¹⁴ Then immediately ^(A)the brothers sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and ^(B)Silas and ^(C)Timothy remained there. ¹⁵ Now ^(D)those who escorted Paul brought him as far as ^(E)Athens; and receiving a command for ^(F)Silas and Timothy to ^(G)come to him as soon as possible, they left.

Paul in Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them in ^(H)Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he observed that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ So he was reasoning ^(I)in the synagogue with the Jews and ^(J)the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be present. ¹⁸ And some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers as well were ^[a]conversing with him. Some were saying, “What could ^(K)this ^[b]scavenger of tidbits want to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was preaching ^(L)Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they ^(M)took him and brought him ^[c]to the ^[d](N)Areopagus, saying, “May we know what ^(O)this new teaching is ^[e]which you are proclaiming? ²⁰ For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean.” ²¹ (Now all the Athenians and the strangers ^(P)visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

Sermon on Mars Hill

²² So Paul stood in the midst of the ^[f]Areopagus and said, “Men of ^(Q)Athens, I see that you are very ^(R)religious in all respects. ²³ For while I was passing through and examining the ^(S)objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore, what ^(T)you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. ^24 (U)The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is ^(V)Lord of heaven and earth, does not ^(W)dwell in temples made by hands; ²⁵ nor is He served by human hands, ^(X)as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; ²⁶ and ^(Y)He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having ^(Z)determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, ²⁷ that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, ^(AA)though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for ^(AB)in Him we live and move and ^[g]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’ ²⁹ Therefore, since we are the descendants of God, we ^(AC)ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and thought. ³⁰ So having ^(AD)overlooked ^(AE)the times of ignorance, God is ^(AF)now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, ³¹ because He has set ^(AG)a day on which ^(AH)He will judge ^[h](AI)the world in righteousness ^[i]through a Man whom He has ^(AJ)appointed, having furnished proof to all people ^[j]by ^(AK)raising Him from the dead.”

³² Now when they heard of ^(AL)the resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, “We shall hear from you ^[k]again concerning this.” ³³ So Paul went out from among them. ³⁴ But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the ^(AM)Areopagite and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

⁵ But when ^(A)Silas and Timothy ^(B)came down from ^(C)Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, ^(D)testifying to the Jews that ^(E)Jesus was the ^[a]Christ.

²² And after he sent into ^(A)Macedonia two of ^(B)those who assisted him, ^(C)Timothy and ^(D)Erastus, he himself stayed in ^[a](E)Asia for a while.