1Now when they had passed through Amphipolis
and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was
a synagogue of the Jews:
2And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto
them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out
of the scriptures,
3Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs
have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and
that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.
4And some of them believed, and consorted
with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a
great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
5But the Jews which believed not, moved with
envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the
baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the
city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason,
and sought to bring them out to the people.
6And when they found them not, they drew
Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the
city, crying, These that have turned the world
upside down are come hither also;
7Whom Jason hath received: and these all do
contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there
is another king, one Jesus.
8And they troubled the people and the rulers
of the city, when they heard these things.
9And when they had taken security of Jason,
and of the other, they let them go.
10And the brethren immediately sent away Paul
and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went
into the synagogue of the Jews.
11These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with
all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures
daily, whether those things were so.
12Therefore many of them believed; also of
honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not
a few.
13But when the Jews of Thessalonica had
knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul
at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the
people.
14And then immediately the brethren sent away
Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and
Timotheus abode there still.
15And they that conducted Paul brought him
unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas
and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed,
they departed.
16Now while Paul waited for them at Athens,
his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city
wholly given to idolatry.
17Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with
the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the
market daily with them that met with him.
18Then certain philosophers of the
Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And
some said, What will this babbler say? other some,
He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods:
because he preached unto them Jesus, and the
resurrection.
19And they took him, and brought him unto
Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new
doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?
20For thou bringest certain strange things to
our ears: we would know therefore what these things
mean.
21(For all the Athenians and strangers which
were there spent their time in nothing else, but
either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
22Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill,
and said, Ye men
of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too
superstitious.
23For as I passed by, and beheld your
devotions, I found an altar with this inscription,
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly
worship, him declare I unto you.
24God that made the world and all things
therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as
though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all
life, and breath, and all things;
26And hath made of one blood all nations of
men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and
hath determined the times before appointed, and the
bounds of their habitation;
27That they should seek the Lord, if haply
they might feel after him, and find him, though he
be not far from every one of us:
28For in him we live, and move, and have our
being; as certain also of your own poets have said,
For we are also his offspring.
29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of
God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like
unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and
man's device.
30And the times of this ignorance God winked
at; but now commandeth all men every where to
repent:
31Because he hath appointed a day, in the
which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man
whom he hath ordained; whereof he
hath given assurance unto all men,
in that he hath raised him from the dead.
32And when they heard of the resurrection of
the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear
thee again of this matter.
33So Paul departed from among them.
34Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and
believed: among the which was Dionysius
the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and
others with them.