Acts 17 (GNV) · Opened

1Nowe as they passed through Amphipolis, and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a Synagogue of the Iewes.When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

2And Paul, as his maner was, went in vnto them, and three Sabbath daies disputed with them by the Scriptures,As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

3Opening, and alleadging that Christ must haue suffered, and risen againe from the dead: and this is Iesus Christ, whom, said he, I preach to you.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 declared.

4And some of them beleeued, and ioyned in companie with Paul and Silas: also of the Grecians that feared God a great multitude, and of the chiefe women not a fewe.Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women.

5But the Iewes which beleeued not, mooued with enuie, tooke vnto them certaine vagabonds and wicked fellowes, and whe they had assembled the multitude, they made a tumult in the citie, and made assault against the house of Iason, and sought to bring them out to the people.The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.

6But when they found them not, they drew Iason and certaine brethren vnto the heads of the citie, crying, These are they which haue subuerted the state of the world, and here they are,But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here,

7Whom Iason hath receiued, and these all doe against the decrees of Cesar, saying that there is another King, one Iesus.and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!”

8Then they troubled the people, and the heads of the citie, when they heard these things.On hearing this, the crowd and city officials were greatly disturbed.

9Notwithstanding when they had receiued sufficient assurance of Iason and of the other, they let them goe.And they collected bond from Jason and the others and then released them.

10And the brethren immediatly sent away Paul and Silas by night vnto Berea, which when they were come thither, entred into ye Synagogue of the Iewes.As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue.

11These were also more noble men then they which were at Thessalonica, which receiued the woorde with all readinesse, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.

12Therefore many of them beleeued, and of honest women, which were Grecians, and men not a fewe.As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men.

13But when the Iewes of Thessalonica knewe, that the woord of God was also preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and mooued the people.But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they went there themselves to incite and agitate the crowds.

14But by and by the brethren sent away Paul to goe as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea.

15And they that did conduct Paul, brought him vnto Athens: and when they had receiued a commandement vnto Silas and Timotheus that they shoulde come to him at once, they departed.Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

16Nowe while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirite was stirred in him, when hee sawe the citie subiect to idolatrie.While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols.

17Therefore he disputed in the Synagogue with the Iewes, and with them that were religious, and in the market daily with whomesoeuer he met.So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.

18Then certaine Philosophers of the Epicures, and of the Stoickes, disputed with him, and some sayde, What will this babler say? Others sayde, He seemeth to be a setter forth of straunge gods (because hee preached vnto them Iesus, and the resurrection.)Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection.

19And they tooke him, and brought him into Mars streete, saying, May we not know, what this newe doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

20For thou bringest certaine strange thinges vnto our eares: we woulde knowe therefore, what these things meane.For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.”

21For all the Athenians, and strangers which dwelt there, gaue them selues to nothing els, but either to tell, or to heare some newes.Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas.

22Then Paul stoode in the mids of Mars streete, and sayde, Yee men of Athens, I perceiue that in all things yee are too superstitious.Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious.

23For as I passed by, and behelde your deuotions, I founde an altar wherein was written, VNTO THE VNKNOWEN GOD. Whom ye then ignorantly worship, him shewe I vnto you.For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.

24God that made the world, and all things that are therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaue and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands,The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.

25Neither is worshipped with mens handes, as though he needed any thing, seeing hee giueth to all life and breath and all things,Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.

26And hath made of one blood all mankinde, to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath assigned the seasons which were ordeined before, and the boundes of their habitation,From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands.

27That they shoulde seeke the Lord, if so be they might haue groped after him, and founde him though doubtlesse he be not farre from euery one of vs.God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.

28For in him we liue, and mooue, and haue our being, as also certaine of your owne Poets haue sayd, for we are also his generation.‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’

29Forasmuch then, as we are the generation of God, we ought not to thinke that ye Godhead is like vnto gold, or siluer, or stone grauen by arte and the inuention of man.Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination.

30And the time of this ignorance God regarded not: but nowe hee admonisheth all men euery where to repent,Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.

31Because hee hath appoynted a day in the which he wil iudge the world in righteousnes, by that man whome hee hath appoynted, whereof he hath giuen an assurance to all men, in that hee hath raised him from the dead.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 everyone by raising Him from the dead.”

32Now when they heard of the resurrection from the dead, some mocked, and other sayde, We will heare thee againe of this thing.When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this topic.”

33And so Paul departed from among them.At that, Paul left the Areopagus.

34Howbeit certaine men claue vnto Paul, and beleeued: among whome was also Denys Areopagita, and a woman named Damaris, and other with them.But some joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others who were with them.

Acts 17

The Uproar in Thessalonica

The Character of the Bereans

Paul in Athens

Paul’s Address in the Areopagus

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