Good News Translation GNT
World English Bible WEB
1 Paul and Silas traveled on through Amphipolis and Apollonia and 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 there was a synagogue of the Jews.
2 According to his usual habit Paul went to the synagogue. There during three Sabbaths he held discussions with the people, quoting
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Paul, as was his custom, went in to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
3 and explaining the Scriptures, and proving from them that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from death. "This Jesus whom I announce to you," Paul said, "is the Messiah."
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explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer, and to rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ."
4 Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas; so did many of the leading women and a large group of Greeks who worshiped God.
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Some of them were persuaded, and joined Paul and Silas, of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women.
5 But some Jews were jealous and gathered worthless loafers from the streets and formed a mob. They set the whole city in an uproar and attacked the home of a man named Jason, in an attempt to find Paul and Silas and bring them out to the people.
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But the disobedient Jews gathered some wicked men from the marketplace, and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them forth to the people.
6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city authorities and shouted, "These men have caused trouble everywhere! Now they have come to our city,
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When they didn't find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the rulers of the city, crying, "These who have turned the world upside down have come here also,
7 and Jason has kept them in his house. They are all breaking the laws of the Emperor, saying that there is another king, whose name is Jesus."
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whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!"
8 With these words they threw the crowd and the city authorities in an uproar.
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The multitude and the rulers of the city were troubled when they heard these things.
9 The authorities made Jason and the others pay the required amount of money to be released, and then let them go.
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When they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10 As soon as night came, the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived, they went to the synagogue.
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The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea. When they arrived, they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11 The people there were more open-minded than the people in Thessalonica. They listened to the message with great eagerness, and every day they studied the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was really true.
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Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.
12 Many of them believed; and many Greek women of high social standing and many Greek men also believed.
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Many of them therefore believed; also of the Greek women of honorable estate, and not a few men.
13 But when the Jews in Thessalonica heard that Paul had preached the word of God in Berea also, they came there and started exciting and stirring up the mobs.
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But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes.
14 At once the believers sent Paul away to the coast; but both Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea.
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Then the brothers immediately sent forth Paul to go as far as to the sea, and Silas and Timothy still stayed there.
15 The men who were taking Paul went with him as far as Athens and then returned to Berea with instructions from Paul that Silas and Timothy should join him as soon as possible.
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But those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens. Receiving a commandment to Silas and Timothy that they should come to him with all speed, they departed.
16 While Paul was waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy, he was greatly upset when he noticed how full of idols the city was.
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Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw the city full of idols.
17 So he held discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentiles who worshiped God, and also in the public square every day with the people who happened to come by.
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So he reasoned in the synagogue with Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who met him.
18 Certain Epicurean and Stoic teachers also debated with him. Some of them asked, "What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?" Others answered, "He seems to be talking about foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection.
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Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also encountered him. Some said, "What does this babbler want to say?" Others said, "He seems to be advocating foreign demons," because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
19 So they took Paul, brought him before the city council, the Areopagus, and said, "We would like to know what this new teaching is that you are talking about.
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They took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you?
20 Some of the things we hear you say sound strange to us, and we would like to know what they mean.
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For you bring certain strange things to our ears. We want to know therefore what these things mean."
21 (For all the citizens of Athens and the foreigners who lived there liked to spend all their time telling and hearing the latest new thing.)
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Now all the Athenians and the strangers living there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
22 Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, "I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious.
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Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, "You men of Athens, I perceive that you are very religious in all things.
23 For as I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which is written, "To an Unknown God.' That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you.
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For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: 'TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.' What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.
24 God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands.
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The God who made the world and all things in it, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands,
25 Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone.
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neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives to all life and breath, and all things.
26 From one human being he created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live.
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He made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the surface of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation,
27 He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any one of us;
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that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
28 as someone has said, "In him we live and move and exist.' It is as some of your poets have said, "We too are his children.'
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'For in him we live, and move, and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.'
29 Since we are God's children, we should not suppose that his nature is anything like an image of gold or silver or stone, shaped by human art and skill.
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Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold, or silver, or stone, engraved by art and device of man.
30 God has overlooked the times when people did not know him, but now he commands all of them everywhere to turn away from their evil ways.
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The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all men everywhere should repent,
31 For he has fixed a day in which he will judge the whole world with justice by means of a man he has chosen. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising that man from death!"
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because he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained; whereof he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead."
32 When they heard Paul speak about a raising from death, some of them made fun of him, but others said, "We want to hear you speak about this again."
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Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, "We want to hear you yet again concerning this."
33 And so Paul left the meeting.
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Thus Paul went out from among them.
34 Some men joined him and believed, among whom was Dionysius, a member of the council; there was also a woman named Damaris, and some other people.
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But certain men joined with him, and believed, among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
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