Jason

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.

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

NoteAmphipolis, Apollonia, and Thessalonica were towns in Greece. Paul and his friends walked the roads between them.

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.

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

NoteA synagogue was a building where Jewish people met. They prayed there and read God's word out loud. The Scriptures were their holy books. Christians now call them the Old Testament.

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."

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.

Note"Risen again from the dead" means came back to life after dying. Most people expected God's chosen King to win, not to suffer. That is why Paul had to explain it so carefully.

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

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.

NoteThe King James says they "consorted with" Paul. That just means they joined him and stayed with him. Silas was Paul's friend who traveled with him. Some Greeks were not Jewish but had learned to love Israel's God.

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.

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.

NoteThe King James calls them "lewd fellows of the baser sort." In old English that meant rough, no-good men who liked trouble. An uproar is a loud, angry crowd making noise.

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!"

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;

Note"Brethren" is an old word for brothers. Here it means the other people who believed. "Turned the world upside down" was an insult. It meant these men changed everything wherever they went.

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!"

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

NoteCaesar was the emperor, the top ruler of Rome. Saying someone else was king sounded like fighting against him. That was a very serious thing to be accused of.

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

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

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

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

NoteThe King James says they "taken security of Jason." Jason paid money to promise there would be no more trouble. He would get it back if the city stayed calm.

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

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

NoteBerea was another town in Greece, about a day away.