17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: ² and Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and for three ^[a]sabbath days reasoned with them from the scriptures, ³ opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom, said he, I proclaim unto you, is the Christ. ⁴ And some of them were persuaded, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few. ⁵ But the Jews, being moved with jealousy, took unto them certain vile fellows of the rabble, and gathering a crowd, set the city on an uproar; and assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them forth to the people. ⁶ And when they found them not, they dragged Jason and certain brethren before the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned ^[b]the world upside down are come hither also; ⁷ whom Jason hath received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. ⁸ And they troubled the multitude and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. ⁹ And when they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

¹⁰ And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Beroea: who when they were come thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the scriptures daily, whether these things were so. ¹² Many of them therefore believed; also of the Greek women of honorable estate, and of men, not a few. ¹³ But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed of Paul at Beroea also, they came thither likewise, stirring up and troubling the multitudes. ¹⁴ And then immediately the brethren sent forth Paul to go as far as to the sea: and Silas and Timothy abode there still. ¹⁵ But they that conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timothy that they should come to him with all speed, they departed.

¹⁶ Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he beheld the city full of idols. ¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with them that met him. ¹⁸ And certain also of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, What would this babbler say? others, He seemeth to be a setter forth of ^[c]strange ^[d]gods: because he ^[e]preached Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they took hold of him, and brought him ^[f]unto ^[g]the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by thee? ²⁰ For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean. ²¹ (Now all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there ^[h]spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some new thing.) ²² And Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus, and said,

Ye men of Athens, in all things I perceive that ye are ^[i]very religious. ²³ For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, To an Unknown God. What therefore ye worship in ignorance, this I set forth unto you. ²⁴ The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in ^[j]temples made with hands; ²⁵ neither is he served by men’s hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; ²⁶ and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation; ²⁷ that they should seek God, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us: ²⁸ for in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain even of your own poets have said,

For we are also his offspring. ²⁹ Being then the offspring of God, we ought not to think that ^[k]the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man. ³⁰ The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he ^[l]commandeth men that they should all everywhere repent: ³¹ inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he will judge ^[m]the world in righteousness ^[n]by ^[o]the man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

³² Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, We will hear thee concerning this yet again. ³³ Thus Paul went out from among them. ³⁴ But certain men clave unto him, and believed: among whom also was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.