Holman Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
1Then they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. | 1Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. |
2As usual, Paul went to the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, | 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. |
3explaining and showing that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead: "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah." | 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.” |
4Then some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a great number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women. | 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. |
5But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some scoundrels from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason's house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly. | 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. |
6When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, | 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. |
7and Jason has received them as guests! They are all acting contrary to Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king--Jesus!" | 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.” |
8The Jews stirred up the crowd and the city officials who heard these things. | 8The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. |
9So taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them. | 9So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them. Paul and Silas in Berea |
10As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea. On arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. | 10That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. |
11The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. | 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. |
12Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men. | 12As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. |
13But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that God's message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing the crowds. | 13But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. |
14Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away to go to the sea, but Silas and Timothy stayed on there. | 14The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. |
15Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed. | 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 |
16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols. | 16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. |
17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. | 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. |
18Then also, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, "What is this pseudo-intellectual trying to say?" Others replied, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities"--because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the Resurrection. | 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.” |
19They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, "May we learn about this new teaching you're speaking of? | 19Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said. |
20For what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these ideas mean." | 20“You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” |
21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new. | 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.) |
22Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. | 22So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, |
23For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. | 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. |
24The God who made the world and everything in it--He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. | 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, |
25Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things. | 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. |
26From one man He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live. | 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. |
27He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. | 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. |
28For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' | 28For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ |
29Being God's offspring then, we shouldn't think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination." | 29And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. |
30Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, | 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. |
31because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead." | 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.” |
32When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him. But others said, "We'd like to hear from you again about this." | 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.” |
33Then Paul left their presence. | 33That ended Paul’s discussion with them, |
34However, some men joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. | 34but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. |
Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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