New Living Translation

English Standard Version

1Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

1Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

2As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people.

2And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

3He explained the prophecies and proved that the Messiah must suffer and rise from the dead. He said, “This Jesus I’m telling you about is the Messiah.”

3explaining 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.”

4Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women.

4And 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.

5But some of the Jews were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd.

5But the Jews were jealous, and taking 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.

6Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers instead and took them before the city council. “Paul and Silas have caused trouble all over the world,” they shouted, “and now they are here disturbing our city, too.

6And when they could not find them, 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,

7And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”

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

8The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports.

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

9So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them. Paul and Silas in Berea

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

10That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

10The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.

11And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.

11Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

12As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.

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

13But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble.

13But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.

14The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind.

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

15Those escorting Paul went with him all the way to Athens; then they returned to Berea with instructions for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him. Paul Preaches in Athens

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

16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.

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

17He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.

17So 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.

18He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”

18Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.

19Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said.

19And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

20“You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.”

20For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.”

21(It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.)

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

22So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way,

22So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

23for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.

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

24“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples,

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

25and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.

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

26From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

26And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

27“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.

27that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,

28For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

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

29And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

29Being then God’s offspring, 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“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.

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

31For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

31because 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 by raising him from the dead.”

32When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more about this later.”

32Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”

33That ended Paul’s discussion with them,

33So Paul went out from their midst.

34but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

34But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.