³¹ Then Jesus *said to them, “You will all ^[a](A)fall away because of Me this night, for it is written, ‘^(B)I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be ^(C)scattered.’

⁵⁴ How then will ^(A)the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?”

⁵⁶ But all this has taken place to fulfill ^(A)the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.

¹² And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of ^(A)the Son of Man that ^(B)He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt?

²⁵ And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that ^(A)the prophets have spoken! ^26 (B)Was it not necessary for the ^[a]Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” ²⁷ Then beginning ^[b]with ^(C)Moses and ^[c]with all the ^(D)prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

⁴⁶ and He said to them, “^(A)Thus it is written, that the ^[a]Christ would suffer and ^(B)rise again from the dead the third day,

² And ^(A)according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three ^(B)Sabbaths reasoned with them from ^(C)the Scriptures, ^3 [a]explaining and ^[b]giving evidence that the ^[c]Christ ^(D)had to suffer and ^(E)rise again from the dead, and saying, “^(F)This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the ^[d]Christ.” ^4 (G)And some of them were persuaded and joined ^(H)Paul and Silas, ^[e]along with a large number of the ^(I)God-fearing ^(J)Greeks and ^[f]a number of the ^(K)leading women. ⁵ But ^(L)the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of ^(M)Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. ⁶ When they did not find them, they began ^(N)dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have upset ^[g](O)the world have come here also; ^7 [h]and Jason ^(P)has welcomed them, and they all act ^(Q)contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” ⁸ They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. ⁹ And when they had received a ^[i]pledge from ^(R)Jason and the others, they released them.

Paul at Berea

^10 (S)The brethren immediately sent ^(T)Paul and Silas away by night to ^(U)Berea, ^[j]and when they arrived, they went into ^(V)the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹ Now these were more noble-minded than those in ^(W)Thessalonica, ^[k]for they received the word with ^[l]great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. ¹² Therefore ^(X)many of them believed, ^[m]along with a number of ^(Y)prominent Greek ^(Z)women and men. ¹³ But when the Jews of ^(AA)Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in ^(AB)Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds. ¹⁴ Then immediately ^(AC)the brethren sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and ^(AD)Silas and ^(AE)Timothy remained there. ¹⁵ Now ^(AF)those who escorted Paul brought him as far as ^(AG)Athens; and receiving a command for ^(AH)Silas and Timothy to ^(AI)come to him as soon as possible, they left.

Paul at Athens

¹⁶ Now while Paul was waiting for them at ^(AJ)Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. ¹⁷ So he was reasoning ^(AK)in the synagogue with the Jews and ^(AL)the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present. ¹⁸ And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were ^[n]conversing with him. Some were saying, “What would ^(AM)this ^[o]idle babbler wish to say?” Others, “He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities,”—because he was preaching ^(AN)Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹ And they ^(AO)took him and brought him ^[p]to the ^[q](AP)Areopagus, saying, “May we know what ^(AQ)this new teaching is ^[r]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 ^(AR)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 ^[s]Areopagus and said, “Men of ^(AS)Athens, I observe that you are very ^(AT)religious in all respects. ²³ For while I was passing through and examining the ^(AU)objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what ^(AV)you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. ^24 (AW)The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is ^(AX)Lord of heaven and earth, does not ^(AY)dwell in temples made with hands; ²⁵ nor is He served by human hands, ^(AZ)as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; ²⁶ and ^(BA)He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having ^(BB)determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, ²⁷ that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, ^(BC)though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸ for ^(BD)in Him we live and move and ^[t]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ ²⁹ Being then the children of God, we ^(BE)ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. ³⁰ Therefore having ^(BF)overlooked ^(BG)the times of ignorance, God is ^(BH)now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, ³¹ because He has fixed ^(BI)a day in which ^(BJ)He will judge ^[u](BK)the world in righteousness ^[v]through a Man whom He has ^(BL)appointed, having furnished proof to all men ^[w]by ^(BM)raising Him from the dead.”

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

²² So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day ^(A)testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what ^(B)the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; ^23 [a](C)that ^[b]the Christ was ^[c]to suffer, and ^[d]that ^(D)by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim ^(E)light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”

²⁴ While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus *said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! ^[e]Your great ^(F)learning is ^[f]driving you mad.” ²⁵ But Paul *said, “I am not out of my mind, ^(G)most excellent Festus, but I utter words ^[g]of sober truth. ²⁶ For the king ^[h](H)knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a ^[i]corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the Prophets? I know that you ^[j]do.” ²⁸ Agrippa replied to Paul, “^[k]In a short time you ^[l]will persuade me to ^[m]become a ^(I)Christian.” ²⁹ And Paul said, “^[n]I would wish to God, that whether ^[o]in a short or long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these ^(J)chains.”

^30 (K)The king stood up and the governor and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them, ³¹ and when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, “^(L)This man is not doing anything worthy of death or ^[p]imprisonment.” ³² And Agrippa said to Festus, “This man might have been ^(M)set free if he had not ^(N)appealed to Caesar.”

³ For ^(A)I delivered to you ^[a]as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died ^(B)for our sins ^(C)according to the Scriptures,