Now when they had journeyed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was the synagogue of the Jews.
And Paul, as his custom was, went in among them, and on three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the scriptures;
opening and alleging that the Christ must suffer, and rise again from [the] dead, and that this Jesus whom I announce to you is the Christ.
And some of them were persuaded and added to Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
But the Jews, having been stirred up to jealousy, took unto them certain wicked men of the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city in confusion, and besetting the house of Jason, sought to bring them out to the people.
And not having found them they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the city-rulers, crying out, these that have turned the world upside down are come hither also,
whom Jason has received; and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.
And they troubled the crowd and the city-rulers, when they heard these things.
And having taken security for Jason and the rest, they let them go.
But the brethren immediately sent away by night Paul and Silas unto Beroea, who on their arrival went away into the synagogue of the Jews.
Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, being such as received the word with all readiness of mind, day by day examining the scriptures whether these things were so.
Many out of them therefore believed, and of the Greek women of good position and of men, not a few.
But when the Jews from Thessalonica knew that the word of God was announced by Paul in Beroea also, they came thither also, stirring up and troubling the crowds.
And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to proceed toward the sea, but Silas and Timotheus abode there.
But they that were conducting Paul brought [him] as far as Athens; and having received a charge for Silas and Timothy that they should come as quickly as possible unto him they departed.
Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked in him as he observed the city to be full of idols.
He reasoned therefore in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout, and in the market place every day with those that turned up.
And certain also of the Epicureans and Stoic philosophers attacked him. And some said, What would this babbler say? and others, He seemeth to be an announcer of strange divinities, because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.
And having taken hold of him, they brought [him] up to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching [is] that is spoken by thee?
For thou bringest certain strange things unto our ears; we wish to know therefore what these things mean.
Now all Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else than either to tell something, or to hear something newer.
And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, in all things I observe that ye are very reverent to divinities,
for passing through and closely observing the objects of your worship, I found also an altar on which was the inscription: To an unknown God. What therefore, ye, without knowing, worship, this I announce to you.
The God that made the world and all things therein, he being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands.
Nor is he served by human hands as needing something more, himself giving to all life, and breath, and all things.
And he made of one [blood] every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation,
that they should seek God if haply they might feel after and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
For in him we live and move and are; as also some of your own poets have said, For his off-spring also are we.
Being therefore God’s off-spring, we ought not to think that the divinity is like gold, or silver or stone, graven by art and device of man.
God therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, now commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent,
inasmuch as he has appointed a day, in which he is about to judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom he marked out, having given assurance to all in that he raised him from [the] dead.
Now when they heard of resurrection of dead [men] some mocked, but others said, We will hear thee concerning this yet again.
Thus Paul went out from their midst.
But some clave to him and believed; among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.