Trouble in Thessalonica
1 After Paul and his friends had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they went on to Thessalonica. A synagogue was in that city. 2 So as usual, Paul went there to worship, and on three Sabbaths he spoke to the people. He used the Scriptures 3 to show them that the Messiah had to suffer, but that he would rise from death. Paul also told them that Jesus is the Messiah he was preaching about. 4 Some of them believed what Paul had said, and they became followers with Paul and Silas. Some Gentiles and many important women also believed the message.
5 The Jewish leaders were jealous and got some troublemakers who hung around the marketplace to start a riot in the city. They wanted to drag Paul and Silas out to the mob, and so they went straight to Jason's home. 6 But when they did not find them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the Lord's followers. They took them to the city authorities and shouted, “Paul and Silas have been upsetting things everywhere. Now they have come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his home. All of them break the laws of the Roman Emperor by claiming that someone named Jesus is king.”
8 The officials and the people were upset when they heard this. 9 So they made Jason and the other followers pay bail before letting them go.
People in Berea Welcome the Message
10 That same night the Lord's followers sent Paul and Silas on to Berea, and after they arrived, they went to the synagogue. 11 The people in Berea were much nicer than those in Thessalonica, and they gladly accepted the message. Day after day they studied the Scriptures to see if these things were true. 12 Many of them put their faith in the Lord, including some important Greek women and several men.
13 When the Jewish leaders in Thessalonica heard that Paul had been preaching God's message in Berea, they went there and caused trouble by turning the crowds against Paul.
14 At once the followers sent Paul down to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea. 15 Some men went with Paul as far as Athens, and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
Paul in Athens
16 While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was upset to see all the idols in the city. 17 He went to the synagogue to speak to the Jews and to anyone who worshiped with them. Day after day he also spoke to everyone he met in the market. 18 Some of them were Epicureans and some were Stoics, and they started arguing with him.
People were asking, “What is this know-it-all trying to say?”
Some even said, “Paul must be preaching about foreign gods! That's what he means when he talks about Jesus and about people rising from death.”
19 They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, “Tell us what your new teaching is all about. 20 We have heard you say some strange things, and we want to know what you mean.”
21 More than anything else the people of Athens and the foreigners living there loved to hear and to talk about anything new. 22 So Paul stood up in front of the council and said:
People of Athens, I see that you are very religious. 23 As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words, “To an Unknown God.” You worship this God, but you don't really know him. So I want to tell you about him. 24 This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn't live in temples built by human hands. 25 He doesn't need help from anyone. He gives life, breath, and everything else to all people. 26 From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.
27 God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn't far from any of us, 28 and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. “We are his children,” just as some of your poets have said.
29 Since we are God's children, we must not think that he is like an idol made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn't like anything that humans have thought up and made. 30 In the past, God forgave all this because people did not know what they were doing. But now he says that everyone everywhere must turn to him. 31 He has set a day when he will judge the world's people with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death.
32 As soon as the people heard Paul say a man had been raised from death, some of them started laughing. Others said, “We will hear you talk about this some other time.” 33 When Paul left the council meeting, 34 some of the men put their faith in the Lord and went with Paul. One of them was a council member named Dionysius. A woman named Damaris and several others also put their faith in the Lord.
Nemieri Tesalonīkē
1 Izgājuši cauri Amfipolei un Apollonijai, viņi nonāca Tesalonīkē, tur bija jūdu sinagoga. 2 Pāvils, kā parasti, iegāja pie viņiem sinagogā un trīs sabatus pēc kārtas pārrunāja ar viņiem vietas no Rakstiem, 3 atklādams un pierādīdams, ka Kristum tiešām bija jācieš un jāuzceļas no mirušajiem un ka šis ir Kristus – Jēzus, ko es jums sludinu. 4 Daži tika pārliecināti, un tie pievienojās Pāvilam un Sīlam, arī liels pulks dievbijīgu grieķu un ne mazums dižciltīgu sieviešu. 5 Bet jūdi, iedegušies dusmās, savāca tirgus laukumā nelietīgus vīrus. Viņi radīja pilsētā drūzmu un nemieru. Apstājuši Jasona māju, tie gribēja izvilkt viņus tautas priekšā. 6 Viņus neatraduši, tie aizvilka Jasonu un dažus brāļus pie pilsētas varasvīriem, kliegdami: “Tie, kas sadumpojuši pasauli, nu ir ieradušies arī šeit! 7 Jasons viņus ir uzņēmis. Un viņi pretēji cēzara likumiem sludina, ka ir vēl cits Ķēniņš – kāds Jēzus.” 8 Tie musināja ļaužu pūli un pilsētas varasvīrus, kas tos klausījās. 9 Saņēmuši no Jasona un pārējiem drošības naudu, pilsētas varasvīri viņus atlaida.
Apustuļi Berojā
10 Vēl naktī brāļi aizsūtīja Pāvilu un Sīlu uz Beroju. Tur ieradušies, viņi iegāja jūdu sinagogā. 11 Šie bija labvēlīgāki nekā Tesalonīkes jūdi. Viņi vārdu uzņēma ar lielu labprātību, ik dienas pētīdami Rakstos, vai tiešām tā ir. 12 Daudzi no viņiem kļuva ticīgi – gan dižciltīgas grieķu sievietes, gan ne mazums vīru. 13 Kad Tesalonīkes jūdi uzzināja, ka Pāvils sludina Dieva vārdu arī Berojā, viņi devās turp, satraukdami un musinādami ļaužu pūli. 14 Tad brāļi nekavējoties sūtīja Pāvilu prom, lai viņš dodas līdz jūrai, bet Sīla un Timotejs palika turpat. 15 Pavadoņi aizveda Pāvilu uz Atēnām un atgriezās, saņēmuši pavēli Sīlam un Timotejam pēc iespējas ātrāk doties pie viņa.
Pāvils Atēnās
16 Pāvils gaidīja viņu ierašanos Atēnās. Un, redzot, ka pilsēta ir pilna elku tēliem, viņu pārņēma dziļš sašutums. 17 Viņš sarunājās sinagogā ar jūdiem un dievbijīgajiem grieķiem un tirgus laukumā runāja ar ļaudīm, ko ik dienas tur sastapa. 18 Daži epikūriešu un stoiķu filozofi ar viņu strīdējās, bet daži teica: “Ko šis niekkalbis grib sacīt?” – vēl citi runāja: “Šķiet, viņš sludina svešas dievības,” – jo Pāvils pauda prieka vēsti par Jēzus augšāmcelšanos. 19 Tādēļ tie viņu aizveda uz areopagu un jautāja: “Vai mēs drīkstam zināt, kas ir šī jaunā mācība, ko tu sludini? 20 Tu liec klausīties mums svešas lietas. Tādēļ gribam zināt, kas tās ir.” 21 Visi atēnieši un tur apmetušies svešinieki vislabprātāk laiku vadīja, stāstot vai klausoties jaunumus. 22 Bet Pāvils, nostājies areopaga vidū, sacīja: “Atēnieši, es redzu, ka, pēc visa spriežot, jūs esat visnotaļ dievbijīgi. 23 Apstaigādams un aplūkodams jūsu svētvietas, es atradu arī altāri ar uzrakstu: Nepazīstamajam Dievam. Tad, redzi, – ko jūs nepazīdami pielūdzat, to es jums sludinu. 24 Dievs, kas radījis pasauli un visu, kas tajā, viņš, debesu un zemes Kungs, nemājo cilvēku celtos tempļos, 25 un viņu neapkalpo cilvēku rokas, it kā viņam kā trūktu, viņš pats dod visiem dzīvību, elpu un visu. 26 No viena cilvēka viņš radīja visas cilvēku tautas, likdams tiem dzīvot pa visu zemes virsu, iepriekš nolicis laikus un robežas, kur tiem dzīvot, 27 lai tie meklētu Dievu un kaut taustoties censtos viņu atrast, lai gan viņš nav tālu nevienam no mums. 28 Jo viņā mēs dzīvojam un kustamies, un esam, kā jau daži jūsu dzejnieki ir sacījuši: mēs arī esam viņa dzimums. 29 Mums, kas esam Dieva dzimums, nav jāuzskata, ka dievišķais ir līdzīgs zelta vai sudraba, vai akmens veidojumam, ko cilvēks ar savu izdomu un prasmi darinājis. 30 Dievs, neņemdams vērā pagājušos nezināšanas laikus, tagad visur aicina visus cilvēkus atgriezties no grēkiem. 31 Dievs ir nolicis dienu, kurā viņš taisnīgumā tiesās pasauli caur vīru, ko viņš izredzējis, un visiem ir devis ticības pierādījumu, uzmodinādams viņu no mirušajiem.” 32 Dzirdēdami pieminam mirušo augšāmcelšanos, vieni ņirgājās, bet citi sacīja: “Par to mēs tevi gribam dzirdēt vēl citreiz.” 33 Tā Pāvils aizgāja no viņu vidus. 34 Bet daži vīri viņam pievienojās un sāka ticēt; starp tiem Dionīsijs, areopagits , un kāda sieviete, vārdā Damarida, un vēl daži citi līdz ar viņiem.
