New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Acts 17
1
Paul and Silas passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia. They came to Thessalonica. A Jewish synagogue was there.
Reference
📍 Locations
2
Paul went into the synagogue as he usually did. For three Sabbath days in a row he talked about the Scriptures with the Jews.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 9:20
Isaiah 1:18
Acts 18:4
Acts 14:1
Acts 17:17
John 18:20
Luke 4:16
References Paul
Acts 17:10
Word
Acts 13:5
Acts 8:35
3
He explained and proved that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am telling you about is the Christ!" he said.
Reference
Parallel theme
Luke 24:32
References Christ
Acts 9:22
Acts 3:18
References Jesus
Acts 18:28
Resurrection
Luke 24:46
4
His words won some of the Jews over. They joined Paul and Silas. A large number of Greeks who worshiped God joined them too. So did quite a few important women.
Reference
5
But the Jews were jealous. So they rounded up some evil fellows from the market place. Forming a crowd, they started all kinds of trouble in the city. The Jews rushed to Jason's house. They were looking for Paul and Silas. They wanted to bring them out to the crowd.
Reference
People
Faith
Acts 14:2
Parallel theme
Acts 17:13
Galatians 5:26
Acts 17:7
Romans 16:21
Galatians 5:21
Judges 9:4
6
But they couldn't find them. So they dragged Jason and some other believers to the city officials. "These men have caused trouble all over the world," they shouted. "Now they have come here.
Reference
7
Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all disobeying Caesar's commands. They say there is another king. He is called Jesus."
Reference
8
When the crowd and the city officials heard this, they became very upset.
9
They made Jason and the others give them money. They wanted to make sure they would return to the court. Then they let them go.
10
As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. When they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
Reference
📍 Berea
11
The Bereans were very glad to receive Paul's message. They studied the Scriptures carefully every day. They wanted to see if what Paul said was true. So they were more noble than the Thessalonians.
Reference
📍 Thessalonica
12
Many of the Jews believed. A number of important Greek women also became believers. And so did many Greek men.
Reference
13
The Jews in Thessalonica found out that Paul was preaching God's word in Berea. So they went there too. They stirred up the crowds and got them all worked up.
📍 Locations
14
Right away the believers sent Paul to the coast. But Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea.
Reference
15
The men who went with Paul took him to Athens. Then they returned with orders that Silas and Timothy were supposed to join him as soon as they could.
Reference
📍 Athens
16
Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens. He was very upset to see that the city was full of statues of gods.
Reference
📍 Athens
17
So he went to the synagogue. There he talked with Jews and with Greeks who worshiped God. Each day he spoke with anyone who happened to be in the market place.
18
A group of Epicurean and Stoic thinkers began to argue with him. Some of them asked, "What is this fellow chattering about?" Others said, "He seems to be telling us about gods we've never heard of." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus. He was telling them that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Reference
19
They took him to a meeting of the Areopagus. There they said to him, "What is this new teaching you're giving us?
Reference
📍 Areopagus
20
You have some strange ideas. We've never heard them before. We want to know what they mean."
Reference
21
All the people of Athens spent their time talking about and listening to the latest ideas. People from other lands who lived there did the same.
22
Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus. He said, "Men of Athens! I see that you are very religious in every way.
Reference
📍 Locations
References Paul
Acts 25:19
23
As I walked around, I looked carefully at the things you worship. I even found an altar with ~to an unknown god= written on it. Now I am going to tell you about this 'unknown god' that you worship.
Reference
Parallel theme
John 17:25
References God
John 17:3
Acts 17:30
1 Corinthians 1:21
1 John 5:20
Romans 1:28
1 Corinthians 8:5
John 8:54
Worship
John 4:22
Matthew 15:9
24
"He is the God who made the world. He also made everything in it. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. He doesn't live in temples built by hands.
Reference
Creation
Acts 7:48
Acts 4:24
Parallel theme
2 Chronicles 2:6
Revelation 20:11
References God
1 Kings 8:27
Deuteronomy 10:14
2 Chronicles 6:18
References Lord
Isaiah 66:1
Matthew 11:25
Psalm 115:16
25
He is not served by human hands. He doesn't need anything. He himself gives life and breath to all people. He also gives them everything else they have.
Reference
26
From one man he made all the people of the world. Now they live all over the earth. He decided exactly when they should live. And he decided exactly where they should live.
Reference
Creation
Malachi 2:10
1 Corinthians 15:22
Parallel theme
Genesis 3:20
1 Corinthians 15:47
Psalm 31:15
Job 14:5
Job 12:23
Genesis 9:19
Daniel 11:35
27
God did this so that people would seek him. Then perhaps they would reach out for him and find him. They would find him even though he is not far from any of us.
Reference
28
'In him we live and move and exist.' As some of your own poets have also said, 'We are his children.'
Reference
29
"Yes, we are God's children. So we shouldn't think that God is made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn't a statue planned and made by clever people.
Reference
30
In the past, God didn't judge people for what they didn't know. But now he commands all people everywhere to turn away from their sins.
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 14:16
1 Peter 4:3
Psalm 50:21
References God
Romans 3:25
Acts 17:23
Repentance
Luke 24:47
Acts 3:19
Acts 11:18
Acts 20:21
Mark 6:12
31
He has set a day when he will judge the world fairly. He has appointed a man to be its judge. God has proved this to all people by raising that man from the dead."
Reference
Judgment
2 Peter 3:7
2 Corinthians 5:10
Romans 2:16
1 Corinthians 4:5
Matthew 10:15
Resurrection
Acts 4:10
Righteousness
Psalm 98:9
Psalm 9:8
Psalm 96:13
Romans 2:5
32
When they heard Paul talk about the dead rising, some of them made fun of it. But others said, "We want to hear you speak about this again."
Reference
Parallel theme
Acts 2:13
Acts 24:25
Acts 25:19
1 Corinthians 4:10
2 Corinthians 6:2
Luke 14:18
2 Chronicles 36:16
Resurrection
Acts 17:18
Acts 26:8
Acts 17:31
33
So Paul left the meeting of the Areopagus.
Chapter Summary
Acts 17 follows Paul, Silas, and Timothy as they continue their mission through Macedonia and eventually reach Athens, showing how the Gospel is explained to Jewish communities, ordinary Gentiles, Roman citizens, and highly educated Greek philosophers.
Paul first arrives in Thessalonica, an important city on the Roman road known as the Via Egnatia, and spends several Sabbaths teaching in the synagogue, explaining from the Scriptures that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise again, and that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
Some Jews believe, along with many God-fearing Greeks and several prominent women, but other Jewish leaders become jealous when they see the growing response to Paul's preaching and organize a crowd against the missionaries.
Because Paul and Silas cannot be found, the angry crowd attacks the house of Jason, a believer who had welcomed them, and accuses the missionaries of causing trouble throughout the Roman world and claiming that Jesus is another king, an accusation that could sound politically dangerous in the Roman Empire.
The believers therefore send Paul and Silas to Berea, where the people listen carefully and examine the Scriptures every day to see whether Paul's teaching is true, making the Bereans an important example of people who combine openness to new teaching with careful examination.
Many Bereans believe, but opponents from Thessalonica arrive and stir up the crowds again, so Paul is sent toward the coast and eventually travels to Athens while Silas and Timothy remain behind temporarily.
Athens presents Paul with a completely different environment because the city is filled with temples, statues, altars, religious traditions, and philosophical schools.
Paul is deeply troubled by the large number of idols, but instead of simply attacking the people, he begins by speaking respectfully about their religious interest and uses an altar dedicated to an unknown god as a bridge into his message about the true God.
Paul explains that the Creator made the entire world and does not live inside temples built by human hands, does not need human offerings to survive, and gives all people life, breath, and everything they need.
He then explains that all humanity comes from one origin and that God wants people everywhere to seek Him, while using ideas familiar to Greek culture to explain that human beings depend on God for their very existence.
Paul strongly challenges idol worship by explaining that the divine nature cannot be represented by gold, silver, or stone shaped by human hands, and he calls everyone to repent because God has appointed a day when He will judge the world through the man He has chosen.
The most important proof Paul gives is that God raised Jesus from the dead, but this message produces mixed reactions, with some Athenians laughing, some wanting to hear more, and others believing.
Among those who believe are Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris, showing that even in an intellectual and strongly pagan city, the Gospel finds people willing to accept it.
The central message of Acts 17 is that the Gospel can be communicated clearly in very different cultures without changing its central truth, because Paul speaks differently in the synagogue, the marketplace, and the Areopagus while always pointing people toward the same God and the same risen Jesus.
The chapter also teaches the importance of examining what we hear, as the Bereans are praised because they do not simply accept Paul's teaching without checking the Scriptures for themselves.
Another important lesson is that people respond differently to the same message, because some Thessalonians become believers, others become violent, some Athenians laugh at the resurrection, others want to hear more, and some choose to believe.
Acts 17 also gives one of the clearest examples of Paul adapting his communication to his audience, because he does not begin his speech in Athens by quoting Jewish Scripture to people who may not know it; instead, he starts with their religious practices, connects his message to ideas they already understand, and then leads them toward the central truth about God, repentance, judgment, Jesus, and the resurrection.
Historically, the chapter is especially important because it shows Christianity moving deeper into the Greek-speaking intellectual world, where it encounters not only ordinary people and Jewish communities but also the philosophical traditions of Epicureanism and Stoicism.
The chapter therefore shows that the Christian mission is becoming increasingly international, moving from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, Asia Minor, Macedonia, and now Greece, while Paul continues to preach the same message even when the culture, language, beliefs, and intellectual background of his audience change dramatically.
Paul first arrives in Thessalonica, an important city on the Roman road known as the Via Egnatia, and spends several Sabbaths teaching in the synagogue, explaining from the Scriptures that the Messiah had to suffer, die, and rise again, and that Jesus is the promised Messiah.
Some Jews believe, along with many God-fearing Greeks and several prominent women, but other Jewish leaders become jealous when they see the growing response to Paul's preaching and organize a crowd against the missionaries.
Because Paul and Silas cannot be found, the angry crowd attacks the house of Jason, a believer who had welcomed them, and accuses the missionaries of causing trouble throughout the Roman world and claiming that Jesus is another king, an accusation that could sound politically dangerous in the Roman Empire.
The believers therefore send Paul and Silas to Berea, where the people listen carefully and examine the Scriptures every day to see whether Paul's teaching is true, making the Bereans an important example of people who combine openness to new teaching with careful examination.
Many Bereans believe, but opponents from Thessalonica arrive and stir up the crowds again, so Paul is sent toward the coast and eventually travels to Athens while Silas and Timothy remain behind temporarily.
Athens presents Paul with a completely different environment because the city is filled with temples, statues, altars, religious traditions, and philosophical schools.
Paul is deeply troubled by the large number of idols, but instead of simply attacking the people, he begins by speaking respectfully about their religious interest and uses an altar dedicated to an unknown god as a bridge into his message about the true God.
Paul explains that the Creator made the entire world and does not live inside temples built by human hands, does not need human offerings to survive, and gives all people life, breath, and everything they need.
He then explains that all humanity comes from one origin and that God wants people everywhere to seek Him, while using ideas familiar to Greek culture to explain that human beings depend on God for their very existence.
Paul strongly challenges idol worship by explaining that the divine nature cannot be represented by gold, silver, or stone shaped by human hands, and he calls everyone to repent because God has appointed a day when He will judge the world through the man He has chosen.
The most important proof Paul gives is that God raised Jesus from the dead, but this message produces mixed reactions, with some Athenians laughing, some wanting to hear more, and others believing.
Among those who believe are Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damaris, showing that even in an intellectual and strongly pagan city, the Gospel finds people willing to accept it.
The central message of Acts 17 is that the Gospel can be communicated clearly in very different cultures without changing its central truth, because Paul speaks differently in the synagogue, the marketplace, and the Areopagus while always pointing people toward the same God and the same risen Jesus.
The chapter also teaches the importance of examining what we hear, as the Bereans are praised because they do not simply accept Paul's teaching without checking the Scriptures for themselves.
Another important lesson is that people respond differently to the same message, because some Thessalonians become believers, others become violent, some Athenians laugh at the resurrection, others want to hear more, and some choose to believe.
Acts 17 also gives one of the clearest examples of Paul adapting his communication to his audience, because he does not begin his speech in Athens by quoting Jewish Scripture to people who may not know it; instead, he starts with their religious practices, connects his message to ideas they already understand, and then leads them toward the central truth about God, repentance, judgment, Jesus, and the resurrection.
Historically, the chapter is especially important because it shows Christianity moving deeper into the Greek-speaking intellectual world, where it encounters not only ordinary people and Jewish communities but also the philosophical traditions of Epicureanism and Stoicism.
The chapter therefore shows that the Christian mission is becoming increasingly international, moving from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, Asia Minor, Macedonia, and now Greece, while Paul continues to preach the same message even when the culture, language, beliefs, and intellectual background of his audience change dramatically.