Acts 17-18
New American Standard Bible
Paul in Thessalonica
17 Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to (A)Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 And (B)according to Paul’s custom, he [a]visited them, and for three (C)Sabbaths reasoned with them from (D)the Scriptures, 3 [b]explaining and [c]giving evidence that the [d]Christ (E)had to suffer and (F)rise from the dead, and saying, “(G)This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the [e]Christ.” 4 (H)And some of them were persuaded and joined (I)Paul and Silas, [f]along with a large number of the (J)God-fearing (K)Greeks and [g]a significant number of the (L)leading women. 5 But (M)the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the marketplace, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and they attacked the house of (N)Jason and were seeking to bring them out to the people. 6 When they did not find them, they began (O)dragging Jason and some brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset [h](P)the world have come here also; 7 [i]and Jason (Q)has welcomed them, and they all act (R)contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” 8 They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. 9 And when they had received a [j]pledge from (S)Jason and the others, they released them.
Paul in Berea
10 (T)The brothers immediately sent (U)Paul and Silas away by night to (V)Berea, [k]and when they arrived, they went into (W)the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these people were more noble-minded than those in (X)Thessalonica, [l]for they received the word with [m]great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 12 Therefore, (Y)many of them believed, [n]along with a significant number of (Z)prominent Greek (AA)women and men. 13 But when the Jews of (AB)Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in (AC)Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 14 Then immediately (AD)the brothers sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and (AE)Silas and (AF)Timothy remained there. 15 Now (AG)those who escorted Paul brought him as far as (AH)Athens; and receiving a command for (AI)Silas and Timothy to (AJ)come to him as soon as possible, they left.
Paul in Athens
16 Now while Paul was waiting for them in (AK)Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols. 17 So he was reasoning (AL)in the synagogue with the Jews and (AM)the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present. 18 And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers as well were [o]conversing with him. Some were saying, “What could (AN)this [p]scavenger of tidbits want to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was preaching (AO)Jesus and the resurrection. 19 And they (AP)took him and brought him [q]to the [r](AQ)Areopagus, saying, “May we know what (AR)this new teaching is [s]which you are proclaiming? 20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.” 21 (Now all the Athenians and the strangers (AS)visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)
Sermon on Mars Hill
22 So Paul stood in the midst of the [t]Areopagus and said, “Men of (AT)Athens, I see that you are very (AU)religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the (AV)objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore, what (AW)you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 (AX)The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is (AY)Lord of heaven and earth, does not (AZ)dwell in temples made by hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, (BA)as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and (BB)He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having (BC)determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, (BD)though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for (BE)in Him we live and move and [u]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the descendants of God, we (BF)ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and thought. 30 So having (BG)overlooked (BH)the times of ignorance, God is (BI)now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, 31 because He has set (BJ)a day on which (BK)He will judge [v](BL)the world in righteousness [w]through a Man whom He has (BM)appointed, having furnished proof to all people [x]by (BN)raising Him from the dead.”
32 Now when they heard of (BO)the resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We shall hear from you [y]again concerning this.” 33 So Paul went out from among them. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the (BP)Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
Paul in Corinth
18 After these events Paul left (BQ)Athens and went to (BR)Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named (BS)Aquila, a native of (BT)Pontus having recently come from (BU)Italy with his wife (BV)Priscilla, because (BW)Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them, and (BX)they worked together, for they were tent-makers by trade. 4 And Paul was reasoning (BY)in the synagogue every (BZ)Sabbath and trying to persuade (CA)Jews and Greeks.
5 But when (CB)Silas and Timothy (CC)came down from (CD)Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, (CE)testifying to the Jews that (CF)Jesus was the [z]Christ. 6 But when they resisted and blasphemed, he (CG)shook out his garments and said to them, “Your (CH)blood is [aa]on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go (CI)to the Gentiles.” 7 Then he left [ab]the synagogue and went to the house of a man named [ac]Titius Justus, (CJ)a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 (CK)Crispus, (CL)the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord (CM)together with his entire household; and many of the (CN)Corinthians, as they listened to Paul, were believing and being baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul by (CO)a vision at night, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he settled there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 But while Gallio was (CP)proconsul of (CQ)Achaia, (CR)the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before (CS)the [ad]judgment seat, 13 saying, “This man is inciting the people to worship God contrary to (CT)the [ae]law.” 14 But when Paul was about to (CU)open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or vicious, unscrupulous act, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; 15 but if there are [af](CV)questions about [ag]teaching and [ah]persons and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.” 16 And he drove them away from (CW)the [ai]judgment seat. 17 But they all took hold of (CX)Sosthenes, (CY)the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of (CZ)the judgment seat. And yet Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.
18 Now Paul, when he had remained many days longer, (DA)took leave of (DB)the brothers and sisters and sailed away to (DC)Syria, and (DD)Priscilla and (DE)Aquila were with him. [aj]Paul first (DF)had his hair cut at (DG)Cenchrea, for he was keeping a vow. 19 They came to (DH)Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered (DI)the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, 21 but (DJ)took leave of them and said, “I will return to you again (DK)if God wills,” and he set sail from (DL)Ephesus.
22 When he had landed in (DM)Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and went down to (DN)Antioch.
Third Missionary Journey
23 And after spending some time there, he left and passed successively through the (DO)Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
24 Now a Jew named (DP)Apollos, an (DQ)Alexandrian by birth, [ak]an eloquent man, came to (DR)Ephesus; and he was proficient in the Scriptures. 25 This man had been instructed in (DS)the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was accurately speaking and teaching things about Jesus, being acquainted only with (DT)the baptism of John; 26 and [al]he began speaking boldly in the synagogue. But when (DU)Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained (DV)the way of God more accurately to him. 27 And when he wanted to go across to (DW)Achaia, (DX)the brothers encouraged him and wrote to (DY)the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly [am]helped those who had believed through grace, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating (DZ)by the Scriptures that (EA)Jesus was the [an]Christ.
Footnotes
- Acts 17:2 Lit entered to them
- Acts 17:3 Lit opening
- Acts 17:3 Lit placing before
- Acts 17:3 I.e., Messiah
- Acts 17:3 I.e., Messiah
- Acts 17:4 Lit and a large
- Acts 17:4 Lit not a few
- Acts 17:6 Lit the inhabited earth
- Acts 17:7 Lit whom Jason has welcomed
- Acts 17:9 Or bond
- Acts 17:10 Lit who when...arrived went
- Acts 17:11 Lit who received
- Acts 17:11 Lit all
- Acts 17:12 Lit and not a few
- Acts 17:18 Or disputing
- Acts 17:18 Lit seed gatherer; i.e., an unlearned person collecting only scraps of knowledge
- Acts 17:19 Or before
- Acts 17:19 Or Hill of Ares; Greek god of war
- Acts 17:19 Lit which is being spoken by you
- Acts 17:22 Or the Council of the Areopagus
- Acts 17:28 Lit are
- Acts 17:31 Lit the inhabited earth
- Acts 17:31 Lit by; or in
- Acts 17:31 Or when He raised
- Acts 17:32 Lit also again
- Acts 18:5 I.e., Messiah
- Acts 18:6 I.e., the responsibility is all yours
- Acts 18:7 Lit from there
- Acts 18:7 One early ms Titus
- Acts 18:12 Or tribunal
- Acts 18:13 Or Law
- Acts 18:15 Or arguments
- Acts 18:15 Lit word
- Acts 18:15 Lit names
- Acts 18:16 Or tribunal
- Acts 18:18 Lit Having had his hair cut
- Acts 18:24 Or a learned man
- Acts 18:26 Lit this man
- Acts 18:27 Or helped greatly through grace those who had believed
- Acts 18:28 I.e., Messiah
Acts 17-18
New King James Version
Preaching Christ at Thessalonica
17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to (A)Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, (B)went in to them, and for three Sabbaths (C)reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating (D)that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4 (E)And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and (F)Silas.
Assault on Jason’s House
5 But the Jews [a]who were not persuaded, [b]becoming (G)envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar and attacked the house of (H)Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, (I)“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too. 7 Jason has [c]harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, (J)saying there is another king—Jesus.” 8 And they troubled the crowd and the rulers of the city when they heard these things. 9 So when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
Ministering at Berea
10 Then (K)the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more [d]fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and (L)searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. 12 Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was preached by Paul at Berea, they came there also and stirred up the crowds. 14 (M)Then immediately the brethren sent Paul away, to go to the sea; but both Silas and Timothy remained there. 15 So those who conducted Paul brought him to Athens; and (N)receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed.
The Philosophers at Athens
16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, (O)his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was [e]given over to idols. 17 Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there. 18 [f]Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this [g]babbler want to say?”
Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them (P)Jesus and the resurrection.
19 And they took him and brought him to the [h]Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? 20 For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” 21 For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.
Addressing the Areopagus
22 Then Paul stood in the midst of the [i]Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; 23 for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: 24 (Q)God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is (R)Lord of heaven and earth, (S)does not dwell in temples made with hands. 25 Nor is He worshiped with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He (T)gives to all life, breath, and all things. 26 And He has made from one [j]blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and (U)the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 (V)so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, (W)though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for (X)in Him we live and move and have our being, (Y)as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’ 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, (Z)we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising. 30 Truly, (AA)these times of ignorance God overlooked, but (AB)now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which (AC)He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by (AD)raising Him from the dead.”
32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” 33 So Paul departed from among them. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
Ministering at Corinth
18 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a certain Jew named (AE)Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. 3 So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them (AF)and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers. 4 (AG)And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.
5 (AH)When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was (AI)compelled [k]by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. 6 But (AJ)when they opposed him and blasphemed, (AK)he shook his garments and said to them, (AL)“Your blood be upon your own heads; (AM)I am clean. (AN)From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named [l]Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 (AO)Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.
9 Now (AP)the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; 10 (AQ)for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” 11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the [m]judgment seat, 13 saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”
14 And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. 15 But if it is a (AR)question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” 16 And he drove them from the judgment seat. 17 Then [n]all the Greeks took (AS)Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.
Paul Returns to Antioch
18 So Paul still remained [o]a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. (AT)He had his hair cut off at (AU)Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. 19 And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, 21 but took leave of them, saying, (AV)“I[p] must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, (AW)God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.
22 And when he had landed at (AX)Caesarea, and [q]gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. 23 After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of (AY)Galatia and Phrygia [r]in order, (AZ)strengthening all the disciples.
Ministry of Apollos
24 (BA)Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being (BB)fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, (BC)though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, (BD)he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28 for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, (BE)showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
Footnotes
- Acts 17:5 NU omits who were not persuaded
- Acts 17:5 M omits becoming envious
- Acts 17:7 welcomed
- Acts 17:11 Lit. noble
- Acts 17:16 full of idols
- Acts 17:18 NU, M add also
- Acts 17:18 Lit. seed picker, an idler who makes a living picking up scraps
- Acts 17:19 Lit. Hill of Ares, or Mars’ Hill
- Acts 17:22 Lit. Hill of Ares, or Mars’ Hill
- Acts 17:26 NU omits blood
- Acts 18:5 Or in his spirit or in the Spirit
- Acts 18:7 NU Titius Justus
- Acts 18:12 Gr. bema
- Acts 18:17 NU they all
- Acts 18:18 Lit. many days
- Acts 18:21 NU omits I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem
- Acts 18:22 To Jerusalem
- Acts 18:23 successively
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
