Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to aThessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.Acts 17:11, 13; 20:4; 27:2; Phil 4:16; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1; 2 Tim 4:10 2 And aaccording to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three bSabbaths reasoned with them from cthe Scriptures,Acts 9:20; 17:10, 17Acts 13:14Acts 8:35 3 1explaining and setting before them that the 2Christ ahad to suffer and brise again from the dead, and saying, “cThis Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is that 3Christ.”Lit openingMessiahActs 3:18John 20:9Acts 9:22; 18:5, 28 4 aAnd some of them were persuaded and joined bPaul and Silas, 1along with a great multitude of the cGod-fearing dGreeks and not a few of the eleading women.Lit and a largeActs 14:4Acts 15:22, 40; 17:10, 14fActs 13:43; 17:17John 7:35Acts 13:50 5 But athe Jews, becoming jealous, taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, and forming a mob, set the city in an uproar. And attacking the house of bJason, they were seeking to bring them out to the assembly.Acts 17:13; 1 Thess 2:14ffActs 17:6, 7, 9; Rom 16:21 6 And when they did not find them, they began adragging Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset 1bthe world have come here also;Lit the inhabited earthActs 16:19fMatt 24:14; Acts 17:31 7 1and Jason ahas welcomed them, and they all act bcontrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”Lit whom Jason has welcomedLuke 10:38; James 2:25Luke 23:2 8 And they disturbed the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. 9 And when they had received the bond from aJason and the others, they released them.Acts 17:5
10 aAnd the brothers immediately sent bPaul and Silas away by night to cBerea, 1and when they arrived, they went into dthe synagogue of the Jews.Lit whoActs 1:15; 17:6, 14fActs 17:4Acts 17:13; 20:4Acts 17:1f 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in aThessalonica, 1for they received the word with 2great eagerness, 3examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.Lit who receivedLit allOr inquiring about the ScripturesActs 17:1 12 Therefore amany of them believed, along with not a few bprominent Greek cwomen and men.Acts 2:47Mark 15:43Acts 13:50 13 But when the Jews of aThessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in bBerea also, they came there as well, shaking up and disturbing the crowds.Acts 17:1Acts 17:10; 20:4 14 Then immediately athe brothers sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and bSilas and cTimothy remained there.Acts 1:15; 17:6, 10Acts 15:22; 17:4, 10Acts 16:1 15 Now athose who escorted Paul brought him as far as bAthens; and after receiving a command for cSilas and Timothy to dcome to him as soon as possible, they left.Acts 15:3Acts 17:16, 21f; 18:1; 1 Thess 3:1Acts 17:14Acts 18:5
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them at aAthens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols.Acts 17:15, 21f; 18:1; 1 Thess 3:1 17 So he was reasoning ain the synagogue with the Jews and bthe God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present.Acts 9:20; 17:2Acts 17:4 18 And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were 1conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would athis 2idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was proclaiming the good news of bJesus and the resurrection.Or disputingOne who makes his living by picking up scraps1 Cor 1:20; 4:10Acts 4:2; 17:31f 19 And they atook him and brought him 1to the 2bAreopagus, saying, “May we know what cthis new teaching is 3which you are speaking?Or beforeOr Hill of Ares; Greek god of warLit which is being spoken by youActs 23:19Acts 17:22Mark 1:27 20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. So we want to know what these things mean.” 21 (Now all the Athenians and the strangers avisiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something newer.)Acts 2:10
22 So Paul stood in the midst of the 1Areopagus and said, “Men of aAthens, I observe that you are very breligious in all respects.Or the Council of the AreopagusActs 17:15Acts 25:19 23 For while I was passing through and examining the aobjects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what byou worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.2 Thess 2:4John 4:22 24 aThe God who made the world and all things in it, since He is bLord of heaven and earth, does not cdwell in temples made with hands;Is 42:5; Acts 14:15Deut 10:14; Ps 115:16; Matt 11:251 Kin 8:27; Acts 7:48 25 nor is He served by human hands, aas though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;Job 22:2; Ps 50:10-12 26 and aHe made from one man every nation of mankind to inhabit all the face of the earth, having bdetermined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,Mal 2:10Deut 32:8; Job 12:23 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, athough He is not far from each one of us;Deut 4:7; Jer 23:23f; Acts 14:17 28 for ain Him we live and move and 1exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring.’Lit areJob 12:10; Dan 5:23 29 Being then the offspring of God, we aought not to suppose that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the craft and thought of man.Is 40:18ff; Rom 1:23 30 Therefore having aoverlooked bthe times of ignorance, God is cnow commanding men that everyone everywhere should repent,Acts 14:16; Rom 3:25Acts 17:23Luke 24:47; Acts 26:20; Titus 2:11f 31 because He has fixed aa day in which bHe will judge 1cthe world in righteousness 2through a Man whom He ddetermined, having furnished proof to all 3by eraising Him from the dead.”Lit the inhabited earthOr in; lit byOr when He raisedMatt 10:15Ps 9:8; 96:13; 98:9; John 5:22, 27; Acts 10:42Matt 24:14; Acts 17:6Luke 22:22Acts 2:24
32 Now when they heard about athe resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, “We shall hear you 1again concerning this.”Lit also againActs 17:18, 31 33 In this way, Paul went out of their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the aAreopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.Acts 17:19, 22