³⁵ When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: “Release those men.” ³⁶ The jailer^(A) told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace.”^(B)

³⁷ But Paul said to the officers: “They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens,^(C) and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out.”

³⁸ The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.^{(D) 39} They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city.^{(E) 40} After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house,^(F) where they met with the brothers and sisters^(G) and encouraged them. Then they left.

In Thessalonica

17 When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica,^(H) where there was a Jewish synagogue. ² As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue,^(I) and on three Sabbath^(J) days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,^{(K) 3} explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer^(L) and rise from the dead.^(M) “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,”^(N) he said. ⁴ Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas,^(O) as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

⁵ But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city.^(P) They rushed to Jason’s^(Q) house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.^{[a] 6} But when they did not find them, they dragged^(R) Jason and some other believers^(S) before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world^(T) have now come here,^{(U) 7} and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.”^{(V) 8} When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. ⁹ Then they made Jason^(W) and the others post bond and let them go.

In Berea

¹⁰ As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas^(X) away to Berea.^(Y) On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.^{(Z) 11} Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica,^(AA) for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures^(AB) every day to see if what Paul said was true.^{(AC) 12} As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.^(AD)

¹³ But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea,^(AE) some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. ¹⁴ The believers^(AF) immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas^(AG) and Timothy^(AH) stayed at Berea. ¹⁵ Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens^(AI) and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.^(AJ)

In Athens

¹⁶ While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue^(AK) with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸ A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news^(AL) about Jesus and the resurrection.^{(AM) 19} Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus,^(AN) where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching^(AO) is that you are presenting? ²⁰ You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” ²¹ (All the Athenians^(AP) and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)