ACTS 17
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews:
2 and Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and for three sabbath days reasoned with them from the scriptures,
3 opening and alleging, that it behoved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ.
4 And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
5 But the Jews, being moved with jealousy, took unto them certain vile fellows of the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city on an uproar; and assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them forth to the people.
6 And when they found them not, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also;
7 whom Jason hath received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.
8 And they troubled the multitude and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things.
9 And when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Beroea: who when they were come thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily, whether these things were so.
12 Many of them therefore believed; also of the Greek women of honourable estate, and of men, not a few.
13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed of Paul at Beroea also, they came thither likewise, stirring up and troubling the multitudes.
14 And then immediately the brethren sent forth Paul to go as far as to the sea: and Silas and Timothy abode there still.
15 But they that conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timothy that they should come to him with all speed, they departed.
16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him, as he beheld the city full of idols.
17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with them that met with him.
18 And certain also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, What would this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.
19 And they took hold of him, and brought him unto the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by thee?
20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.
21 (Now all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.)
22 And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said, Ye men of Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are somewhat superstitious.
23 For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. What therefore ye worship in ignorance, this set I forth unto you.
24 The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 and he made of one every nation of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation;
27 that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he is not far from each one of us:
28 for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
29 Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man.
30 The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent:
31 inasmuch as he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, We will hear thee concerning this yet again.
33 Thus Paul went out from among them.
34 But certain men clave unto him, and believed: among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
Cross-references
245
- 11Th 1:1, Php 4:16, Act 20:4, 2Th 1:1, 2Ti 4:10, Act 17:11, Act 17:13, Act 27:2
- 2Act 18:4, Act 9:20, Act 13:5, Isa 1:18, Act 14:1, Act 17:17, Act 17:10, Luk 4:16
- 3Act 18:28, Act 9:22, Luk 24:32, 1Co 15:3–4, Gal 3:1, Luk 24:46, 1Th 1:5–6, Act 3:18
- 4Act 17:12, Act 14:4, Act 13:43, 2Co 8:5, Act 15:22, Act 13:50, Act 28:24, Act 15:32
- 5Act 17:13, Gal 5:26, Act 17:7, Act 14:2, Rom 16:21, 1Th 2:14–16, Gal 5:21, Jdg 9:4
- 6Act 24:5, Act 16:19–21, Act 28:22, Luk 23:5, Act 21:28–31, 1Ki 18:17–18, Act 6:12–13, Act 18:12–13
- 7Luk 23:2, Jhn 19:12, Act 16:21, Ezr 4:12–15, Act 25:8–11, Dan 3:12, Dan 6:13, 1Pe 2:15
- 8Mat 2:3, Jhn 11:48
- 9Act 17:5
- 101Th 2:2, Act 17:13–14, Act 17:2, Act 20:4, Act 9:25, Jos 2:15–16, 1Sa 20:42, Act 14:6–7
- 11Isa 34:16, Pro 2:1–5, Jhn 5:39, 1Th 2:13, Mat 13:23, 1Pe 1:10–12, Pro 9:9, 2Pe 1:19–21
- 12Eph 5:14, Act 13:50, Act 14:1, 1Co 1:26, Act 17:2–4, Jas 1:21, Psa 25:8–9, Jas 1:10
- 131Th 2:14–16, Act 21:27, Pro 28:25, Act 17:5, Act 14:2, Act 6:12, Mat 23:13, Luk 12:51
- 14Act 17:10, Mat 10:23, Act 9:30, Act 9:25, Act 16:1, Act 19:22, 1Ti 1:3, Act 20:3
- 151Th 3:1, Act 18:5, Act 18:1, 2Ti 4:10–11, Tit 3:12, Act 17:21, Act 17:16, 2Ti 4:20–21
- 16Psa 119:158, Exo 32:19–20, 2Pe 2:7, Psa 119:136, Jer 20:9, Mic 3:8, Mrk 3:5, Job 32:18–20
- 17Act 9:20, Act 17:2–4, Act 14:1–4, Act 13:16, Pro 8:34, Luk 12:3, Mrk 16:15, Pro 8:1–4
- 181Co 1:20–21, Col 2:8, Luk 11:53, 1Co 4:10, Act 4:2, 1Co 3:18, Pro 26:12, Act 17:31–32
- 19Mrk 1:27, Act 17:22, Act 24:24, Act 25:22, Act 26:1, 1Jn 2:7–8, Jhn 13:34, Act 17:20
- 201Co 1:23, Hos 8:12, 1Co 2:14, 1Co 1:18, 1Pe 4:4, Mrk 9:10, Jhn 7:35–36, Heb 5:11
- 212Ti 2:16–17, Eph 5:16, Col 4:5, 1Ti 5:13, 2Th 3:11–12
- 22Act 25:19, Act 17:16, Act 19:35, Jer 10:2–3, Jer 50:38
- 23Gal 4:8–9, Jhn 4:22, Jhn 17:3, Jhn 17:25, Act 17:30, 1Co 1:21, 2Th 2:4, 1Ti 1:17
- 241Ki 8:27, Deu 10:14, Act 7:48, Isa 66:1, 2Ch 6:18, Mat 11:25, Psa 115:16, 2Ch 2:6
- 25Psa 50:8–13, Gen 2:7, Isa 42:5, Act 17:28, Job 33:4, Rom 11:35, Job 22:2, Job 35:6–7
- 26Deu 32:7–8, Gen 3:20, Mal 2:10, Rom 5:12–19, 1Co 15:22, 1Co 15:47, Job 12:23, Job 14:5
- 27Jer 23:23–24, Deu 4:7, Act 14:17, Rom 1:20, Psa 19:1–6, Act 15:17, Rom 2:4, Psa 139:1–13
- 28Job 12:10, Col 1:17, Heb 1:3, Psa 36:9, Luk 20:38, Jhn 11:25, Jhn 5:26, Psa 66:9
- 29Isa 40:25, Exo 20:4, Isa 46:5–6, Psa 115:4–8, Hab 2:19–20, Rom 1:20–23, Jer 10:4–10, Psa 106:20
- 30Act 14:16, Tit 2:11–12, Luk 24:47, Rom 3:25, Eph 4:17–32, 1Pe 4:3, Act 26:17–20, Rom 2:4
- 31Mat 25:31–46, Rom 2:16, 2Pe 3:7, Psa 98:9, Psa 9:8, 2Co 5:10, 1Co 4:5, Rom 2:5
- 32Act 26:8, Act 17:18, Act 24:25, Act 2:13, 1Co 4:10, Act 25:19, 2Co 6:2, Heb 3:7–8
- 34Act 17:19, Rom 11:5–6, Act 13:48, Act 17:4, Php 4:22, Mat 20:16, Isa 55:10–11, Jhn 19:38–42
Topics in this chapter
69
Accusation, False, Altar, Amphipolis, Apollonia, Areopagus, Athens, Atonement, Babbler, Berea, Blindness, Bond, Breath, Converts, Curiosity, Damaris, Dionysius, Envy, Epicureans, Falsehood, False Teachers, Fellowship, Gentiles, God, Greece, Idleness, Idolatry, Ignorance, Indictments, Infidelity, Intolerance, Religious, Jason, Jesus, the Christ, Judgment, Law, Life, Malice, Man, Mars' Hill, Minister, Christian, Mob, Paul, Peace, Philosophy, Poet, Preaching, Predestination, Prudence, Readings, Select, Reasoning, Religion, Repentance, Responsibility, Resurrection, Sabbath, Salvation, Scoffing, Seekers, Silas, Stoicism, Synagogue, Thessalonica, Timothy, Toleration, Treason, Unbelief, Women, Word of God, Worship, Zeal, Religious