| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. | 1When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. |
| 2Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, | 2As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, |
| 3explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” | 3explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,” he declared. |
| 4And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas. | 4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women. |
| 5But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. | 5The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people. |
| 6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. | 6But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here, |
| 7Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.” | 7and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!” |
| 8And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. | 8On hearing this, the crowd and city officials were greatly disturbed. |
| 9So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. | 9And they collected bond from Jason and the others, and then released them. |
| 10Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. | 10As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue. |
| 11These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. | 11Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true. |
| 12Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. | 12As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men. |
| 13But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. | 13But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they went there themselves to incite and agitate the crowds. |
| 14Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. | 14The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. |
| 15So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed. | 15Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. |
| 16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. | 16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols. |
| 17Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. | 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day. |
| 18Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. | 18Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. |
| 19And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? | 19So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? |
| 20For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” | 20For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” |
| 21For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. | 21Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas. |
| 22Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; | 22Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. |
| 23for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: | 23For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you. |
| 24God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. | 24The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. |
| 25Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things. | 25Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. |
| 26And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, | 26From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. |
| 27so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; | 27God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. |
| 28for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ | 28‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ |
| 29Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. | 29Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man’s skill and imagination. |
| 30Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, | 30Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent. |
| 31because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.” | 31For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead.” |
| 32And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” | 32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this topic.” |
| 33So Paul departed from among them. | 33At that, Paul left the Areopagus. |
| 34However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. | 34But some joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others who were with them. |
|
