Acts 17
1Now
when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
2And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned
with them out of the scriptures,
3Opening
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.
4And 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.
5But 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.
6And
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;
7Whom
Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
8And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these
things.
9And when they had taken security
of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.
10And
the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11These 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.
12Therefore many of them believed; also of
honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.
13But
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.
14And then immediately
the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.
15And 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.
16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly
given to idolatry.
17Therefore disputed he
in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.
18Then 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.
19And
they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
20For 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.)
22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive
that in all things ye are too superstitious.
23For
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.
24God that
made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25Neither is worshipped with men's hands,
as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26And 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;
27That 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:
28For
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.
29Forasmuch 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.
30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every
where to repent:
31Because 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.
32And
when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.
33So Paul departed from among them.
34Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and
a woman named Damaris, and others with them.