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Acts 17:16-18
Contemporary English Version
Acts 17:16-18
Contemporary English Version
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[a] and some were Stoics,[b] 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.”[c]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 17.18 Epicureans: People who followed the teaching of a man named Epicurus, who taught that happiness should be the main goal in life.
- 17.18 Stoics: Followers of a man named Zeno, who taught that people should learn self-control and be guided by their consciences.
- 17.18 people rising from death: Or “a goddess named ‘Rising from Death.’ ”
Acts 17:16-18
New International Version
Acts 17:16-18
New International Version
In Athens
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue(A) with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate 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(B) about Jesus and the resurrection.(C)
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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