| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. | 1After they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. |
| 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. | 2Paul went to the Jews in the synagogue, as he customarily did, and on three Sabbath days he addressed 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 demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, saying, "This Jesus I am proclaiming 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. | 4Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large group of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent 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 became jealous, and gathering together some worthless men from the rabble in the marketplace, they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. They attacked Jason's house, trying to find Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly. |
| 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. | 6When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, screaming, "These people who have stirred up trouble throughout the world have come here too, |
| 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 welcomed them as guests! They are all acting against Caesar's decrees, saying there is another king named Jesus!" |
| 8The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. | 8They caused confusion among the crowd and the city officials who 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 | 9After the city officials had received bail from Jason and the others, they released them. |
| 10That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. | 10The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea at once, during the night. When they arrived, they went to 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. | 11These Jews were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they eagerly received the message, examining the scriptures carefully every day to see if these things were so. |
| 12As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. | 12Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and 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 heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God in Berea, they came there too, inciting and disturbing the crowds. |
| 14The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. | 14Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. |
| 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 accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. |
| 16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. | 16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was greatly upset because he saw 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 was addressing the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles in the synagogue, and in the marketplace every day 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.” | 18Also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were asking, "What does this foolish babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods." (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about 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. | 19So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? |
| 20“You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” | 20For you are bringing some surprising things to our ears, so we want to know what they 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.) | 21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time in nothing else than telling or listening to 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 stood before the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects. |
| 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 went around and observed closely your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: 'To an unknown god.' Therefore what you worship without knowing it, 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, who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, |
| 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 if he needed anything, because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. |
| 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. | 26From one man he made every nation of the human race to inhabit the entire earth, determining their set times and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, |
| 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. | 27so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is 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 about and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we too are 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. | 29So since we are God's offspring, we should not think the deity is like gold or silver or stone, an image made by human skill and imagination. |
| 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. | 30Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he now 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 set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, having provided proof to everyone 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 about the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, "We will hear you again about this." |
| 33That ended Paul’s discussion with them, | 33So Paul left the Areopagus. |
| 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 people joined him and believed. Among them were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. |
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