Acts 17

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:

1Paul and his friends traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia. Then they came to the city of Thessalonica. There was a synagogue there, a place where Jewish people met to pray and learn.

2And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

2Paul went in, as he always did. For three Sabbath days he talked with the people there about the Scriptures. The Sabbath was the Jewish day of rest.

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.

3He explained and showed them that the Christ had to suffer and then rise from the dead. Christ means God's chosen King. Paul said, "This Jesus I am telling you about is the 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.

4Some of them believed and joined Paul and Silas. Many Greeks who worshiped God believed too. So did quite a few important women.

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.

5But some of the Jews did not believe, and they were jealous. They gathered rough troublemakers from the market and made a mob. Soon the whole city was in an uproar. They rushed to Jason's house to drag Paul and Silas out to the crowd.

NoteThe old words "lewd fellows of the baser sort" mean rough troublemakers hanging around the market. They are not about anything sexual.

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;

6They could not find them there. So they dragged Jason and some other believers to the city leaders. They shouted, "These men have turned the world upside down. Now they have come here too!"

7Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

7"Jason has taken them into his house. They all go against the rules of Caesar, the ruler of Rome. They say there is another king, named Jesus!"

8And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.

8The crowd and the city leaders heard this. It upset them very much.

9And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.

9The leaders made Jason and the others pay money as a promise to keep the peace. Then they let them go.

Note"Taken security" means the leaders made Jason pay money as a promise. If there was more trouble, he would lose the money.

10And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

10As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. When they got there, they went into the synagogue.

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.

11The people in Berea were more fair-minded than the people in Thessalonica. They were glad to listen to the message. Every day they read the Scriptures to see if it was true.

12Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.

12So many of them believed. Quite a few important Greek women and men believed too.

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.

13Then the Jews in Thessalonica heard that Paul was teaching God's word in Berea. So they came there too and stirred up the crowds.

14And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still.

14Right away the believers sent Paul off toward the sea. Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Berea.

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.

15The men who traveled with Paul brought him all the way to Athens. Then they went back with this message for Silas and Timothy: come to Paul as fast as you can.

16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.

16Paul waited for them in Athens. He was troubled inside when he saw the city was full of idols. An idol is a statue that people worship as a god.

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.

17So he talked in the synagogue with the Jews and with Greeks who worshiped God. Every day he also talked in the market with anyone he met.

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.

18Some thinkers called Epicureans and Stoics argued with him. Some of them said, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others said, "He seems to be talking about foreign gods." They said this because Paul told about Jesus and about rising from the dead.

19And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?

19They took Paul to the Areopagus, a meeting place on a hill. They asked him, "May we know what this new teaching of yours is?"

20For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.

20"You are telling us strange new things. We want to know what they 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.)

21The people of Athens, and the visitors living there, loved to spend their time this way. They liked telling and hearing new ideas.

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.

22So Paul stood up in the middle of that meeting on the hill. He said, "Men of Athens, I can see that you are very religious in every way."

NoteThe old words "too superstitious" sound like an insult today. Paul was saying the people of Athens were very religious.

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.

23"As I walked around, I looked at the things you worship. I even found an altar with these words on it: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. An altar is a table where people bring gifts to a god. You worship him without knowing him. Now I will tell you who he is."

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;

24"God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth. He does not live in buildings that people build."

25Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

25"People cannot take care of him with their hands, as if he needed something. He is the one who gives everyone life and breath and everything else."

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;

26"From one man he made every nation of people. He meant for them to live all over the earth. He decided when they would live and where their lands would be."

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:

27"He did this so people would look for him. Maybe they would reach out for him and find him. He is not far from any 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.

28"We live and move and exist because of him. Some of your own poets said it too: 'We are his children.'"

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.

29"So we are God's children. Then we should not think that God is like gold or silver or stone. Those are only shapes made by people's hands and ideas."

30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

30"Long ago people did not know these things, and God let that pass. But now he tells everyone everywhere to repent. That means to turn away from wrong and turn to God."

Note"Winked at" does not mean God thought it was funny. It means he let that time of not knowing pass without punishing it.

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.

31"He has picked a day when he will judge the world fairly. He has chosen a man to do the judging. God has shown this to everyone by raising that man 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.

32When they heard about people rising from the dead, some laughed at Paul. Others said, "We want to hear you talk about this again."

33So Paul departed from among them.

33So Paul left the meeting and went away.

34Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

34But some men joined him and believed. One was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus council. A woman named Damaris believed too, and others with them.