Apostelgeschichte 17 | New International Reader’s Version

Paul and Silas arrive in Thessalonica

1 Paul and those travelling with him passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia. They came to Thessalonica. A Jewish synagogue was there. 2 Paul went into the synagogue as he usually did. For three Sabbath days in a row he talked with the Jews about the Scriptures. 3 He explained and proved that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. ‘This Jesus I am telling you about is the Messiah!’ he said. 4 His words won over some of the Jews. They joined Paul and Silas. A large number of Greeks who worshipped God joined them too. So did quite a few important women. 5 But other Jews were jealous. So they rounded up some evil people 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. 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. 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.’ 8 When the crowd and the city officials heard this, they became very upset. 9 They made Jason and the others give them money. The officials did this to make sure they would return to the court. Then they let Jason and the others go.

Paul and Silas are sent to Berea

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. 11 The Berean Jews 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 Thessalonian Jews. 12 Because of this, many of the Berean Jews believed. A number of important Greek women also became believers. And so did many Greek men. 13 But the Jews in Thessalonica found out that Paul was preaching God’s word in Berea. So some of them went there too. They stirred up the crowds and got them all worked up. 14 Right away the believers sent Paul to the coast. But Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. 15 The believers 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.

Paul preaches in 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. 17 So he went to the synagogue. There he talked both with Jews and with Greeks who worshipped 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. 19 They took him to a meeting of the Areopagus. There they said to him, ‘What is this new teaching you’re giving us? 20 You have some strange ideas we’ve never heard before. We would like to know what they mean.’ 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, ‘People of Athens! I see that you are very religious in every way. 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. So you don’t know what you are worshipping. Now I am going to tell you about this “unknown god.” 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 human hands. 25 He is not served by human hands. He doesn’t need anything. Instead, he himself gives life and breath to all people. He also gives them everything else they have. 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. 27 God did this so that people would seek him. And perhaps they would reach out for him and find him. They would find him even though he is not far from any of us. 28 “In him we live and move and exist.” As some of your own poets have also said, “We are his children.” 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. 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. 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 everyone by raising that man from the dead.’ 32 They heard Paul talk about the dead being raised. Some of them made fun of this idea. But others said, ‘We want to hear you speak about this again.’ 33 So Paul left the meeting of the Areopagus. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed in Jesus. Dionysius was one of them. He was a member of the Areopagus. A woman named Damaris also became a believer. And so did some others.

Nuova Riveduta 2006

Paolo e Sila a Tessalonica

1 Dopo essere passati per Amfipoli e per Apollonia, giunsero a Tessalonica, dove c’era una sinagoga dei Giudei; 2 e Paolo, com’era sua consuetudine, entrò da loro, e per tre sabati tenne loro ragionamenti tratti dalle Scritture*, 3 spiegando e dimostrando che il Cristo doveva soffrire e risuscitare dai morti. «E il Cristo», egli diceva, «è quel Gesù che io vi annuncio». 4 Alcuni di loro furono convinti e si unirono a Paolo e Sila, e così una gran folla di Greci pii e non poche donne delle famiglie più importanti. 5 Ma i Giudei*, mossi da invidia, presero con loro alcuni uomini malvagi tra la gente di piazza; e, raccolta quella plebaglia, misero in subbuglio la città; e, assalita la casa di Giasone*, cercavano Paolo e Sila per condurli davanti al popolo. 6 Ma non avendoli trovati, trascinarono Giasone e alcuni fratelli davanti ai magistrati della città, gridando: «Costoro, che hanno messo sottosopra il mondo, sono venuti anche qui, 7 e Giasone li ha ospitati; ed essi tutti agiscono contro i decreti di Cesare, dicendo che c’è un altro re: Gesù». 8 E misero in agitazione la popolazione e i magistrati della città, che udivano queste cose. 9 Questi, dopo aver ricevuto una cauzione da Giasone e dagli altri, li lasciarono andare.

Paolo e Sila a Berea

10 Ma i fratelli subito, di notte, fecero partire Paolo e Sila per Berea; ed essi, appena giunti, si recarono nella sinagoga dei Giudei. 11 Ora questi erano di sentimenti più nobili di quelli di Tessalonica, perché ricevettero la Parola con ogni premura, esaminando ogni giorno le Scritture per vedere se le cose stavano così. 12 Molti di loro dunque credettero, e così pure un gran numero di nobildonne greche e di uomini. 13 Ma quando i Giudei di Tessalonica vennero a sapere che la Parola di Dio era stata annunciata da Paolo anche a Berea, si recarono là, agitando e mettendo sottosopra la folla. 14 I fratelli allora fecero subito partire Paolo, conducendolo fino al mare; ma Sila e Timoteo rimasero ancora là. 15 Quelli che accompagnavano Paolo lo condussero fino ad Atene e, ricevuto l’ordine di dire a Sila e a Timoteo che quanto prima si recassero da lui, se ne tornarono indietro.

Paolo ad Atene; il discorso nell’Areòpago

16 Mentre Paolo li aspettava ad Atene, lo spirito gli s’inacerbiva dentro nel vedere la città piena di idoli. 17 Frattanto discorreva nella sinagoga con i Giudei e con le persone pie; e sulla piazza, ogni giorno, con quelli che vi si trovavano. 18 E anche alcuni filosofi epicurei e stoici conversavano con lui. Alcuni dicevano: «Che cosa dice questo ciarlatano?» E altri: «Egli sembra essere un predicatore di divinità straniere», perché annunciava Gesù e la risurrezione. 19 Presolo con sé, lo condussero su nell’Areòpago*, dicendo: «Potremmo sapere quale sia questa nuova dottrina che tu proponi? 20 Poiché tu ci fai sentire cose strane. Noi vorremmo dunque sapere che cosa vogliono dire queste cose». 21 Or tutti gli Ateniesi e i residenti stranieri non passavano il loro tempo in altro modo che a dire o ad ascoltare novità. 22 E Paolo, stando in piedi in mezzo all’Areòpago, disse: «Ateniesi, vedo che sotto ogni aspetto siete estremamente religiosi. 23 Poiché, passando e osservando gli oggetti del vostro culto, ho trovato anche un altare sul quale era scritto: “Al dio sconosciuto”. Orbene, ciò che voi adorate senza conoscerlo, io ve lo annuncio. 24 Il Dio che ha fatto il mondo e tutte le cose che sono in esso, essendo Signore del cielo e della terra, non abita in templi costruiti da mani d’uomo; 25 e non è servito dalle mani dell’uomo, come se avesse bisogno di qualcosa; lui, che dà a tutti la vita, il respiro e ogni cosa. 26 Egli ha tratto da uno solo tutte le nazioni degli uomini perché abitino su tutta la faccia della terra, avendo determinato le epoche loro assegnate e i confini della loro abitazione, 27 affinché cerchino Dio, se mai giungano a trovarlo, come a tastoni, benché egli non sia lontano da ciascuno di noi. 28 Difatti in lui viviamo, ci muoviamo e siamo, come anche alcuni vostri poeti hanno detto: “Poiché siamo anche sua discendenza*”. 29 Essendo dunque discendenza di Dio, non dobbiamo credere che la divinità sia simile a oro, ad argento, o a pietra scolpita dall’arte e dall’immaginazione umana. 30 Dio dunque, passando sopra i tempi dell’ignoranza, ora comanda agli uomini che tutti, in ogni luogo, si ravvedano, 31 perché ha fissato un giorno nel quale giudicherà il mondo con giustizia per mezzo dell’uomo che egli ha stabilito, e ne ha dato sicura prova a tutti risuscitandolo dai morti». 32 Quando sentirono parlare di risurrezione dei morti, alcuni se ne beffavano; e altri dicevano: «Su questo ti ascolteremo un’altra volta». 33 Così Paolo uscì di mezzo a loro. 34 Ma alcuni si unirono a lui e credettero; tra i quali anche Dionisio l’areopagita, una donna chiamata Damaris e altri con loro.

Apostelgeschichte 17 | New International Reader’s Version Nuova Riveduta 2006