English Standard Version ESV
The Darby Translation DBY
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
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And having journeyed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was the synagogue of the Jews.
2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
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And according to Paul's custom he went in among them, and on three sabbaths reasoned with them from the scriptures,
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. ”
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opening and laying down that the Christ must have suffered and risen up from among the dead, and that this is the Christ, Jesus whom *I* announce to you.
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.
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And some of them believed, and joined themselves to Paul and Silas, and of the Greeks who worshipped, a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
5 But 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.
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But the Jews having been stirred up to jealousy, and taken to [themselves] certain wicked men of the lowest rabble, and having got a crowd together, set the city in confusion; and having beset the house of Jason sought to bring them out to the people;
6 And 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,
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and not having found them, dragged Jason and certain brethren before the politarchs, crying out, These [men] that have set the world in tumult, are come here also,
7 and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus. ”
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whom Jason has received; and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying, that there is another king, Jesus.
8 And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things.
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And they troubled the crowd and the politarchs when they heard these things.
9 And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
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And having taken security of Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.
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But the brethren immediately sent away, in the night, Paul and Silas to Berea; who, being arrived, went away into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 Now 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.
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And these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, receiving the word with all readiness of mind, daily searching the scriptures if these things were so.
12 Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.
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Therefore many from among them believed, and of Grecian women of the upper classes and men not a few.
13 But 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.
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But when the Jews from Thessalonica knew that the word of God was announced in Berea also by Paul, they came there also, stirring up the crowds.
14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there.
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And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as to the sea; but Silas and Timotheus abode there.
15 Those 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.
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But they that conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and, having received a commandment to Silas and Timotheus, that they should come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.
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.
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But in Athens, while Paul was waiting for them, his spirit was painfully excited in him seeing the city given up to idolatry.
17 So 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.
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He reasoned therefore in the synagogue with the Jews, and those who worshipped, and in the market-place every day with those he met with.
18 Some 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.
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But some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers attacked him. And some said, What would this chatterer say? and some, He seems to be an announcer of foreign demons, because he announced the glad tidings of Jesus and the resurrection [to them].
19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
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And having taken hold on him they brought [him] to Areopagus, saying, Might we know what this new doctrine which is spoken by thee [is]?
20 For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean. ”
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For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears. We wish therefore to know what these things may mean.
21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
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Now all [the] Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else than to tell and to hear the news.
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
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And Paul standing in the midst of Areopagus said, Athenians, in every way I see you given up to demon worship;
23 For 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.
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for, passing through and beholding your shrines, I found also an altar on which was inscribed, To the unknown God. Whom therefore ye reverence, not knowing [him], him I announce to you.
24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
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The God who has made the world and all things which are in it, *he*, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands,
25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
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nor is served by men's hands as needing something, himself giving to all life and breath and all things;
26 And 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,
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and has made of one blood every nation of men to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, having determined ordained times and the boundaries of their dwelling,
27 that 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,
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that they may seek God; if indeed they might feel after him and find him, although he is not far from each one of us:
28 for “‘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. ’
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for in him we live and move and exist; as also some of the poets amongst you have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 Being 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.
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Being therefore [the] offspring of God, we ought not to think that which is divine to be like gold or silver or stone, [the] graven form of man's art and imagination.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
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God therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, now enjoins men that they shall all everywhere repent,
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 by raising him from the dead. ”
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because he has set a day in which he is going to judge the habitable earth in righteousness by [the] man whom he has appointed, giving the proof [of it] to all [in] having raised him from among [the] dead.
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this. ”
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And when they heard [of the] resurrection of the dead, some mocked, and some said, We will hear thee again also concerning this.
33 So Paul went out from their midst.
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Thus Paul went out of their midst.
34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.
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But some men joining themselves to him believed; among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman by name Damaris, and others with them.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.