1Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. (徒20:4; 腓4:16; 帖前1:1)2And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, (徒8:35; 徒13:5)3explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.” (路24:26; 路24:32; 约20:9; 徒3:18)4And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. (约7:35; 徒14:4; 徒17:12; 帖前2:1)5But the Jews[1] were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. (士9:4; 士11:3; 代下13:7; 徒5:17; 徒13:50; 帖前2:14)6And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, (徒16:19)7and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (路2:1; 路23:2; 徒16:4)8And the people and the city authorities were disturbed when they heard these things.9And when they had taken money as security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.
Paul and Silas in Berea
10The brothers[2] immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. (约21:23; 徒17:2; 徒17:14)11Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. (赛34:16; 约5:39)12Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men. (徒13:50; 徒17:4)13But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds. (徒17:8)14Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. (太10:23; 徒16:1; 徒17:10)15Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed. (徒15:3; 徒18:1; 徒18:5; 帖前3:1)
Paul in Athens
16Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. (赛2:8; 彼后2:8)17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. (徒13:5)18Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. (徒4:2; 徒5:42; 徒17:31; 林前4:10; 林前15:12)19And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? (可1:27; 约7:16; 徒17:22; 徒17:34; 來13:9)20For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.” (何8:12; 彼前4:4; 彼前4:12)21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
Paul Addresses the Areopagus
22So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.23For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. (约4:22; 徒17:30; 林前15:34)24The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,[3] (申10:14; 诗115:16; 赛42:5; 太11:25; 徒7:48; 徒14:15)25nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. (创2:7; 创7:22; 代上29:14; 代上29:16; 伯22:2; 伯27:3; 伯33:4; 诗50:8; 传12:7; 亚12:1; 徒17:28; 提前6:17; 雅1:5; 雅1:17)26And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, (创3:20; 创11:8; 申32:8; 伯12:23; 伯14:5; 诗74:17; 玛2:10; 路21:35)27that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, (申4:7; 伯23:3; 伯23:8; 诗145:18; 耶23:23; 徒14:17; 徒15:17)28for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;[4] as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’[5] (伯12:10; 但5:23; 多1:12; 來2:11)29Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. (赛40:18; 赛40:25; 赛46:5; 路3:38; 羅1:23; 來12:9)30The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, (可1:15; 可6:12; 徒14:16; 徒17:23; 羅3:25; 弗4:18; 多2:11; 彼前1:14; 彼前4:3)31because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” (诗9:8; 诗96:13; 诗98:9; 赛2:12; 太12:36; 约16:10; 徒2:24; 徒10:42; 羅1:4; 羅2:16; 羅3:6; 林前3:13; 提后4:8; 彼前2:23; 彼后2:9; 约一4:17)32Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” (徒2:13; 徒17:18; 徒24:25; 徒26:8; 來6:2)33So Paul went out from their midst.34But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them. (徒17:19; 徒17:22)