Acts 17:1–18:18
Preaching Christ at Thessalonica
17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to aThessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, bwent in to them, and for three Sabbaths creasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating dthat the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4 eAnd some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and fSilas.
5 But the Jews 1who were not persuaded, 2becoming genvious, 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 hJason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, i“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 7 Jason has 3harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, jsaying there is another king—Jesus.” 8 And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. 9 So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10 Then kthe brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more 4fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and lsearched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. 13 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 mThen immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and nreceiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.
16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, ohis spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was 5given over to idols. 17 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 6Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this 7babbler want to say?”
Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them pJesus and the resurrection.
19 And they took him and brought him to the 8Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? 20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” 21 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.
22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the 9Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 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 qGod, who made the world and everything in it, since He is rLord of heaven and earth, sdoes not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He tgives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one 1blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and uthe boundaries of their dwellings, 27 vso that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, wthough He is not far from each one of us; 28 for xin Him we live and move and have our being, yas also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, zwe ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, athese times of ignorance God overlooked, but bnow commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which cHe will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by draising Him from the dead.”
32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
18 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a certain Jew named aAquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. 3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them band worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers. 4 cAnd he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.
5 dWhen Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was ecompelled 1by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. 6 But fwhen they opposed him and blasphemed, ghe shook his garments and said to them, h“Your blood be upon your own heads; iI am clean. jFrom now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named 2Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 kThen Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.
9 Now lthe Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 mfor I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the 3judgment seat, 13 saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”
14 And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. 15 But if it is a nquestion of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” 16 And he drove them from the judgment seat. 17 Then 4all the Greeks took oSosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.
18 So Paul still remained 5a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. pHe had his hair cut off at qCenchrea, for he had taken a vow.