Acts 17

Paul and Silas in Thessalonica

1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to a Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And Paul went in b as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them c from the Scriptures, 3  d explaining and proving that it was necessary for e the Christ to suffer and f to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” 4 And g some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did h a great many of the devout i Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5  j But the Jews ▼
▼ Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 13
 l were jealous, and taking m some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6 And when they could not find them n they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against o the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is p another king, Jesus.” 8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

Paul and Silas in Berea

10  q The brothers ▼
▼ Or  brothers and sisters; also verse 14
 immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they s went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness t examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12  u Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek v women of high standing as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too w agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then the brothers x immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and y Timothy remained there. 15  z Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as aa Athens, and after receiving a command ab for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

Paul in Athens

16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was ac provoked within him as he saw that the city was ad full of idols. 17 So ae he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. 18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said af “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because ag he was preaching ah Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they took him and brought him to ai the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this aj new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 For you bring some ak strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

Paul Addresses the Areopagus

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription al ‘To the unknown god.’ am What therefore you worship an as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24  ao The God who made the world and everything in it, being ap Lord of heaven and earth aq does not live in temples made by man ▼
▼ Greek made by hands
 25 nor is he served by human hands as as though he needed anything, since he himself at gives to all mankind au life and breath and everything. 26 And av he made from one man every nation of mankind to live aw on all the face of the earth ax having determined allotted periods and ay the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27  az that they should seek God ba and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. bb Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for

bc “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; ▼
▼ Probably from Epimenides of Crete

as even some of be your own poets have said,

“‘For we are indeed his offspring.’ ▼
▼ From Aratus’s poem “Phainomena”

29  bg Being then God’s offspring bh we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30  bi The times of ignorance bj God overlooked, but bk now he bl commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed bm a day on which bn he will judge the world bo in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and bp of this he has given assurance to all bq by raising him from the dead.”

32 Now when they heard of br the resurrection of the dead bs some mocked. But others said bt “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius bu the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

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