Acts 17

1 Now they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And according to his custom Paul went in to them, and for three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 opening them up and setting it out that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that “this Jesus, whom I announce to you, is the Christ.” [a] 4 And some of them were persuaded and were joined to Paul and Silas, and also a great many of the reverent Greeks and not a few of the leading women. [b]

5 But the Jews became jealous, and taking along some wicked men who hung about the marketplace they made a mob and set the city in an uproar; and standing at Jason’s house they were looking to bring them out to the assembly. 6 But not finding them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city rulers, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, [c] 7 and Jason has taken them in. And all of them act against the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus.” 8 And they stirred up the crowd and the city rulers who heard these things, 9 and after taking security from Jason and the rest they released them.

10 And the brothers at once sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were of finer stock than those in Thessalonica: they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures day by day to see whether these things were so. 12 So many of them came to trust, and not a few of the honorable Greek women and of the men.

13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God had been announced by Paul in Berea also, they came there too, shaking and stirring up the crowds. 14 And then the brothers at once sent Paul off to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy stayed on there. 15 And those conducting Paul brought him as far as Athens; and taking a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they left.

16 Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was stung within him as he looked at the city full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the reverent, and in the marketplace every day with whoever happened to be there.

18 And some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were falling in with him, and some were saying, “What might this seed-picker want to say?” And others: “He seems to be an announcer of foreign divinities” — because he was bringing the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. [d] 19 And they took hold of him and led him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that is spoken by you? [f] 20 For you are bringing certain strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.” 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners staying there spent their time on nothing else than telling something or hearing something newer.

22 And Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are in every way rather religious. [g] † 23 For as I was passing through and looking closely at the objects of your reverence, I even found an altar on which it was written, ‘To an unknown god.’ What you reverence without knowing, then — this I announce to you. [h]

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it, this one, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in sanctuaries made by hands, 25 nor is he tended by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one every nation of men, to live over all the face of the earth, marking out appointed times and the boundaries of where they live, [i] 27 to seek God — if perhaps they might feel after him and find him — and yet he is not far from each one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and are, as even some of your own poets have said: ‘For we are also his offspring.’ [j]

29 “So being God’s offspring, we ought not to suppose that what is divine is like gold or silver or stone, an engraving of human craft and imagination. 30 So then, God overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to have a change of mind, [k] 31 because he has set a day on which he is about to judge the inhabited world in righteousness by a man whom he appointed, and he has furnished assurance of it to all by raising him from the dead.” [l]

32 And when they heard of a resurrection of the dead, some sneered, but others said, “We will hear you about this again.” 33 So Paul went out from the middle of them; 34 but some men joined him and came to trust, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. [m]