6. But they did not find them. So they dragged Jason and some other believers to the leaders of the city. The people were yelling, “These men have made trouble everywhere in the world. And now they have come here too!
7. Jason is keeping them in his house. All of them do things against the laws of Caesar. They say that there is another king called Jesus.”
8. When the people and the leaders of the city heard these things, they became very upset.
9. They made Jason and the others put up a sum of money. Then they let the believers go free.
10. That same night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. There Paul and Silas went to the Jewish synagogue.
11. These Jews were better than the Jews in Thessalonica. They were eager to hear the things Paul and Silas said. These Jews in Berea studied the Scriptures every day to find out if these things were true.
12. So, many of them believed. Many important Greek men and women also believed.
13. But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they came there, too. They upset the people and made trouble.
14. So the believers quickly sent Paul away to the coast. But Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea.
15. The men who took Paul went with him to Athens. Then they carried a message from Paul back to Silas and Timothy. It said, “Come to me as soon as you can.”
16. Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens. He was troubled because he saw that the city was full of idols.
17. In the synagogue, he talked with the Jews and the Greeks who worshiped the true God. He also talked every day with people in the marketplace.
18. Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers argued with him. Some of them said, “This man doesn’t know what he is talking about. What is he trying to say?” Paul was telling them the Good News of Jesus’ rising from death. They said, “He seems to be telling us about some other gods.”
19. They got Paul and took him to a meeting of the Areopagus. They said, “Please explain to us this new idea that you have been teaching.
20. The things you are saying are new to us. We want to know what this teaching means.”