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.
1 Izgājuši cauri Amfipolei un Apollonijai, viņi nonāca Tesalonīkē; tur bija jūdu sinagoga. 2 Pāvils, kā parasti, iegāja pie tiem un trīs sabatus runāja ar tiem par rakstiem, 3 tos izskaidrodams un pierādīdams, ka Kristum vajadzēja ciest un augšāmcelties no mirušiem, un teikdams: "Šis ir Kristus Jēzus, ko es jums sludinu." 4 Dažus no tiem viņš pārliecināja, un tie piebiedrojās Pāvilam un Sīlam, arī liels pulks dievbijīgu grieķu un daudz dižciltīgu sievu. 5 Bet jūdi, sadusmoti un sabiedrojušies ar dažiem nelietīgiem klaidoņiem, saskrēja barā un radīja nemieru pilsētā un, apstājuši Jazona namu, meklēja viņus, lai vestu pūļa priekšā. 6 Bet, tos neatraduši, viņi Jazonu un dažus brāļus vilka pilsētas valdes priekšā, kliegdami: "Tie, kas visā pasaulē rada nemieru, atnākuši arī šeit; 7 tos Jazons uzņēmis; un tie visi rīkojas pret ķeizara pavēlēm, sacīdami, ka cits ir Ķēniņš - Jēzus." 8 Viņi uztrauca ļaudis un pilsētas valdes vīrus, kas to dzirdēja. 9 Bet, dabūjuši gandarījumu no Jazona un pārējiem, viņi tos atbrīvoja. 10 Bet brāļi tūdaļ naktī Pāvilu un Sīlu nosūtīja uz Beroju; tur nonākuši, viņi iegāja jūdu sinagogā. 11 Tie bija labvēlīgāki par Tesalonīkes jūdiem un vārdu labprāt uzņēma, meklēdami ik dienas rakstos, vai tas tā esot. 12 Daudzi no viņiem kļuva ticīgi, un ne mazums cienījamu grieķu sievu un vīru. 13 Kad Tesalonīkes jūdi uzzināja, ka arī Berojā Pāvils sludina Dieva vārdu, viņi nāca arī uz turieni, uztraukdami un samulsinādami ļaudis. 14 Brāļi tūdaļ sūtīja Pāvilu prom, lai viņš ietu uz jūru, bet Sīla un Timotejs palika tur. 15 Pavadoņi Pāvilu aizveda līdz Atēnām un aizgāja, dabūjuši līdzi pavēli Sīlam un Timotejam, lai tie pēc iespējas drīz nāktu pie viņa. 16 Kamēr Pāvils Atēnās viņus gaidīja, viņa gars iedegās dusmās, redzot, ka pilsēta ir pilna elku. 17 Viņš sarunājās sinagogās ar jūdiem un dievbijīgajiem un ik dienas tirgus laukumā ar visiem, kas gadījās. 18 Bet daži epikūriešu un stoiķu filozofi ar viņu sarunājās, un daži sacīja: "Ko šis pļāpa grib teikt? - un citi: šis šķiet esam svešu dievu sludinātājs." Jo viņš sludināja Jēzu un augšāmcelšanos. 19 Saņēmuši tie viņu veda uz areiopagu, sacīdami: "Vai mēs nevarētu dabūt zināt, kas tā par jaunu mācību, ko tu sludini? 20 Jo tu runā mūsu ausīm svešas lietas; tāpēc mēs gribam zināt, kas tas ir." 21 Bet visiem atēniešiem un svešiniekiem, kas tur mita, nekas cits nerūpēja kā vien ko jaunu runāt un dzirdēt. 22 Pāvils, stāvēdams areiopaga vidū, sacīja: "Atēnieši, es redzu, ka jūs visās lietās esat ļoti dievbijīgi. 23 Jo, staigādams un aplūkodams jūsu svētumus, es atradu arī altāri ar uzrakstu: Nepazīstamam Dievam. Ko jūs nepazīdami godājat, to es jums sludinu. 24 Dievs, kas radījis pasauli un visu, kas tanī, būdams debess un zemes Kungs, nemājo rokām celtos tempļos. 25 Un Viņu neapkalpo cilvēku rokas, it kā Viņam kā vajadzētu: Viņš pats dod visiem dzīvību, elpu un visu; 26 Viņš licis visām tautām celties no vienām asinīm un dzīvot pa visu zemes virsu un nospraudis noteiktus laikus un robežas, kur tiem dzīvot, 27 lai tie meklētu Dievu, vai tie Viņu varētu nojaust un atrast, jebšu Viņš nav tālu nevienam no mums. 28 Jo Viņā mēs dzīvojam un rosāmies, un esam, kā arī daži jūsu dziesminieki sacījuši: mēs arī esam Viņa cilts. 29 Tāpēc mums, kas esam Dieva cilts, nav jādomā, ka dievība ir līdzīga zeltam, sudrabam vai akmenim, cilvēka mākslas darinājumam vai izdomājumam. 30 Bet Dievs, atstādams neievērotus nezināšanas laikus, tagad aicina visus cilvēkus visur atgriezties no grēkiem. 31 Jo Viņš nolicis dienu, kurā Viņš pasauli taisnīgi tiesās caur kādu Vīru, ko Viņš izredzējis un par ko visiem liecību devis, uzmodinādams To no mirušiem." 32 Par mirušo augšāmcelšanos dzirdēdami, citi zobojās, bet citi sacīja: "Par to mēs tevi vēl kādu citu reizi dzirdēsim." 33 Tā Pāvils aizgāja no viņu vidus. 34 Bet daži viņam piebiedrojās un kļuva ticīgi. Starp tiem bija Dionisijs, areiopaga loceklis, kāda sieva, vārdā Damarida, un vēl citi līdz ar viņiem.
