the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Acts 17:1-18:18
Chapter 17
A Short Ministry in Thessalonica
1 Then they traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica,(a) where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As usual, Paul went to the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,(b) 3 explaining and showing that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead: "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah."(c) 4 Then some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a great number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number[a] of the leading women.(d)
Riot in the City
5 But the Jews became jealous, and they brought together some scoundrels from the marketplace, formed a mob, and started a riot in the city. Attacking Jason's house, they searched for them to bring them out to the public assembly.(e) 6 When they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city officials, shouting, "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here too, 7 and Jason has received them as guests! They are all acting contrary to Caesar's decrees,(f) saying that there is another king—Jesus!"(g) 8 The Jews stirred up the crowd and the city officials who heard these things. 9 So taking a security bond from Jason and the others, they released them.
The Bereans Search the Scriptures
10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea.(h) On arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures(i) daily to see if these things were so. 12 Consequently, many of them believed, including a number of the prominent Greek women as well as men. 13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that God's message had been proclaimed by Paul at Berea, they came there too, agitating and disturbing[b] the crowds. 14 Then the brothers immediately sent Paul away to go to the sea, but Silas and Timothy(j) stayed on there. 15 Those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving instructions for Silas and Timothy to come to him as quickly as possible, they departed.(k)
Paul in Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was troubled within him when he saw that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with those who worshiped God and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.(l) 18 Then also, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some said, "What is this pseudo-intellectual[c] trying to say?"
Others replied, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign deities"—because he was telling the good news about Jesus and the Resurrection.[d](m)
19 They took him and brought him to the Areopagus,[e] and said, "May we learn about this new teaching you're speaking of?(n) 20 For what you say sounds strange to us, and we want to know what these ideas mean." 21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners residing there spent their time on nothing else but telling or hearing something new.
The Areopagus Address
22 Then Paul stood in the middle of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that you are extremely religious in every respect. 23 For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed:
TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it(o)—He is Lord of heaven and earth(p) and does not live in shrines made by hands.(q) 25 Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything,(r) since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.(s) 26 From one man[f] He has made every nationality to live over the whole earth and has determined their appointed times and the boundaries of where they live.(t) 27 He did this so they might seek God, and perhaps they might reach out and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.(u) 28 For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.'[g](v) 29 Being God's offspring then, we shouldn't think that the divine nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image fashioned by human art and imagination.(w)
30 "Therefore, having overlooked(x) the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. He has provided proof of this to everyone by raising Him from the dead."(y)
32 When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to ridicule him. But others said, "We'd like to hear from you again about this." 33 Then Paul left their presence. 34 However, some men joined him and believed, including Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them.
Chapter 18
Founding the Corinthian Church
1 After this, he[a] left Athens and went to Corinth,(a) 2 where he found a Jewish man named Aquila,(b) a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius[b] had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them, 3 and being of the same occupation, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers[c] by trade.(c) 4 He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.(d)
5 When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with preaching the message[d] and solemnly testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.(e) 6 But when they resisted and blasphemed,(f) he shook his robe[e](g) and told them, "Your blood is on your own heads!(h) I am innocent.[f] From now on I will go to the Gentiles."(i) 7 So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed the Lord, along with his whole household.(j) Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
9 Then the Lord said to Paul in a night vision, "Don't be afraid, but keep on speaking and don't be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city." (k) 11 And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack against Paul and brought him to the judge's bench.(l) 13 "This man," they said, "persuades people to worship God contrary to the law!"
14 As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of a crime or of moral evil, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you Jews. 15 But if these are questions about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I don't want to be a judge of such things."(m) 16 So he drove them from the judge's bench. 17 Then they all[g] seized Sosthenes,(n) the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the judge's bench. But none of these things concerned Gallio.
The Return Trip to Antioch
18 So Paul, having stayed on for many days, said good-bye to the brothers and sailed away to Syria. Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because he had taken a vow.(o)
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