1 A fter Paul and Silas had gone through the cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to the city of Thessalonica. The Jews had a place of worship there.

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.

2 P aul went in as he always did. They gathered together each Day of Rest for three weeks and he taught them from the Holy Writings.

Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

3 H e showed them that Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. He said, “I preach this Jesus to you. He is the Christ.”

explaining 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.”

4 S ome of them put their trust in Christ and followed Paul and Silas. There were many Greek people and some leading women who honored God among those who had become Christians. The Jews Make It Hard for Paul and Silas

And 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. Assault on Jason’s House

5 T he Jews who did not put their trust in Christ became jealous. They took along some sinful men from the center of town where people gather and brought them out on the street. These angry men started all the people in the city to cry out with loud voices. They went to the house of Jason hoping to find Paul and Silas there and bring them out to the people.

But 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.

6 B ut they did not find them there. Then they dragged Jason and some other Christians out in front of the leaders and cried out, “These men who have been making trouble over all the world have come here also.

But 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.

7 A nd Jason has taken them in. They say there is another King called Jesus. They are working against the laws made by Caesar.”

Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.”

8 W hen the people and city leaders heard this, they were troubled.

And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.

9 T hen they made Jason and the others pay some money and let them go. Paul and Silas Go to Berea

So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go. Ministering at Berea

10 A t once the Christians sent Paul and Silas away at night to the city of Berea. When they got there, they went to the Jewish place of worship.

Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.

11 T hese Jews were more willing to understand than those in the city of Thessalonica. They were very glad to hear the Word of God, and they looked into the Holy Writings to see if those things were true.

These 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.

12 M any of them became Christians. Some of them were respected Greek women and men.

Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.

13 T he Jews of Thessalonica heard that Paul was preaching the Word of God in Berea. They went there and worked against the missionaries by talking to the people.

But 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.

14 A t once the Christians sent Paul away to the sea-shore. But Silas and Timothy stayed there. Paul Preaches on Mars’ Hill in Athens

Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there.

15 T hose who took Paul brought him to the city of Athens. Paul sent word with them that Silas and Timothy should come to him as soon as they could. Then they left.

So 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. The Philosophers at Athens

16 W hile Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens, his spirit was troubled as he saw the whole city worshiping false gods.

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.

17 H e talked to the Jews and other people who were worshiping in the Jewish place of worship. Every day he talked with people who gathered in the center of town.

Therefore 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.

18 S ome men from two different groups were arguing with Paul. The one group thought that men might as well get all the fun out of life that they can. The other group thought that wisdom alone makes men happy. Some of them said, “This man has lots of little things to talk about. They are not important. What is he trying to say?” Others said, “He preaches about strange gods.” It was because he preached of Jesus and of His being raised from the dead.

Then 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.

19 T hen they took him to Mars’ Hill and said, “We want to hear of this new teaching of yours.

And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?

20 S ome of the things you are telling us are strange to our ears. We want to know what these things mean.”

For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”

21 T he people of Athens and those visiting from far countries used all their time in talking or hearing some new thing.

For 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. Addressing the Areopagus

22 T hen Paul stood up on Mars’ Hill and said, “Men of Athens, I see how very religious you are in every way.

Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;

23 A s I was walking around and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar where you worship with the words written on it, TO THE GOD WHO IS NOT KNOWN. You are worshiping Him without knowing Him. He is the One I will tell you about.

for 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:

24 “ The God Who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. He does not live in buildings made by hands.

“God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.

25 N o one needs to care for Him as if He needed anything. He is the One who gives life and breath and everything to everyone.

Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.

26 H e made from one blood all nations who live on the earth. He set the times and places where they should live.

And 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,

27 “ They were to look for God. Then they might feel after Him and find Him because He is not far from each one of us.

so 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;

28 I t is in Him that we live and move and keep on living. Some of your own men have written, ‘We are God’s children.’

for 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.’

29 I f we are God’s children, we should not think of Him as being like gold or silver or stone. Such gods made of gold or silver or stone are planned by men and are made by them.

Therefore, 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.

30 “ God did not remember these times when people did not know better. But now He tells all men everywhere to be sorry for their sins and to turn from them.

Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,

31 H e has set a day when He will say in the right way if the people of the world are guilty. This will be done by Jesus Christ, the One He has chosen. God has proven this to all men by raising Jesus Christ from the dead.”

because 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.”

32 S ome people laughed and made fun when they heard Paul speak of Christ being raised from the dead. Others said, “We want to listen to you again about this.”

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter. ”

33 S o Paul went away from the people.

So Paul departed from among them.

34 S ome people followed him and became Christians. One was Dionysius, a leader in the city. A woman named Damaris believed. And there were others also.

However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.