Acts 17

17 ¹After dem waka pass Amphipolis and Apollonia, dem come reach Thessalonica, wia one Jewish synagogue dey. ²Paul, as im dey always do, enter go meet dem and reason wit dem from the Scriptures for three Sabbath days. ³As im dey open and explain the Scriptures say the Christ must suffer and rise from death, im talk say, “This Jesus wey I dey proclaim to una na the Christ.” ⁴Some of dem gree and join Paul and Silas, plus plenty Greek people wey dey fear God, and some important women too. ⁵But the Jews come dey jealous, dem gather bad-bad men from the market, form mob, and turn the city upside down. Dem rush Jason house, dey find dem so dem go fit bring dem come meet the crowd. ⁶As dem no see dem, dem drag Jason and some brothers go meet the city officials, dey shout say, “These men wey don turn the whole world upside down don come here too, ⁷and Jason don welcome dem. All of dem dey go against Caesar law, dey talk say another king dey—Jesus.” ⁸So dem trouble the crowd and the city authorities wey hear these things. ⁹And afta dem collect bail money from Jason and the rest, dem let dem go.

The Berea People Search the Scriptures

¹⁰That same night, the brothers quick-quick send Paul and Silas comot go Berea; as dem reach, dem enter the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹These Jews get open mind pass the ones for Thessalonica, dem receive the word wit gladness and dey search the Scriptures everyday to see if these things na true. ¹²So plenty of dem believe, plus plenty important Greek women and men. ¹³But wen the Jews from Thessalonica hear say Paul dey proclaim the word of our Papa for Berea too, dem come there also, dey cause wahala and dey stir up the crowds. ¹⁴The brothers quick-quick send Paul comot go the sea side, but Silas and Timothy stay for there. ¹⁵The people wey follow Paul carry am reach Athens, then dem go back wit word say make Silas and Timothy join am quick-quick.

Paul Reach Athens

¹⁶As Paul dey wait for dem for Athens, im spirit no gree settle for inside am, wen im see say idols full the whole city. ¹⁷So im dey reason for the synagogue wit the Jews and the people wey dey worship God, and everyday for the market wit anybody wey im see there. ¹⁸Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers come dey argue wit am too. Some ask, “Wetin this yarn-yarn man dey try talk?” Others talk say, “E be like say im dey preach strange gods”—because im dey preach the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

¹⁹Dem carry am go the Areopagus, dey ask, “Abeg we fit sabi this new teaching wey you dey bring? ^a a v19 The Areopagus, or “Mars Hill,” na the rocky hill for Athens wia the city council dey meet to weigh new ideas and teachings. ²⁰Because you dey bring strange things come our ears, so we wan sabi wetin dem mean.” ²¹Now all the Athens people and the foreigners wey dey live there no dey do anything else pass to dey yarn or dey hear something new.

²²Paul stand for the middle of the Areopagus and talk say, “Una Athens people, I see say una too dey religious for every way. ²³Because as I dey waka pass and dey look una sacred things, I see one altar wey dem write for am: ‘To a god wey we no sabi.’ The one wey una dey worship wey una no even sabi, na am I dey proclaim give una now. ²⁴Our Papa, wey make the world and everything wey dey inside am, as im be the Oga of heaven and earth, no dey live for temples wey hand build, ^b b v24 Paul dey tell the pagan Athens people say the “god wey dem no sabi” wey dem dey worship na, for true, our Papa — the One wey create all things, wey no fit dey inside any temple. ²⁵and hand of human being no fit serve am, as if say im dey need anything—na im imsef dey give everybody life, breath, and everything. ²⁶From one man im make every nation of mankind live for the whole earth, dey fix the time dem set for dem and the boundaries of dem land, ²⁷so that dem go fit find our Papa, and maybe dem go reach am and see am—even though im no far from each one of us, ²⁸because ‘Na inside am we dey live and dey move and dey exist’; as even some of una own poets don talk, ‘We too na im pikin.’ ²⁹So as we be our Papa im children, we no suppose think say the divine one be like gold, or silver, or stone—image wey human being skill and imagination make. ³⁰The times of ignorance our Papa close eye for am, but now im command all people for everywhere make dem repent. ³¹Im don set one day wey im go judge the world for correct way, through one man wey im choose—im don prove am give everybody as im raise am from death.” ^c c v31 The man wey our Papa choose to judge the world na Jesus; the proof wey the Papa give everybody na say im raise Jesus from death.

³²Wen dem hear about the resurrection of the dead, some laugh am; others talk say, “We go hear you again about this matter.” ³³So Paul comot from dem. ³⁴But some men join am and believe, including Dionysius the Areopagite man, one woman wey dem dey call Damaris, and some others.