Acts 17:16-23

New International Version

In Athens

¹⁶While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷So he reasoned in the synagogue^(A) with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. ¹⁸A 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^(B) about Jesus and the resurrection.^(C) ¹⁹Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus,^(D) where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching^(E) is that you are presenting? ²⁰You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” ²¹(All the Athenians^(F) and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

²²Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus^(G) and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.^(H) ²³For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship^(I)—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

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Isaiah 28:9-12

New International Version

⁹“Who is it he is trying to teach?^(A)
    To whom is he explaining his message?^(B)
To children weaned^(C) from their milk,^(D)
    to those just taken from the breast?
¹⁰For it is:
    Do this, do that,
    a rule for this, a rule for that^[a];
    a little here, a little there.^(E)”

¹¹Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues^(F)
    God will speak to this people,^(G)
¹²to whom he said,
    “This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;^(H)
and, “This is the place of repose”—
    but they would not listen.

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Footnotes

Isaiah 28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13

Acts 2:7-11

New International Version

⁷Utterly amazed,^(A) they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?^(B) ⁸Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,^(C) Pontus^(D) and Asia,^[a]^(E) ¹⁰Phrygia^(F) and Pamphylia,^(G) Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene;^(H) visitors from Rome ¹¹(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”