The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
King James Version KJV
1 After passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Sha'ul and Sila came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue.
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Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
2 According to his usual practice, Sha'ul went in; and on three Shabbats he gave them drashes from the Tanakh,
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And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and that "this Yeshua whom I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah."
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Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and threw in their lot with Sha'ul and Sila, as did a great many of the Greek men who were "God-fearers," and not a few of the leading women.
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And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
5 But the unbelieving Jews grew jealous; so they got together some vicious men from the riffraff hanging around in the market square, collected a crowd and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason's house, hoping to bring Sha'ul and Sila out to the mob.
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But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
6 But when they didn't find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city authorities and shouted, "These men who have turned the whole world upside down have come here too!
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And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
7 And Jason has let them stay in his home! All of them are defying the decrees of the Emperor; because they assert that there is another king, Yeshua!"
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Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
8 Their words threw the crowd and the authorities into a turmoil,
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And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.
9 so that only after Jason and the others had posted bond did they let them go.
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And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
10 But as soon as night fell, the brothers sent Sha'ul and Sila off to Berea. As soon as they arrived, they went to the synagogue.
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And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 Now the people here were of nobler character than the ones in Thessalonica; they eagerly welcomed the message, checking the Tanakh every day to see if the things Sha'ul was saying were true.
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These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
12 Many of them came to trust, as did a number of prominent Greek women and not a few Greek men.
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Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
13 But when the unbelieving Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God had been proclaimed by Sha'ul in Berea as well, they went there too to make trouble and agitate the crowds.
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But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.
14 The brothers sent Sha'ul away at once to go down to the seacoast, while Sila and Timothy stayed behind.
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And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.
15 Sha'ul's escort went with him as far as Athens, then left with instructions for Sila and Timothy to come as quickly as they could.
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And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.
16 While Sha'ul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit within him was disturbed at the sight of the city full of idols.
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Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
17 So he began holding discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and the "God-fearers," and in the market square every day with the people who happened to be there.
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Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
18 Also a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers started meeting with him. Some asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others, because he proclaimed the Good News about Yeshua and the resurrection, said, "He sounds like a propagandist for foreign gods."
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Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
19 They took and brought him before the High Council, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
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And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
20 Some of the things we are hearing from you strike us as strange, and we would like to know what they mean."
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For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners living there used to spend their spare time talking or hearing about the latest intellectual fads.)
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(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
22 Sha'ul stood up in the Council meeting and said, "Men of Athens: I see how very religious you are in every way!
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Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
23 For as I was walking around, looking at your shrines, I even found an altar which had been inscribed, 'To An Unknown God.' So, the one whom you are already worshipping in ignorance-this is the one I proclaim to you.
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For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
24 "The God who made the universe and everything in it, and who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in man-made temples;
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God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he lacked something; since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything to everyone.
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Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 "From one man he made every nation living on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the limits of their territories and the periods when they would flourish.
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And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 God did this so that people would look for him and perhaps reach out and find him although in fact, he is not far from each one of us,
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That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
28 'for in him we live and move and exist.' Indeed, as some of the poets among you have said, 'We are actually his children.'
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For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 So, since we are children of God, we shouldn't suppose that God's essence resembles gold, silver or stone shaped by human technique and imagination.
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Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
30 "In the past, God overlooked such ignorance; but now he is commanding all people everywhere to turn to him from their sins.
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And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 For he has set a Day when he will judge the inhabited world, and do it justly, by means of a man whom he has designated. And he has given public proof of it by resurrecting this man from the dead."
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Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
32 At the mention of a resurrection of dead people, some began to scoff; while others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."
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And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
33 So Sha'ul left the meeting.
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So Paul departed from among them.
34 But some men stayed with him and came to trust, including the High Council member Dionysius; there was also a woman named Damaris; and others came to trust along with them.
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Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The King James Version is in the public domain.