In Thessalonica
1When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
5But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.17:5 Or the assembly of the people 6But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
In Berea
10As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 11Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. 12As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.
13But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. 15Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
In Athens
16While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)
22Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.
24“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’17:28 From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’17:28 From the Cilician Stoic philosopher Aratus
29“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”
32When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33At that, Paul left the Council. 34Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.
保罗在帖撒罗尼迦传道
1保罗和西拉经过暗非坡里和亚波罗尼亚，到了帖撒罗尼迦。那里有犹太人的会堂。 2保罗照以往的习惯进入会堂，一连三个安息日引用圣经与他们讨论， 3解释、证明基督必须受害，然后从死里复活，又说：“我向你们宣讲的这位耶稣就是基督。” 4不少人被说服，成为保罗和西拉的同道，其中有许多是敬畏上帝的希腊人和有名望的妇女。
5那些不信主的犹太人却妒火中烧，他们召集了一群市井无赖，在城里引发骚乱，闯进耶孙的家企图把保罗和西拉揪出来示众。 6他们找不到二人，就把耶孙和几个弟兄拉到当地官员面前，高喊：“那些搅乱天下的人到我们这里来了， 7耶孙接待了他们。他们违抗凯撒的命令，说另有一个王叫耶稣。” 8百姓和当地官长听后，深感不安。 9于是，官长命耶孙等人缴纳保释金，然后释放了他们。
庇哩亚人接受福音
10弟兄姊妹立刻在夜间把保罗和西拉送往庇哩亚。他们二人一到，就进了犹太会堂。 11当地的人比帖撒罗尼迦人开明，非常乐意接受真道，还天天查考圣经，看看所听的道是否合乎圣经。 12结果有很多人信了，包括不少有名望的希腊妇女和男子。 13可是，帖撒罗尼迦的犹太人听到保罗在庇哩亚宣扬上帝的道，就赶来怂恿、煽动众人。 14庇哩亚的弟兄姊妹立刻送保罗到海边，西拉和提摩太仍然留在庇哩亚。 15护送保罗的人一直把他送到雅典，然后带着保罗的口信回庇哩亚，交代西拉和提摩太尽快赶去雅典与保罗会合。
保罗在雅典传道
16保罗在雅典等候他们的时候，看见满城都是偶像，心里非常着急。 17于是，他在会堂跟犹太人和虔诚的外族人辩论，每天在广场上跟遇见的人辩论。 18还有一些伊壁鸠鲁和斯多亚学派的哲学家和保罗争论，有人说：“这人在胡言乱语什么呀？”还有人说：“他好像在宣扬外国的神明。”他们这样说是因为保罗在传讲耶稣和祂复活的福音。 19他们带保罗到亚略·巴古议会，问他：“我们可以知道你所教导的这个新道理吗？ 20你的言论听起来确实稀奇，我们很想知道个究竟。”
21这些雅典人和侨居在那里的人无所事事，只喜欢谈论和打听一些新鲜事儿。
22保罗在亚略·巴古议会中站起来说：“各位雅典人，我看得出你们在各方面都非常虔诚。 23我在街上走的时候，观察了你们所敬拜的对象，发现一座祭坛上面写着‘献给未知之神’。这位你们不认识却在敬拜的神，我现在介绍给你们。
24“这位创造宇宙万物的上帝是天地的主宰，并不住在人手建造的庙宇里， 25也不需要人的侍奉，因为祂一无所缺。祂亲自将生命、气息和万物赐给世人。 26祂从一人造出万族，让他们散居世界各地，又预先定下他们的期限和居住的疆界， 27以便他们寻求祂，或许他们可以摸索着找到祂。祂原本就离我们各人不远， 28我们的生活、行动和存在都靠祂，你们的诗人也说过，‘我们是祂的子孙。’ 29我们既然是上帝的子孙，就不该认为上帝是人凭手艺和想象用金、银、石头所雕刻的样子。
30“上帝以往不鉴察世人的无知，现在则命令世上所有的人都要悔改。 31因为祂已经定了日子，要借祂所设立的人按公义审判这个世界。祂叫那人从死里复活，给了世人可信的凭据。”
32听见保罗提到死人复活的事，有些人就嘲笑他，还有些人说：“我们改天再听你讲这个。” 33于是保罗离开了他们。 34不过，也有人跟随保罗，信了耶稣，其中有亚略·巴古的会员丢尼修和一位名叫戴玛丽的妇人及其他人。
