Acts, 17

1. Passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they eventually reached Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

1. Now when they had passed through Amphip'olis and Apollo'nia, they came to Thessaloni'ca, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

2. Paul as usual went in and for three consecutive Sabbaths developed the arguments from scripture for them,

2. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and for three weeks he argued with them from the scriptures,

3. explaining and proving how it was ordained that the Christ should suffer and rise from the dead. 'And the Christ', he said, 'is this Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.'

3. explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."

4. Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas, and so did a great many godfearing people and Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women.

4. And some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas; as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women.

5. The Jews, full of resentment, enlisted the help of a gang from the market place, stirred up a crowd, and soon had the whole city in an uproar. They made for Jason's house, hoping to bring them before the People's Assembly;

5. But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked fellows of the rabble, they gathered a crowd, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the people.

6. however, they found only Jason and some of the brothers, and these they dragged before the city council, shouting, 'The people who have been turning the whole world upside down have come here now;

6. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brethren before the city authorities, crying, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also,

7. they have been staying at Jason's. They have broken Caesar's edicts by claiming that there is another king, Jesus.'

7. and Jason has received them; and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."

8. Hearing this, the citizens and the city councillors were alarmed,

8. And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard this.

9. and they made Jason and the rest give security before setting them free.

9. And when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

10. When it was dark the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away to Beroea, where they went to the Jewish synagogue as soon as they arrived.

10. The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroe'a; and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.

11. Here the Jews were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they welcomed the word very readily; every day they studied the scriptures to check whether it was true.

11. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessaloni'ca, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

12. Many of them became believers, and so did many Greek women of high standing and a number of the men.

12. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.

13. When the Jews of Thessalonica came to learn that the word of God was being preached by Paul in Beroea as well, they went there to make trouble and stir up the people.

13. But when the Jews of Thessaloni'ca learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroe'a also, they came there too, stirring up and inciting the crowds.

14. So the brothers arranged for Paul to go immediately as far as the coast, leaving Silas and Timothy behind.

14. Then the brethren immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there.

15. Paul's escort took him as far as Athens, and went back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin Paul as soon as they could.

15. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.

16. Paul waited for them in Athens and there his whole soul was revolted at the sight of a city given over to idolatry.

16. Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.

17. In the synagogue he debated with the Jews and the godfearing, and in the market place he debated every day with anyone whom he met.

17. So he argued in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the market place every day with those who chanced to be there.

18. Even a few Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, 'What can this parrot mean?' And, because he was preaching about Jesus and Resurrection, others said, 'He seems to be a propagandist for some outlandish gods.'

18. Some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers met him. And some said, "What would this babbler say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities" -- because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.

19. They got him to accompany them to the Areopagus, where they said to him, 'Can we know what this new doctrine is that you are teaching?

19. And they took hold of him and brought him to the Are-op'agus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you present?

20. Some of the things you say seemed startling to us and we would like to find out what they mean.'

20. For you bring some strange things to our ears; we wish to know therefore what these things mean."

21. The one amusement the Athenians and the foreigners living there seem to have is to discuss and listen to the latest ideas.

21. Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

22. So Paul stood before the whole council of the Areopagus and made this speech: 'Men of Athens, I have seen for myself how extremely scrupulous you are in all religious matters,

22. So Paul, standing in the middle of the Are-op'agus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

23. because, as I strolled round looking at your sacred monuments, I noticed among other things an altar inscribed: To An Unknown God. In fact, the unknown God you revere is the one I proclaim to you.

23. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, `To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

24. 'Since the God who made the world and everything in it is himself Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands.

24. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man,

25. Nor is he in need of anything, that he should be served by human hands; on the contrary, it is he who gives everything -- including life and breath -- to everyone.

25. nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.

26. From one single principle he not only created the whole human race so that they could occupy the entire earth, but he decreed the times and limits of their habitation.

26. And he made from one every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation,

27. And he did this so that they might seek the deity and, by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him; and indeed he is not far from any of us,

27. that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us,

28. since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said: We are all his children.

28. for `In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your poets have said, `For we are indeed his offspring.'

29. 'Since we are the children of God, we have no excuse for thinking that the deity looks like anything in gold, silver or stone that has been carved and designed by a man.

29. Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man.

30. 'But now, overlooking the times of ignorance, God is telling everyone everywhere that they must repent,

30. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent,

31. because he has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged in uprightness by a man he has appointed. And God has publicly proved this by raising him from the dead.'

31. because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from the dead."

32. At this mention of rising from the dead, some of them burst out laughing; others said, 'We would like to hear you talk about this another time.'

32. Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, "We will hear you again about this."

33. After that Paul left them,

33. So Paul went out from among them.

34. but there were some who attached themselves to him and became believers, among them Dionysius the Aeropagite and a woman called Damaris, and others besides.

34. But some men joined him and believed, among them Dionys'ius the Are-op'agite and a woman named Dam'aris and others with them.