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ACTS 18
page 999
said, “He seems to be preaching about some
foreign gods.”
19 Then they took him to the high council
of the city.* “Come and tell us about this new
teaching,” they said. 20 “You are saying some
rather strange things, and we want to know
what it’s all about.” 21 (It should be explained
that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners
in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.)
22 So Paul, standing before the council,* addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice
that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I
was walking along I saw your many shrines. And
one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To
an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship
without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.
24 “He is the God who made the world and
everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and
earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples,
25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—
for he has no needs. He himself gives life and
breath to everything, and he satisfies every
need. 26 From one man* he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided
beforehand when they should rise and fall, and
he determined their boundaries.
27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek
after God and perhaps feel their way toward him
and find him—though he is not far from any one
of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist.
As some of your* own poets have said, ‘We
are his offspring.’ 29 And since this is true, we
shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by
craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.
30 “God overlooked people’s ignorance about
these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their
sins and turn to him. 31 For he has set a day for
judging the world with justice by the man he
has appointed, and he proved to everyone who
this is by raising him from the dead.”
32 When they heard Paul speak about the
resurrection of the dead, some laughed in contempt, but others said, “We want to hear more
about this later.” 33 That ended Paul’s discussion
with them, 34 but some joined him and became
believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the council,* a woman named Damaris,
and others with them.
Paul Meets Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth
Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.* 2 There he became acquainted
with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who
18
17:19 Or the most learned society of philosophers in the city.
Greek reads the Areopagus. 17:22 Traditionally rendered
standing in the middle of Mars Hill; Greek reads standing in
the middle of the Areopagus. 17:26 Greek From one; other
manuscripts read From one blood. 17:28 Some manuscripts
read our. 17:34 Greek an Areopagite. 18:1 Athens and
Corinth were major cities in Achaia, the region in the southern
portion of the Greek peninsula. 18:3 Or leatherworkers.
had recently arrived from Italy with his wife,
Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius
Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. 3 Paul
lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers* just as he was.
4 Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue,
trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike.
5 And after Silas and Timothy came down from
Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching
the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was
the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes
and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—
I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to
the Gentiles.”
7 Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and
lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the
leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his
household believed in the Lord. Many others in
Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and
were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision
and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t
be silent! 10 For I am with you, and no one will
attack and harm you, for many people in this
city belong to me.” 11 So Paul stayed there for the
next year and a half, teaching the word of God.
12 But when Gal lio became governor of
Achaia, some Jews rose up together against
Paul and brought him before the governor for
judgment. 13 They accused Paul of “persuading
people to worship God in ways that are contrary
to our law.”
14 But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said,
“Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving
some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would
have a reason to accept your case. 15 But since
it is merely a question of words and names
and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves.
• Jealousy
A C TS 17:5-6
The religious leaders were jealous. This
was their territory, and Paul was moving into it. In their jealousy, they incited
a mob to riot and attack the home of
Jason, a believer. They engaged in criminal activity in order to satisfy their petty
jealousies. But God never endorses sin
as a means for carrying out his plans!
Inappropriate jealousy is just another
form of self-centeredness and has nothing to do with carrying out the purposes
of God.