Add parallel Print Page Options

22 So Paul, standing before the council,[a] addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.

24 “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. 26 From one man[b] he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.

27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your[c] own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ 29 And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

30 “God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him. 31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 17:22 Traditionally rendered standing in the middle of Mars Hill; Greek reads standing in the middle of the Areopagus.
  2. 17:26 Greek From one; other manuscripts read From one blood.
  3. 17:28 Some manuscripts read our.

Let the whole world bless our God
    and loudly sing his praises.
Our lives are in his hands,
    and he keeps our feet from stumbling.
10 You have tested us, O God;
    you have purified us like silver.
11 You captured us in your net
    and laid the burden of slavery on our backs.
12 Then you put a leader over us.[a]
    We went through fire and flood,
    but you brought us to a place of great abundance.

13 Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings
    to fulfill the vows I made to you—
14 yes, the sacred vows that I made
    when I was in deep trouble.
15 That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you—
    the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma,
    and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats. Interlude

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God,
    and I will tell you what he did for me.
17 For I cried out to him for help,
    praising him as I spoke.
18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened.
19 But God did listen!
    He paid attention to my prayer.
20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer
    or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 66:12 Or You made people ride over our heads.

Suffering for Doing Good

13 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. 15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way.[a] Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ. 17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

18 Christ suffered[b] for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.[c]

19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— 20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.[d] 21 And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from[e] a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

22 Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 3:16 Some English translations put this sentence in verse 15.
  2. 3:18a Some manuscripts read died.
  3. 3:18b Or in spirit.
  4. 3:20 Greek saved through water.
  5. 3:21 Or as an appeal to God for.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, obey[a] my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate,[b] who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.[c] 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 14:15 Other manuscripts read you will obey; still others read you should obey.
  2. 14:16 Or Comforter, or Encourager, or Counselor. Greek reads Paraclete; also in 14:26.
  3. 14:17 Some manuscripts read and is in you.

Bible Gateway Recommends

KJV/NLT People's Parallel Bible Burgundy Imitation Leather
KJV/NLT People's Parallel Bible Burgundy Imitation Leather
Retail: $49.99
Our Price: $39.99
Save: $10.00 (20%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible, Softcover
NLT Teen Life Application Study Bible, Softcover
Retail: $22.99
Our Price: $18.99
Save: $4.00 (17%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
My First Hands-on Bible--soft leather-look, pretty pink
My First Hands-on Bible--soft leather-look, pretty pink
Retail: $19.99
Our Price: $15.99
Save: $4.00 (20%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
The NLT Spiritual Growth Bible Pink Faux Leather
The NLT Spiritual Growth Bible Pink Faux Leather
Retail: $49.99
Our Price: $28.99
Save: $21.00 (42%)
4.0 of 5.0 stars
NLT glipit Bible, Purple Silicone
NLT glipit Bible, Purple Silicone
Retail: $24.99
Our Price: $12.49
Save: $12.50 (50%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars