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Chapter 17 |
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1 | Now when they had passed through
Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of
the Jews: |
| 2
| And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three
sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, |
| 3 | Opening 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. |
| 4 | And 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. |
| 5 | But 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.
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| 6 | And 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; |
| 7 | Whom Jason hath received: and these all do
contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one
Jesus. |
| 8 |
And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when
they heard these things. |
| 9 | And when they had taken security of Jason,
and of the other, they let them go. |
| 10 | And the brethren immediately
sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the
synagogue of the Jews. |
| 11 | These 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. |
| 12 |
Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks,
and of men, not a few. |
| 13 | But 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. |
| 14 | And then immediately the
brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus
abode there still. |
| 15 | And 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. |
| 16 | Now while Paul waited for
them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly
given to idolatry. |
| 17 | Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with
the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that
met with him. |
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18 | Then 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. |
| 19 | And they took him, and
brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof
thou speakest, is? |
| 20 | For thou bringest certain strange things to
our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. |
| 21 | (For all
the Athenians and strangers which 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 Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that
in all things ye are too superstitious. |
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23 | For 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. |
| 24 |
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of
heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; |
| 25 | Neither
is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth
to all life, and breath, and all things; |
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26 | And hath made of one blood
all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath
determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation; |
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27 | That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might
feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
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| 28 | For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of
your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. |
| 29 |
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the
Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's
device. |
| 30
| And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
commandeth all men every where to repent: |
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31 | Because he hath appointed
a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom
he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath
raised him from the dead. |
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32 | And when they heard of the
resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again
of this matter. |
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33 | So Paul departed from among them. |
| 34 |
Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius
the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. |
