Acts 17

Paul Preaches in Thessalonica

17Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.G1161G1353G295G2532G624G2064G1519G2332G3699G2258G4864G24532As was Paul's custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people.G1161G3972G2596G1486G1525G4314G846G2532G1909G5140G4521G1256G846G575G11243He 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."G1272G2532G3908G3754G5547G1163G3958G2532G450G1537G3498G2532G3754G3778G2424G3739G1473G2605G5213G2076G55474Some 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

.G2532G5100G1537G846G3982G2532G4345G3972G2532G4609G5037G4576G1672G4183G4128G5037G4413G1135G3756G36415But 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

.G1161G2453G544G2206G2532G4355G5100G4190G435G60G2532G3792G2350G4172G2350G5037G2186G3614G2394G2212G71G846G1519G12186Not 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.G1161G2147G846G3361G4951G2394G2532G5100G80G1909G4173G994G3754G3778G387G3625G387G3918G1759G25327And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus."G3739G2394G5264G2532G3778G3956G4238G561G1378G2541G3004G1511G2087G935G24248The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports.G1161G5015G3793G2532G4173G191G50239So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.G2532G2983G2425G3844G2394G2532G3062G630G846G630

Paul and Silas in Berea

10That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.G1161G80G2112G1599G5037G3972G2532G4609G1223G3571G1519G960G3748G3854G549G1519G4864G245311And 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.G1161G3778G2258G2104G1722G2332G3748G1209G3056G3326G3956G4288G350G1124G2250G2596G1487G5023G2192G377912As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.G3767G3303G4183G1537G846G4100G2532G2158G1135G3588G1674G2532G435G3756G364113But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble.G1161G5613G2453G575G2332G1097G3754G2532G3056G2316G2605G5259G3972G1722G960G2064G2546G4531G379314The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind.G1161G5119G2112G80G1821G3972G4198G5613G1909G2281G1161G5037G4609G2532G5095G5278G1563G527815Those 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.G1161G2525G3972G71G846G2193G116G2532G2983G1785G4314G4609G2532G5095G2443G2064G4314G846G5613G5033G1826

Paul Preaches in Athens

16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.G1161G3972G1551G846G1722G116G846G4151G3947G1722G846G2334G4172G5607G271217He 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.G3767G3303G1256G1722G4864G2453G2532G4576G2532G1722G58G2596G3956G2250G4314G390918He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, "What's this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he's picked up?" Others said, "He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods."G1161G5100G5386G1946G2532G4770G4820G846G2532G5100G3004G5101G302G2309G3778G4691G3004G1161G1380G1511G2604G3581G1140G3754G2097G846G2424G2532G38619Then they took him to the high council of the city

. "Come and tell us about this new teaching," they said.G5037G1949G846G71G1909G697G3004G1410G1097G5101G3778G2537G1322G5259G4675G298020"You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it's all about."G1063G1533G5100G3579G1519G2257G189G1014G1097G3767G5101G5023G302G2309G151121(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.)G1161G3956G117G2532G3581G3588G1927G2119G1519G3762G2087G2228G3004G2532G191G5100G253722So Paul, standing before the council

, addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way,G1161G3972G2476G1722G3319G697G5346G435G117G2334G5613G2596G3956G5209G117423for 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.G1063G1330G2532G333G5216G4574G2532G2147G1041G1722G3739G1924G57G2316G3739G3767G50G2151G5126G2605G1473G521324"He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples,G2316G4160G2889G2532G3956G1722G846G3778G5225G2962G3772G2532G1093G2730G3756G1722G3485G549925and human hands can't serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need.G3761G2323G5259G444G5495G4326G5100G846G1325G3956G2222G2532G4157G2596G395626From one man

he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.G5037G4160G1537G1520G129G3956G1484G444G2730G1909G3956G4383G1093G3724G2540G4384G2532G3734G846G273327"His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.G2212G2962G1487G686G5584G846G2532G2147G2544G5225G3756G3112G575G1538G1520G225728For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your

own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'G1063G1722G846G2198G2532G2795G2532G2070G5613G5100G2532G5209G2596G4163G2046G1063G2070G2532G5120G108529And since this is true, we shouldn't think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.G3767G5225G1085G2316G3784G3756G3543G2304G1511G3664G5557G2228G696G2228G3037G5480G5078G2532G444G176130"God overlooked people's ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.G3303G3767G5550G52G2316G5237G3569G3853G3956G444G3837G334031For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead."G1360G2476G2250G1722G3739G3195G2919G3625G1722G1343G1722G435G3739G3724G3930G4102G3956G450G846G1537G349832When they heard Paul speak about the resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, "We want to hear more about this later."G1161G191G386G3498G3303G5512G1161G2036G191G4675G3825G4012G512733That ended Paul's discussion with them,G2532G3779G3972G1831G1537G3319G84634but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council

, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.G1161G5100G435G2853G846G4100G1722G3739G2532G1354G698G2532G1135G3686G1152G2532G2087G4862G846