17:10 The brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea 31 at once, during the night. When they arrived, 32 they went to the Jewish synagogue. 33 17:11 These Jews 34 were more open-minded 35 than those in Thessalonica, 36 for they eagerly 37 received 38 the message, examining 39 the scriptures carefully every day 40 to see if these things were so. 17:12 Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few 41 prominent 42 Greek women and men. 17:13 But when the Jews from Thessalonica 43 heard that Paul had also proclaimed the word of God 44 in Berea, 45 they came there too, inciting 46 and disturbing 47 the crowds. 17:14 Then the brothers sent Paul away to the coast 48 at once, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. 49 17:15 Those who accompanied Paul escorted him as far as Athens, 50 and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left. 51
17:16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, 52 his spirit was greatly upset 53 because he saw 54 the city was full of idols. 17:17 So he was addressing 55 the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles 56 in the synagogue, 57 and in the marketplace every day 58 those who happened to be there. 17:18 Also some of the Epicurean 59 and Stoic 60 philosophers were conversing 61 with him, and some were asking, 62 “What does this foolish babbler 63 want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods.” 64 (They said this because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.) 65 17:19 So they took Paul and 66 brought him to the Areopagus, 67 saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are proclaiming? 17:20 For you are bringing some surprising things 68 to our ears, so we want to know what they 69 mean.” 17:21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there used to spend their time 70 in nothing else than telling 71 or listening to something new.) 72
17:22 So Paul stood 73 before the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious 74 in all respects. 75 17:23 For as I went around and observed closely your objects of worship, 76 I even found an altar with this inscription: 77 ‘To an unknown god.’ Therefore what you worship without knowing it, 78 this I proclaim to you. 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, 79 who is 80 Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by human hands, 81 17:25 nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, 82 because he himself gives life and breath and everything to everyone. 83 17:26 From one man 84 he made every nation of the human race 85 to inhabit the entire earth, 86 determining their set times 87 and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, 88 17:27 so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around 89 for him and find him, 90 though he is 91 not far from each one of us. 17:28 For in him we live and move about 92 and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ 93 17:29 So since we are God’s offspring, we should not think the deity 94 is like gold or silver or stone, an image 95 made by human 96 skill 97 and imagination. 98 17:30 Therefore, although God has overlooked 99 such times of ignorance, 100 he now commands all people 101 everywhere to repent, 102 17:31 because he has set 103 a day on which he is going to judge the world 104 in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, 105 having provided proof to everyone by raising 106 him from the dead.”
17:32 Now when they heard about 107 the resurrection from the dead, some began to scoff, 108 but others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 17:33 So Paul left the Areopagus. 109 17:34 But some people 110 joined him 111 and believed. Among them 112 were Dionysius, who was a member of the Areopagus, 113 a woman 114 named Damaris, and others with them.