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Acts 17:16-31 CEV . . .While Paul was waiting in Athens, he was upset to see all the idols in the city. (17) He went to the Jewish meeting place 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 and some were Stoics, 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." (19) They brought Paul before a council called the Areopagus, and said, "Tell us what your new teaching is all about. (20) We have heard you say some strange things, and we want to know what you mean." (21) More than anything else the people of Athens and the foreigners living there loved to hear and to talk about anything new. (22) So Paul stood up in front of the council and said: People of Athens, I see that you are very religious. (23) As I was going through your city and looking at the things you worship, I found an altar with the words, "To an Unknown God." You worship this God, but you don't really know him. So I want to tell you about him. (24) This God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, and he doesn't live in temples built by human hands. (25) He doesn't need help from anyone. He gives life, breath, and everything else to all people. (26) From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be. (27) God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn't far from any of us, (28) and he gives us the power to live, to move, and to be who we are. "We are his children," just as some of your poets have said. (29) Since we are God's children, (Gal 3:19-29) we must not think that he is like an idol made out of gold or silver or stone. He isn't like anything that humans have thought up and made. (30) In the past, God forgave all this because people did not know what they were doing. But now he says that everyone everywhere must turn to him. (31) He has set a day when he will judge the world's people with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death.
Acts 17:16-31 ESV . . .Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. (17) So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there. (18) Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities"--because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. (19) And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? (20) For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean." (21) Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new. (22) So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. (23) For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. (24) The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, (25) nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. (26) And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, (27) that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, (28) for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring.' (29) Being then God's offspring, (Gal 3:19-29) we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. (30) The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, (31) because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."
Acts 17:16-31 GNB . . .While Paul was waiting in Athens for Silas and Timothy, he was greatly upset when he noticed how full of idols the city was. (17) So he held discussions in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentiles who worshiped God, and also in the public square every day with the people who happened to come by. (18) Certain Epicurean and Stoic teachers also debated with him. Some of them asked, "What is this ignorant show-off trying to say?" Others answered, "He seems to be talking about foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection. (19) So they took Paul, brought him before the city council, the Areopagus, and said, "We would like to know what this new teaching is that you are talking about. (20) Some of the things we hear you say sound strange to us, and we would like to know what they mean." (21) (For all the citizens of Athens and the foreigners who lived there liked to spend all their time telling and hearing the latest new thing.) (22) Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, "I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious. (23) For as I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which is written, 'To an Unknown God.' That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you. (24) God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. (25) Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone. (26) From one human being he created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live. (27) He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any one of us; (28) as someone has said, 'In him we live and move and exist.' It is as some of your poets have said, 'We too are his children.' (29) Since we are God's children, (Gal 3:19-29) we should not suppose that his nature is anything like an image of gold or silver or stone, shaped by human art and skill. (30) God has overlooked the times when people did not know him, but now he commands all of them everywhere to turn away from their evil ways. (31) For he has fixed a day in which he will judge the whole world with justice by means of a man he has chosen. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising that man from death!"
Acts 17:16-31 NWT . . .Now while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his spirit within him came to be irritated at beholding that the city was full of idols. 17 Consequently he began to reason in the synagogue with the Jews and the other people who worshiped [God] and every day in the marketplace with those who happened to be on hand. 18 But certain ones of both the Ep·i·cu·re´an and the Sto´ic philosophers took to conversing with him controversially, and some would say: “What is it this chatterer would like to tell?” Others: “He seems to be a publisher of foreign deities.” This was because he was declaring the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. 19 So they laid hold of him and led him to the Ar·e·op´a·gus, saying: “Can we get to know what this new teaching is which is spoken by you? 20 For you are introducing some things that are strange to our ears. Therefore we desire to get to know what these things purport to be.” 21 In fact, all Athenians and the foreigners sojourning there would spend their leisure time at nothing but telling something or listening to something new. 22 Paul now stood in the midst of the Ar·e·op´a·gus and said: “Men of Athens, I behold that in all things YOU seem to be more given to the fear of the deities than others are. 23 For instance, while passing along and carefully observing YOUR objects of veneration I also found an altar on which had been inscribed ‘To an Unknown God.’ Therefore what YOU are unknowingly giving godly devotion to, this I am publishing to YOU. 24 The God that made the world and all the things in it, being, as this One is, Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in handmade temples, 25 neither is he attended to by human hands as if he needed anything, because he himself gives to all [persons] life and breath and all things. 26 And he made out of one [man] every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth, and he decreed the appointed times and the set limits of the dwelling of [men], 27 for them to seek God, if they might grope for him and really find him, although, in fact, he is not far off from each one of us. 28 For by him we have life and move and exist, even as certain ones of the poets among YOU have said, ‘For we are also his progeny.’ 29 “Seeing, therefore, that we are the progeny of God, (Gal 3:19-29) we ought not to imagine that the Divine Being is like gold or silver or stone, like something sculptured by the art and contrivance of man. 30 True, God has overlooked the times of such ignorance, yet now he is telling mankind that they should all everywhere repent. 31 Because he has set a day in which he purposes to judge the inhabited earth in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and he has furnished a guarantee to all men in that he has resurrected him from the dead.”
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You will note the reference windows often include more than one translation of the Bible. The reason is to strive to gain the best possible understanding of the original Hebrew and Greek. Since we don't speak those languages, we rely on those who have come before and made the effort to translate those texts into English for us. Considering several translations gives the benefit of the understanding of several translation committees or individuals.
The Translations we quote are:
ALT - Analytical Literal Translation
ASV - American Standard Version (by the American revision committee in 1897).
BBE - 1965 Bible in Basic English
Bishops - 1568 Bishop's Bible
Calvin - 1856 by Calvin Translation Society
CEV - Contemporary English Version
Coverdale - 1535 Miles Coverdale Bible
Darby - 1889 Darby Bible
DRB - 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible
ESV - English Standard Version
GNB - Good News Bible
GW - God's Word Bible
ISV - International Standard Version
KJV - 1769 King James Version
KJV-1611 - Old King James Version from 1611
LitNT - Literal New Testament
LITV - Literal Translation of the Holy Bible
MKJV - 1962 Modern King James Version
Murdock - 1851 James Murdock New Testament
MWT - Modern World Translation
NWT - New World Translation
RV - Revised Version
Webster - 1833 Webster Bible
WTNT - 1525-26 William Tyndale New Testament
Wycliffe - 1394 Wycliffe Bible
YLT - 1862/1898 Young's Literal Translation
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