6. And when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These people who have stirred up trouble throughout the world have come here also,
7. whom Jason has entertained as guests! And these people are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus!”
8. And they threw the crowd into confusion, and the city officials who heard these things.
9. And after taking money as security from Jason and the rest, they released them.
10. Now the brothers sent away both Paul and Silas at once, during the night, to Berea. They went into the synagogue of the Jews when they arrived.
11. Now these were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica. They accepted the message with all eagerness, examining the scriptures every day to see if these things were so.
12. Therefore many of them believed, and not a few of the prominent Greek women and men.
13. But when the Jews from Thessalonica found out that the message of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there too, inciting and stirring up the crowds.
14. So then the brothers sent Paul away at once to go to the sea, and both Silas and Timothy remained there.
15. And those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving an order for Silas and Timothy that they should come to him as soon as possible, they went away.
16. Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he observed the city was full of idols.
17. So he was discussing in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.
18. And even some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him, and some were saying, “What does this babbler want to say?” But others said, “He appears to be a proclaimer of foreign deities,” because he was proclaiming the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
19. And they took hold of him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we learn what is this new teaching being proclaimed by you?
20. For you are bringing some astonishing things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.”