyas HaMesim, some were mocking Rav Sha'ul. But others said, We will hear you again about this.
33Thus did Rav Sha'ul go out from the midst of them.
34And some anashim became mishtatef in the chavurah of Rav Sha'ul, in that they had emunah, among whom were both Dionysius, a member of the Athenian Council of the Areopagus, and an isha by name Damaris, and others with them.
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