Historical

17 Now having passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, Rav Sha’ul and Sila came to Thessalonica, where there was a shul.

² And as he did bekvius (regularly), Rav Sha’ul joined their minyan, and on shloshah Shabbatot, he gave them drashot from the Kitvei HaKodesh,

³ Making a Messianic midrash (homiletical interpretation of the Scriptures) and giving the pshat (rationale) for the yissurim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, that it was necessary for him to suffer and to stand up alive from the Mesim, saying, "This one is the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, this Yehoshua whom I am proclaiming to you."

⁴ And some of them were persuaded and were being mishtatef (join, become involved) in a chavurah with Rav Sha’ul and Sila, as did a large number of yirei Elohim (Yevanim) and not a few of the chashuve nashim.

⁵ And the Yehudim without emunah, being filled with kinah, and having rounded up from the people of the market the gornisht and the nogoodniks, and having formed a mob, were throwing the city into an uproar. And the crowd was seeking to bring out Moshiach’s Shlichim and throw them to the mob, so they attacked the bais of Jason.

⁶ But not having found the Moshiach’s Shlichim, they were dragging Jason and some other Achim b’Moshiach to the city manhigim, shouting, "These, who have been turning the Olam Hazeh upside down, have come here also!

⁷ "And Jason is the one who has received them into his bais! And all these ones are acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is a king other than Caesar, this Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua!"

⁸ And they stirred up the mob and also the city manhigim who heard them saying these things.

⁹ And having taken the bond money from Jason and the rest, they released them.

¹⁰ And, immediately during the lailah, the Achim b’Moshiach sent both Rav Sha’ul and Sila to Berea. When Moshiach’s Shlichim arrived, they joined the minyan in the shul.

¹¹ But these Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians. The Berean Yehudim received the dvar Hashem with all readiness, yom yom (daily) making a chazora (review) and examining and horiva over (analyzing) the Kitvei HaKodesh, to see if these things might be so. [Dt 29:29]

¹² Therefore, many of them became Messianic Jews, and also of the chashuve Yevanim, not a few nashim and anashim came to emunah.

¹³ But when the Yehudim without emunah from Thessalonica realized that also in Berea the dvar Hashem was being proclaimed by Rav Sha’ul, they came also to Berea, agitating and stirring up mobs.

¹⁴ And immediately, then, the Achim b’Moshiach sent away Rav Sha’ul to go as far as to the sea, but both Sila and Timotiyos remained in Berea.

¹⁵ Now the ones escorting Rav Sha’ul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions to have Sila and Timotiyos come to Rav Sha’ul in Athens as quickly as possible, the ones escorting him departed.

¹⁶ And awaiting them in Athens, the ruach of Rav Sha’ul was being distressed within him as he observed the city being full of elilim.

¹⁷ Therefore, Rav Sha’ul was dialoguing and arguing in the shul with the Yehudim and with the yirei Elohim and also in the marketplace yom yom [street preaching] to the ones who happened to be there.

¹⁸ Also some of the Apikoros (Epicurean) and Stoic philosophers started conversing with Rav Sha’ul, and some were saying, "What might this babbler wish to say?" And others said, "He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign deities." They said this because of what Rav Sha’ul was proclaiming: Yehoshua and the Techiyas HaMesim.

¹⁹ And having taken hold of Rav Sha’ul, they brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "Are we able to have da’as of what this new teaching is, which is being spoken by you?

²⁰ "For some surprising things you bring to our hearing. Therefore, we desire to have da’as of what these things mean."

²¹ Now all the Athenians and the visiting foreigners and tourists in Athens used to spend time doing nothing but shmoozing about the latest novelty in the news.

²² And Rav Sha’ul, taking his stand in the middle of the Areopagus, said, "Anashim, Athenians, with respect to everything how very religious indeed I observe you to be.

²³ "For passing through and looking carefully at your objects of worship, I found also an altar on which had been inscribed ‘To the unknown g-d.’ Therefore, what you worship without da’as, this I proclaim to you.

²⁴ "Hashem, the One having made HaOlam and all the things in it, this One being Adon HaShomayim vaHaAretz, does not dwell in temples made by human hands. [Isa 42:5 Dt 10:14; Isa 66:1; 1Kgs 8:27]

²⁵ "Nor is Hashem served by human hands, as if Hashem were in need of something, since He gives to all Chayyim and breath and everything. [Ps 50:10-12; Isa 42:5]

²⁶ "And Hashem made from one ancestor every nation of anashim dwelling pnei kol haAretz. And Hashem has set the zmanim and the fixed boundaries of their habitations, [Dt 32:8; Job 12:23]

²⁷ "So that they would seek Hashem, if efsher (perhaps) they might grope for Him and might find Him, though Hashem is not far from each one of us. [Dt 4:7; Isa 55:6; Jer 23:23,24]

²⁸ "For ‘we live in Him and in Him we move and have our being,’ as also some of your poets have said, ‘For we are all His offspring.’ [Dt 30:20; Job 12:10; Dan 5:23; Epimenides; Aratus]

²⁹ "Therefore, being offspring of Hashem, we ought not to think that Hashem’s essence is like gold or silver or stone, a tzelem (image) made by the skill and thought of Bnei Adam. [Isa 40:18-20]

³⁰ "While Hashem has disregarded and let pass the Am HaAretz times of ignorance, now, however, Hashem proclaims to kol bnei Adam everywhere, Make teshuva,

³¹ "Because he set a day in which he is about to bring MISHPAT (TEHILLIM 9:8) on the Olam Hazeh in tzedek [DANIEL 9:24] by an ISH (ZECHARYAH 6:12) whom he appointed, having furnished proof to all by having made him to stand up alive again from the Mesim." [Ps 9:8; 96:13; 98:9; Isa 53:11 MEGILLOT YAM HAMELACH (DEAD SEA SCROLLS)]

³² And when they heard of the Techiyas HaMesim, some were mocking Rav Sha’ul. But others said, "We will hear you again about this."

³³ Thus did Rav Sha’ul go out from the midst of them.

³⁴ And some anashim became mishtatef in the chavurah of Rav Sha’ul, in that they had emunah, among whom were both Dionysius, a member of the Athenian Council of the Areopagus, and an isha by name Damaris, and others with them.

18 After these things Rav Sha’ul left Athens and went to Corinth.

² And in Corinth Rav Sha’ul found some Messianic Jews, namely Aquila hailing from Pontus, having recently come from Italy, where Claudius ordered a decree of Jewish expulsion from Rome, and Priscilla, his isha. Rav Sha’ul went to see them.

³ And because he had the same parnasah (livelihood), Rav Sha’ul was staying with them, and he was working with them, for they were tentmakers by trade.

⁴ And Rav Sha’ul was debating in the shul every Shabbos, and he was convincing Yehudim and Yevanim.

⁵ Now when both Sila and Timotiyos came down from Macedonia, Rav Sha’ul was farnumen (preoccupied) and totally absorbed with the dvar Hashem, bearing solemn edut to the Yehudim that Yehoshua is the Moshiach.

⁶ But when some began opposing Rav Sha’ul, and when they began committing Chillul Hashem, Rav Sha’ul shook out his kaftan and said to them, "The responsibility of your lot be upon your own head! For I am tahor (clean); from now on, I go to the Nations." [2Sm 1:16; Ezek 33:4; 3:17-19; Neh 5:13]

⁷ And so Rav Sha’ul left them, and entered into the bais of a certain ish by the name Titius Justus, a yire Elohim whose bais was right next door to the shul!!

⁸ And Crispus, the Rosh Beit HaKnesset, came to emunah in Moshiach Adoneinu along with his entire bais; also many of the Corinthians who heard came to emunah, and were being given Moshiach’s tevilah of teshuva.

⁹ Then in the lailah, through a chazon, Adonoi said to Rav Sha’ul, "Do not fear, but speak out, and do not keep silent,

¹⁰ "For I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you; I have many people in this city."

¹¹ And Rav Sha’ul sat shanah and shishah chodashim saying shiurim to them on the dvar Hashem.

¹² And when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the [disobedient] Yehudim rose up with one accord keneged (against, in opposition to) Rav Sha’ul, and they took him to court,

¹³ Saying, "This one persuades anashim to worship Hashem in a manner against the Torah."

¹⁴ Rav Sha’ul was about to open his mouth when Gallio spoke to the Yehudim, "If this matter concerned some wrong or heinous crime, O Yehudim, I might reasonably put up with you;

¹⁵ "But if it is kashes (questions) about a dvar and shemot (names) and your Torah, you will see to it for yourselves. I do not intend to be a shofet (judge) of these things."

¹⁶ And he had them ejected from the courtroom.

¹⁷ They seized Sosthenes, the Rosh HaKnesset, and were beating him in full view of the Kes HaMishpat (Judgment Seat), and none of these things created a concern for Gallio.

¹⁸ But Rav Sha’ul still remained a number of yamim and then took leave of the Achim b’Moshiach, and was sailing away to Syria; and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he cut his hair, for he had taken a neder (vow). [BAMIDBAR 6:2,5,18]

¹⁹ Then they arrived in Ephesus, and Rav Sha’ul left them there, but he joined the minyan in the shul and debated with the Yehudim.

²⁰ And when they were asking Rav Sha’ul to stay for a longer time, he did not give his consent.

²¹ But taking leave of them, he said, “I will return again im yirtzeh Hashem (G-d willing).” Then Rav Sha’ul set sail from Ephesus.

²² And having come down to Caesarea and having gone up and greeted the [Yerushalayim] Kehillah of Moshiach, then Rav Sha’ul went down to Antioch.

²³ And having spent some time, he embarked, passing through the area of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the Moshiach’s talmidim.

²⁴ Now a certain man, a Yehudi, arrived in Ephesus, Apollos by name, hailing from Alexandria, a lamdan (a Torah scholar with prodigious knowledge), being tief (deep and profound, erudite, keen) in the Kitvei HaKodesh.

²⁵ This one had been taught the Derech Hashem and was on fire in the Ruach Hakodesh and saying shiurim and drashot accurate and true to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. But Rav Apollos was acquainted only with the tevilah of teshuva of Yochanan [see Lk 3:16].

²⁶ And this rabbi began to speak with ometz lev (boldness) in the shul. And having heard him, Priscilla and Aquila took him and more accurately instructed him in the Derech Hashem.

²⁷ When Rav Apollos desired to go to Achaia, the Achim b’Moshiach encouraged him and wrote iggrot to Moshiach’s talmidim there to welcome him. When Rav Apollos arrived, he greatly helped the ones who through the Chen v’Chesed Hashem had come to emunah.

²⁸ For Rav Apollos was publicly and powerfully refuting the [unbelieving] Yehudim, showing through the Kitvei HaKodesh that Yehoshua is the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.

19 And it came about while Rav Apollos was in Corinth that Rav Sha’ul traveled through the upper regions and arrived at Ephesus, finding some of [Moshiach’s] talmidim there.

² And Rav Sha’ul said to them, "Did you receive the Ruach Hakodesh when you came to emunah?" But they said to Rav Sha’ul, "But we never heard that there is a Ruach Hakodesh!"

³ And Rav Sha’ul said, "Into what then were you given tevilah?" And they said, "Into the tevilah of Yochanan."

⁴ And Rav Sha’ul said, "Yochanan gave a tevilah of teshuva to the people, saying that they should have emunah in Hu HaBah [Moshiach], the one coming after him, that is, in Yehoshua." [Lk 3:16]

⁵ And having heard this, they were given Moshiach’s tevilah of teshuva in haShem of the Moshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua.

⁶ And when Rav Sha’ul placed his hands upon them, the Ruach Hakodesh came upon them, and they were speaking in leshonot and they were speaking dvarim hanevu’ah.

⁷ And the anashim were about sheneym asar in number.

⁸ And having joined the minyan at the shul, Rav Sha’ul was speaking with ometz lev during the course of shloshah chodashim, debating and persuading concerning the things of the Malchut Hashem.

⁹ But when some unbelievers in the shul were being hardened and were disobeying, speaking Chillul Hashem of the Derech Hashem before the multitude, Rav Sha’ul withdrew from them. Rav Sha’ul took the Moshiach’s talmidim and yom yom was saying shiurim in the [Messianic] yeshiva of Tyrannus.

¹⁰ And this happened over a period of two years with the intended result that all the ones inhabiting [the Roman Province of] Asia heard the dvar Hashem, both Yehudim and Yevanim.

¹¹ And gevaltike moftim and niflaot Hashem effected at the hands of Rav Sha’ul,

¹² so that when a handkerchief or an apron touched the skin of Rav Sha’ul and was brought to the cholim, the machlot (sicknesses) and the shedim (demons) left them.

¹³ And some traveling Jewish exorcists attempted to use haShem of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua over the ones possessed of ruchot ra’ot, saying, "I exorcize and cast you out by the Yehoshua whom Rav Sha’ul preaches!"

¹⁴ And there were doing this very thing shivat banim of a certain Skeva, a Jewish "Kohen Gadol."

¹⁵ And in reply the ruach hara’ah (the shed, demon) said to them, "I am acquainted with Yehoshua, I have da’as of Sha’ul, but, you, who are you?!"

¹⁶ And the ish in whom was the ruach hara’ah leaped upon them and subdued all [shivah] of them, and overpowered them, so that they fled, naked and wounded, from the bais.

¹⁷ And this became known to all the Yehudim and also the Yevanim inhabiting Ephesus, and pachad (terror) fell upon all of them, and they were exalting haShem of Adoneinu Yehoshua.

¹⁸ And many of the ones having come to emunah were making vidduy of their ma’asim, disclosing them.

¹⁹ And a number of the ones who had practiced kishshuf (magic, sorcery) brought together their occult sfarim and were burning them publicly; and they added up the price of these occult sfarim, and they found it to be fifty thousand silver pieces.

²⁰ So the dvar Hashem, the Besuras HaGeulah, was growing with ko’ach and was prevailing.

²¹ And when these things were fulfilled, Rav Sha’ul resolved in his ruach to travel through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Yerushalayim, saying "After I have gone there, it is necessary for me also to see Rome."

²² So Rav Sha’ul sent to Macedonia two of the mesharetim (ministers, servants) with him‖Timotiyos and Erastus, while he stayed a little while longer in [the Province of] Asia.

²³ Now during that time there was no small disturbance concerning the Derech Hashem.

²⁴ For a certain one, Demetrius by name, a silversmith and maker of silver idol shrines for Artemis, was providing no small revach (profit) for the craftsmen.

²⁵ Demetrius also assembled the craftsmen occupied with that trade and he said, "Anashim, you have da’as that our prosperity is from this trade,

²⁶ "And you see and hear that not only here in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Rav Sha’ul has persuaded and drawn away a large multitude saying, ‘Elilim made with human hands are not Elohim.’ [Dt 4:28; Ps 115:4; Isa 44:10-20; Jer 10:3-5]

²⁷ "And this is not only a danger to us, that our part, our trade, will fall into disrepute, but also the temple of the elah hagedolah Artemis may be considered as nothing, and also may be about to suffer the loss of her majesty, which all Asia and the Olam Hazeh worship."

²⁸ And having listened and having become full of ka’as, the idol makers were crying out, saying, "Gedolah is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

²⁹ And the city was filled with tohu, and they rushed with one impulse into the theater, having seized Gaius and Aristarchus, who were Macedonians and traveling fellow po’alim of Rav Sha’ul.

³⁰ And Rav Sha’ul desired to enter into the crowd in the theater, but the talmidim were not allowing him.

³¹ And also some of the Asiarchs who were his chaverim, sent to him, begging him not to venture into the theater.

³² Then some began shouting one thing, some another, in the theater, for the kahal was in confusion, and most had no da’as of the purpose of the kahal (assembly).

³³ And from the multitude Alexander was pushed forward by Yehudim and some prompted him with shouts, while Alexander waved his hand, wanting to defend himself to the kahal.

³⁴ But having known what the man was, that he was a Yehudi, all in the theater shouted in unison for lav davka two hours crying out, "Gedolah is Artemis of the Ephesians."

³⁵ And the town clerk, when he had restrained the crowd, said, "Anashim, citizens of Ephesus, who indeed is there among Bnei Adam who does not have da’as that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the tzelem (image) that fell from Shomayim?

³⁶ "Since these things are undeniable, it is necessary for you to calm down and to do nothing reckless.

³⁷ "For you brought these anashim here who are neither temple robbers nor speakers of evil against our religion.

³⁸ "Therefore, if Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a tainah (grievance) against anyone, the civil courts are in session and there are proconsuls. Let it be there that they bring charges against one another.

³⁹ "And if you seek anything further, let your settlement be obtained in the lawful assembly.

⁴⁰ "For indeed we are in danger of being indicted for an intifadah (uprising) today, for there is no justification we can render to excuse this disorder and commotion."

⁴¹ And having said these things, the town clerk dismissed the kahal (assembly).