CHAPTER XV.
PAUL AND HIS COMPANY AT THESSALONICA, BEREA, AND ATHENS.—A.D. 53.
1 17:1AND travelling through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 17:2And according to his custom Paul went in to them, and reasoned with them three sabbaths from the Scriptures, 17:3explaining and asserting that the Christ ought to suffer and to rise from the dead; and that this Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ. 17:4And some of them believed and adhered to Paul and Silas; of the pious Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. 17:5But the unbelieving Jews taking certain base men of those about the markets, and exciting a mob, disturbed the city; and coming to the house of Jason sought to bring them out to the people; 17:6but not finding them, they dragged Jason and some brothers to the rulers of the city, crying, These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, 17:7and Jason has received them; and they all do things contrary to the ordinances of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, Jesus. 17:8And they excited the multitude and the rulers of the city hearing these things, 17:9and taking security of Jason and the rest they let them go.
2 17:10And the brothers immediately, by night, sent away Paul and Silas to Berea; and when they came they went into the synagogue of the Jews; 17:11but these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with all readiness, examining the Scriptures daily [to see] if these things were so. 17:12Many of them therefore believed, both of honorable Grecian women, and of men not a few. 17:13And when the Jews in Thessalonica knew that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there exciting the multitudes.
3 17:14Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away, as if to go by sea; but Silas and Timothy remained there. 17:15And those conducting Paul brought him to Athens, and receiving a charge to Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.
4 17:16And while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was moved within him as he saw the city wholly devoted to idolatry. 17:17Then he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and those that were pious, and in the market every day with those he met. 17:18And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers disputed with him, and some said, What does this trifler mean to say? And others, He seems to be a preacher of strange demons; because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. 17:19And laying hold of him they brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is which is taught by you? 17:20for you bring certain strange things to our ears; we wish therefore to know what these things mean. 17:21And all the Athenians and the strangers living there spend their leisure in nothing else but telling or hearing something new.
5 17:22And Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagus said, Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are extremely devoted to the worship of demons. 17:23For as I passed through, and observed your objects of worship, I found also an altar on which was inscribed, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I declare to you. 17:24The God who made the world and all things in it, this [God] being Lord of heaven and earth dwells not in temples made with hands, 17:25neither is he served by the hands of men as needing any thing, since he gives to all life, and breath, and all things; 17:26and he made of one blood every nation of men to live on all the face of the earth, determining their appointed times and the bounds of their habitation, 17:27that they should seek God, if perhaps they might feel after and find him, and indeed he is not far from every one of us. 17:28For in him we live, and move, and are; as some also of your own poets have said, For we are his offspring. 17:29Being therefore an offspring of God, we ought not to think the Deity to be like gold or silver or stone, a work of art and human device.
6 17:30Overlooking therefore the times of ignorance, God now commands all men everywhere to change their minds, 17:31because he has appointed a day in which he is about to judge the world in righteousness, by the man whom he has appointed, giving assurance to all by raising him from the dead. 17:32But when they heard of a resurrection of the dead, some scoffed; but others said, We will hear you again of this. 17:33So Paul went out from the midst of them; 17:34but certain men adhering to him believed, among whom were Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.