¹⁶ Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy at Athens. He saw that the city was full of idols. His spirit was troubled about this.

¹⁷ In the meeting place he talked with the Jews and those who believed in the true God. In the market every day, he talked to people he met there.

¹⁸ There were some wise men who believed the teachings of Epicurius. They believed the teaching of other wise men called Stoics. Some of them began to talk with Paul. And some said, `What does this talker have to say?' Others said, `He seems to be talking about new gods.' This was because he was telling them about Jesus and how he was raised from death.

¹⁹ So they took Paul and brought him to a meeting at the hill called Areopagus. They said, `We want to know what this new teaching is that you are talking about.

²⁰ You are telling us things we never heard before. We want to understand them.'

²¹ All the people of Athens and the strangers who lived there passed their time in one way. They liked to tell and to hear some new thing.