book 17
1
保罗和西拉,经过暗妃波里,亚波罗尼亚,来到帖撒罗尼迦,在那里有犹太人的会堂。

When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.

2
保罗照他素常的规矩进去,一连三个安息日,本着圣经与他们辩论,

As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

3
讲解陈明基督必须受害,从死里复活。又说,我所传与你们的这位耶稣,就是基督。

explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said.

4
他们中间有些人听了劝,就附从保罗和西拉。并有许多虔敬的希利尼人,尊贵的妇女也不少。

Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.

5
但那不信的犹太人心里嫉妒,招聚了些市井匪类,搭伙成群,耸动合城的人,闯进耶孙的家,要将保罗西拉带到百姓那里。

But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.

6
找不着他们,就把耶孙和几个弟兄,拉到地方官那里,喊叫说,那搅乱天下的,也到这里来了。

But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here,

7
耶孙收留他们。这些人都违背该撒的命令,说另有一个王耶稣。

and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus."

8
众人和地方官,听见这话,就惊慌了。

When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil.

9
于是取了耶孙和其余之人的保状,就释放了他们。

Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

10
弟兄们,随即在夜间打发保罗和西拉往庇哩亚去。二人到了,就进入犹太人的会堂。

As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.

11
这地方的人,贤于帖撒罗尼迦的人,甘心领受这道,天天考查圣经,要晓得这道,是与不是。

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

12
所以他们中间多有相信的。又有希利尼尊贵的妇女,男子也不少。

Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

13
但帖撒罗尼迦的犹太人,知道保罗又在庇哩亚传神的道,也就往那里去,耸动搅扰众人。

When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up.

14
当时弟兄们便打发保罗往海边去。西拉和提摩太仍住在庇哩亚。

The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.

15
送保罗的人带他到了雅典。既领了保罗的命,叫西拉和提摩太速速到他这里来,就回去了。

The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

16
保罗在雅典等候他们的时候,看见满城都是偶像,就心里着急。

While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols.

17
于是在会堂里,与犹太人,和虔敬的人,并每日在市上所遇见的人辩论。

So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.

18
还有以彼古罗和斯多亚两门的学士,与他争论。有的说,这胡言乱语的要说什么。有的说,他似乎是传说外邦鬼神的。这话是因保罗传讲耶稣,与复活的道。

A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

19
他们就把他带到亚略巴古说,你所讲的这新道,我们也可以知道吗?

Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

20
因为你有些奇怪的事,传到我们耳中。我们愿意知道这些事是什么意思。

You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean."

21
雅典人,和住在那里的客人,都不顾别的事,只将新闻说说听听

(All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

22
保罗站在亚略巴古当中,说,众位雅典人哪,我看你们凡事很敬畏鬼神。

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.

23
我游行的时候,观看你们所敬拜的,遇见一座坛,上面写着未识之神。你们所不认识而敬拜的,我现在告诉你们。

For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.

24
创造宇宙和其中万物的神,既是天地的主,就不住人手所造的殿。

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.

25
也不用人手服事,好像缺少什么,自己倒将生命气息,万物,赐给万人。

And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.

26
他从一本造出万族的人,(本有古卷作血脉),住在全地上,并且预先定准他们的年限,和所住的疆界。

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.

27
要叫他们寻求神,或者可以揣摩而得,其实他离我们各人不远。

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.

28
我们生活,动作,存留,都在乎他,就如你们作诗的,有人说,我们也是他所生的。

'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'

29
我们既是神所生的,就不当以为神的神性像人用手艺,心思,所雕刻的金,银,石。

"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill.

30
世人蒙昧无知的时候,神并不监察,如今却吩咐各处的人都要悔改。

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

31
因为他已经定了日子,要借着他所设立的人,按公义审判天下。并且叫他从死里复活,给万人作可信的凭据。

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

32
众人听见从死里复活的话,就有讥诮他的,又有人说,我们再听你讲这个吧。

When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject."

33
于是保罗从他们当中出去了。

At that, Paul left the Council.

34
但有几个人贴近他,信了主,其中有亚略巴古的官丢尼修,并一个妇人,名叫大马哩,还有别人一同信从。

A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.