¹¹ Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica,^(A) for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures^(B) every day to see if what Paul said was true.^{(C) 12} As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.^(D)

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

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^(K) 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^(L) about Jesus and the resurrection.^{(M) 19} Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus,^(N) where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching^(O) 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^(P) and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

²² Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus^(Q) and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.^{(R) 23} For 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^(S)—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it^(T) is the Lord of heaven and earth^(U) and does not live in temples built by human hands.^{(V) 25} And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.^{(W) 26} From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.^(X)