Darby Bible Translation

New Living Translation

Paul Preaches at Thessalonica

And having journeyed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was the synagogue of the Jews.

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Paul Preaches in Thessalonica

Paul and Silas then traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

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And according to Paul's custom he went in among them, and on three sabbaths reasoned with them from the scriptures,

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As 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.

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opening and laying down that the Christ must have suffered and risen up from among the dead, and that this is the Christ, Jesus whom *I* announce to you.

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He 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.”

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And some of them believed, and joined themselves to Paul and Silas, and of the Greeks who worshipped, a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

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Some 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.a

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Jason Seized

But the Jews having been stirred up to jealousy, and taken to [themselves] certain wicked men of the lowest rabble, and having got a crowd together, set the city in confusion; and having beset the house of Jason sought to bring them out to the people;

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But 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.b

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and not having found them, dragged Jason and certain brethren before the politarchs, crying out, These [men] that have set the world in tumult, are come here also,

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Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believersc 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.

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whom Jason has received; and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying, that there is another king, Jesus.

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And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus.”

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And they troubled the crowd and the politarchs when they heard these things.

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The people of the city, as well as the city council, were thrown into turmoil by these reports.

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And having taken security of Jason and the rest, they let them go.

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So the officials forced Jason and the other believers to post bond, and then they released them.

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Paul and Silas at Berea

But the brethren immediately sent away, in the night, Paul and Silas to Berea; who, being arrived, went away into the synagogue of the Jews.

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Paul and Silas in Berea

That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

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And these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, receiving the word with all readiness of mind, daily searching the scriptures if these things were so.

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And 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.

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Therefore many from among them believed, and of Grecian women of the upper classes and men not a few.

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As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men.

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But when the Jews from Thessalonica knew that the word of God was announced in Berea also by Paul, they came there also, stirring up the crowds.

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But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble.

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And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as to the sea; but Silas and Timotheus abode there.

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The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind.

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But they that conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and, having received a commandment to Silas and Timotheus, that they should come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.

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Those 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.

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Paul at Athens

But in Athens, while Paul was waiting for them, his spirit was painfully excited in him seeing the city given up to idolatry.

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Paul Preaches in Athens

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city.

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He reasoned therefore in the synagogue with the Jews, and those who worshipped, and in the market-place every day with those he met with.

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He 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.

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But some also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers attacked him. And some said, What would this chatterer say? and some, He seems to be an announcer of foreign demons, because he announced the glad tidings of Jesus and the resurrection [to them].

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He 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.”

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And having taken hold on him they brought [him] to Areopagus, saying, Might we know what this new doctrine which is spoken by thee [is]?

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Then they took him to the high council of the city.d “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said.

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For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears. We wish therefore to know what these things may mean.

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“You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.”

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Now all [the] Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else than to tell and to hear the news.

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(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.)

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Paul Before the Areopagus

And Paul standing in the midst of Areopagus said, Athenians, in every way I see you given up to demon worship;

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So Paul, standing before the council,e addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way,

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for, passing through and beholding your shrines, I found also an altar on which was inscribed, To the unknown God. Whom therefore ye reverence, not knowing [him], him I announce to you.

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for 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.

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The God who has made the world and all things which are in it, *he*, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands,

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“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,

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nor is served by men's hands as needing something, himself giving to all life and breath and all things;

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and 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.

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and has made of one blood every nation of men to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, having determined ordained times and the boundaries of their dwelling,

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From one manf he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

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that they may seek God; if indeed they might feel after him and find him, although he is not far from each one of us:

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“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.

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for in him we live and move and exist; as also some of the poets amongst you have said, For we are also his offspring.

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For in him we live and move and exist. As some of yourg own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

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Being therefore [the] offspring of God, we ought not to think that which is divine to be like gold or silver or stone, [the] graven form of man's art and imagination.

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And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

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God therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, now enjoins men that they shall all everywhere repent,

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“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.

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because he has set a day in which he is going to judge the habitable earth in righteousness by [the] man whom he has appointed, giving the proof [of it] to all [in] having raised him from among [the] dead.

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For 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.”

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And when they heard [of the] resurrection of the dead, some mocked, and some said, We will hear thee again also concerning this.

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When 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.”

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Thus Paul went out of their midst.

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That ended Paul’s discussion with them,

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But some men joining themselves to him believed; among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman by name Damaris, and others with them.

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but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council,h a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

Parallel

Darby Bible Translation

New Living Translation

Acts 17

Acts 17