Acts 17 NLT ISV Parallel

◄ Acts 17 ►

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1Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

1Paul and Silas traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and 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 usual, Paul entered there and on three Sabbaths discussed the Scriptures with them.

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.”

3He explained and showed them that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead: "This very Jesus whom I proclaim to you is the Messiah."

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 them were persuaded and began to be associated with Paul and Silas, especially a large crowd of devout Greeks and the wives of many prominent men.

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.

5But the Jewish leaders became jealous, and they took some contemptible characters who used to hang out in the public square, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. They attacked Jason's home and searched it for Paul and Silas in order 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.

6When they didn't find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials and shouted, "These fellows who have turned the world upside down have come here, too,

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 as his guests. All of them oppose the emperor's decrees by saying that there is another king—Jesus!"

8The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports.

8The crowd and the city officials were upset when they heard this,

9So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them. Paul and Silas in Berea

9but after they had gotten a bond from Jason and the others, they let them go.

10That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

10That night the brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. When they arrived, 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.

11These people were more receptive than those in Thessalonica. They were very willing to receive the message, and every day they carefully examined the Scriptures to see if those things were so.

12As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.

12Many of them believed, including a large number of 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 Jewish leaders in Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul also in Berea, they went there to upset and incite the crowds.

14The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind.

14Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed there.

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

15The men who escorted Paul took him all the way to Athens and, after receiving instructions to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible, they left.

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, his spirit was deeply disturbed to see the city 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 began holding discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and other worshipers, as well as every day in the public square with anyone who happened to be there.

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 debated with him. Some asked, "What is this blabbermouth trying to say?" while others said, "He seems to be preaching about foreign gods." This was because Paul was telling the good news about 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.

19Then they took him, brought him before the Areopagus, and asked, "May we know what this new teaching of yours is?

20“You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.”

20It sounds rather strange to our ears, and we would like to know what it means."

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 the foreigners living there used to spend their time doing nothing else other than listening to the latest ideas or repeating them.

22So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way,

22So Paul stood up in front of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in every way.

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 was walking around and looking closely at the objects you worship, I even found an altar with this written on it: 'To an unknown god.' So I am telling you about the unknown object you worship.

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. He doesn't live in shrines 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.

25and he isn't served by people as if he needed anything. He himself gives everyone life, 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 humanity to live all over the earth, fixing the seasons of the year and the national boundaries within which they live,

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.

27so that they might look for God, somehow reach for him, and find him. Of course, he is never far from any one of us.

28For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

28For we live, move, and exist because of him, as some of your own poets have said: '…Since we are his children, too.'

29And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

29So if we are God's children, we shouldn't think that the divine being is like gold, silver, or stone, or is an image carved by humans using their own imagination and skill.

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.

30Though God has overlooked those times of ignorance, he now commands everyone 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.”

31because he has set a day when he is going to judge the world with justice through a man whom 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 a resurrection of the dead, some began joking about it, while others said, "We will hear you again about this."

33That ended Paul’s discussion with them,

33And so Paul left the meeting.

34but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

34Some men joined him and became believers. With them were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, a woman named Damaris, and some others along with them.

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