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¹ 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 to them, and for three 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 Jesus, whom I proclaim to 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 to them certain vile men 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 didn't find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the rulers of the city, crying out, These that have turned the world upside down have come here also;⁷ whom Jason has received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king: 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 brothers immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night to Berea: who when they had come there 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 the 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 Berea also, they came there likewise, stirring up and troubling the multitudes.¹⁴ And then immediately the brothers sent forth Paul to go as far as to the sea: and Silas and Timothy abode there still.¹⁵ But those that conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens: and receiving a commandment to 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 inside him as he looked at the city full of idols.¹⁷ So he reasoned in the synagogue with Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those 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 seems to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached Jesus and the resurrection.¹⁹ And they took hold of him, and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by you?²⁰ For you bring certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.²¹ (Now all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning there 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, You men of Athens, in all things, I perceive that you are 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 you worship in ignorance, this I set forth to you.²⁴ The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;²⁵ neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself gives 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 perhaps 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 the Godhead is like gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and device of man.³⁰ The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked; but now he commands men that they should all everywhere repent:³¹ inasmuch as he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has appointed; whereof he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.

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