Acts 17:3-25
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 17
3explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and saying, 'This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.' 4And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a significant number of the leading women. 5But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and they attacked the house of Jason and were seeking to bring them out to the people. 6When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting, 'These men who have upset the world have come here also; 7and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.' 8They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. 9And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them.
10The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11Now these people were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.
12Therefore, many of them believed, along with a significant number of prominent Greek women and men.
13But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds.
14Then immediately the brothers sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there.
15Now those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left.
16Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols.
17So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present.
18And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers as well were conversing with him. Some were saying, 'What could this scavenger of tidbits want to say?' Others, 'He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,'—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
19And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, 'May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming?
20For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.'
21(Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)
22So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, 'Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects.
23For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘to an unknown god.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.
24The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by hands;
25nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;
King James Version
Chapter 17
3Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. 4And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. 5But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. 8And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. 9And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
10And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
12Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
13But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.
14And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.
15And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.
17Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
18Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.
20For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
21For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.
23For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 17
3explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead: "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah." 4Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a large number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women.
5But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason’s house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.
6When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too,
7and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king—Jesus."
8The crowd and city officials who heard these things were upset.
9After taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.
10As soon as it was night, the brothers and sisters sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. Upon arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11The people here were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, since they received the word with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
12Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men.
13But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and upsetting the crowds.
14Then the brothers and sisters immediately sent Paul away to go to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed on there.
15Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.
16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed when he saw that the city was full of idols.
17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God, as well as in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
19They took him and brought him to the Areopagus, and said, "May we learn about this new teaching you are presenting?
20Because what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these things mean."
21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.
22Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: "People of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect.
23For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.
24The God who made the world and everything in it —he is Lord of heaven and earth —does not live in shrines made by hands.
25Neither is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.
New Living Translation
Chapter 17
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.' 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.
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.
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.
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.'
8The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports.
9So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.
10That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to 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.
12As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the 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.
14The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind.
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.
16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.
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.
19Then they took him to the high council of the city. 'Come and tell us about this new teaching,' they said.
20You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.'
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.)
22So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: 'Men of Athens, I notice 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.
English Standard Version
Chapter 17
3explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ." 4And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. 5But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. 6And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 7and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." 8And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things. 9And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.
11Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
12Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.
13But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.
14Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there.
15Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.
16Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.
17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
18Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities" — because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
19And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
20For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean."
21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
22So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
23For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
24The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
25nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.
New International Version
Chapter 17
3explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah," he said. 4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.
6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,
7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus."
8When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.
9Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
10As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
11Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
12As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
13But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.
14The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.
15Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
17So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
18A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
19Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?
20You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean."
21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.
23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
New King James Version
Chapter 17
3explaining 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.” 4And 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.
5But 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.
6But 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.
7Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king—Jesus.”
8And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things.
9So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11These 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.
12Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men.
13But 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.
14Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there.
15So 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.
16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols.
17Therefore 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.
19And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak?
20For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”
21For 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.
23for 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“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.
25Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
