| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. | 1When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. |
| 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. | 2As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, |
| 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.” | 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. |
| 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. | 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 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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, |
| 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.” | 7and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, named Jesus!” |
| 8The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. | 8On hearing this, the crowd and city officials were greatly disturbed. |
| 9So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them. Paul and Silas in Berea | 9And they collected bond from Jason and the others, and then released them. |
| 10That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. | 10As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 12As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men. | 12As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men. |
| 13But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. | 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. |
| 14The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. | 14The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. |
| 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 | 15Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. |
| 16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. | 16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols. |
| 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. | 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day. |
| 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.” | 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. |
| 19Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said. | 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? |
| 20“You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” | 20For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean.” |
| 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.) | 21Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas. |
| 22So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, | 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 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. | 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. |
| 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, | 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. |
| 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. | 25Nor is He served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are 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.’ |
| 29And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. | 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. |
| 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. | 30Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent. |
| 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.” | 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.” |
| 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.” | 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.” |
| 33That ended Paul’s discussion with them, | 33At that, Paul left the Areopagus. |
| 34but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, 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. |
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