Acts 17:7

THE MESSAGE

Thessalonica They took the road south through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, where there was a community of Jews. Paul went to their meeting place, as he usually did when he came to a town, and for three Sabbaths running he preached to them from the Scriptures. He opened up the texts so they understood what they'd been reading all their lives: that the Messiah absolutely had to be put to death and raised from the dead—there were no other options—and that "this Jesus I'm introducing you to is that Messiah." Some of them were won over and joined ranks with Paul and Silas, among them a great many God-fearing Greeks and a considerable number of women from the aristocracy. But the hard-line Jews became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as they hunted down Paul and Silas. They broke into Jason's house, thinking that Paul and Silas were there. When they couldn't find them, they collared Jason and his friends instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically, "These people are out to destroy the world, and now they've shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! And Jason is hiding them, these traitors and turncoats who say Jesus is king and Caesar is nothing!"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and Jason has welcomed them. They are all acting contrary to Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king—Jesus.”

King James Version (1611)
Whom Iason hath receiued: and these all doe contrary to the decrees of Cesar, saying, that there is another King, one Iesus.

King James Version
Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

English Standard Version
and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."

New American Standard Bible
and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."

New Century Version
Jason is keeping them in his house. All of them do things against the laws of Caesar, saying there is another king, called Jesus."

Amplified Bible
and Jason has welcomed them [into his house and protected them]! And they all are saying things contrary to the decrees of Caesar, [actually] claiming that there is another king, Jesus."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."

Legacy Standard Bible
and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."

Berean Standard Bible
and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying there is another king, named Jesus!"

Contemporary English Version
and Jason has welcomed them into his home. All of them break the laws of the Roman Emperor by claiming that someone named Jesus is king."

Complete Jewish Bible
And Jason has let them stay in his home! All of them are defying the decrees of the Emperor; because they assert that there is another king, Yeshua!"

Darby Translation
whom Jason has received; and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying, that there is another king, Jesus.

Easy-to-Read Version
Jason is keeping them in his house. They all do things against the laws of Caesar. They say there is another king called Jesus."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Whom Iason hath receiued, and these all doe against the decrees of Cesar, saying that there is another King, one Iesus.

George Lamsa Translation
And Jason has welcomed them: and all of them are against the decrees of C''sar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.

Good News Translation
and Jason has kept them in his house. They are all breaking the laws of the Emperor, saying that there is another king, whose name is Jesus."

Lexham English Bible
whom Jason has entertained as guests! And these people are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus!"

Literal Translation
whom Jason has received. And these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, Jesus.

American Standard Version
whom Jason hath received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

Bible in Basic English
Whom Jason has taken into his house: and they are acting against the orders of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.

Hebrew Names Version
whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Yeshua!"

International Standard Version
and Jason has welcomed them as his guests. All of them oppose the emperor's decrees by saying that there is another king - Jesus!"Luke 23:2; John 19:12; 1 Peter 2:15;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
and their receiver is this Jason; and all these against the commands of Cesar are risen, in saying that there is another king, Jeshu.

Murdock Translation
and this Jason is their entertainer: and they all resist the commands of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Whom Iason hath receaued [priuily.] And these al do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another kyng [one] Iesus.

English Revised Version
whom Jason hath received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.

World English Bible
whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!"

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Whom Jason hath privately received; and all these men act contrary to the decrees of Cesar, saying, that there is another king, one Jesus.

Weymouth's New Testament
Jason has received them into his house; and they all set Caesar's authority at defiance, declaring that there is another Emperor-- one called Jesus."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
whiche Jason resseyuede. And these alle don ayens the maundementis of the emperour, and seien, that Jhesu is anothir king.

Update Bible Version
whom Jason has received: and these all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king: Jesus.

Webster's Bible Translation
Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Cesar, saying, That there is another king, [one] Jesus.

New English Translation
and Jason has welcomed them as guests! They are all acting against Caesar's decrees, saying there is another king named Jesus!"

New King James Version
Jason has harbored them, and these are all acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king--Jesus."

New Living Translation
And Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, named Jesus."

New Life Bible
And Jason has taken them in. They say there is another King called Jesus. They are working against the laws made by Caesar."

New Revised Standard
and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
unto whom Jason hath given welcome; and, these all, contrary to the decrees of Caesar, are acting, - saying that there is another king, Jesus.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Whom Jason hath received. And these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.

Revised Standard Version
and Jason has received them; and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
which Iason hath receaved prevely. And these all do contrary to the elders of Cesar affirmynge another kynge one Iesus.

Young's Literal Translation
whom Jason hath received; and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying another to be king -- Jesus.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
whom Iason hath receaued preuely. And these all do contrary to the decrees of the Emperoure, sayenge, that there is another kynge, one Iesus.

Mace New Testament (1729)
they all act in defiance of the edicts of Cesar, pretending there is another king, one Jesus.

Simplified Cowboy Version
This cowboy here, Jason, has welcomed them into his home and wants to help them destroy us. They are all guilty of treason against Rome. They tell everyone not to listen to Caesar, but worship a cowboy named Jesus."

Contextual Overview

¹They took the road south through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, where there was a community of Jews. Paul went to their meeting place, as he usually did when he came to a town, and for three Sabbaths running he preached to them from the Scriptures. He opened up the texts so they understood what they'd been reading all their lives: that the Messiah absolutely had to be put to death and raised from the dead—there were no other options—and that "this Jesus I'm introducing you to is that Messiah." ⁴Some of them were won over and joined ranks with Paul and Silas, among them a great many God-fearing Greeks and a considerable number of women from the aristocracy. But the hard-line Jews became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as they hunted down Paul and Silas. They broke into Jason's house, thinking that Paul and Silas were there. When they couldn't find them, they collared Jason and his friends instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically, "These people are out to destroy the world, and now they've shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! And Jason is hiding them, these traitors and turncoats who say Jesus is king and Caesar is nothing!" The city fathers and the crowd of people were totally alarmed by what they heard. They made Jason and his friends post heavy bail and let them go while they investigated the charges. That night, under cover of darkness, their friends got Paul and Silas out of town as fast as they could. They sent them to Berea, where they again met with the Jewish community. They were treated a lot better there than in Thessalonica. The Jews received Paul's message with enthusiasm and met with him daily, examining the Scriptures to see if they supported what he said. A lot of them became believers, including many Greeks who were prominent in the community, women and men of influence. But it wasn't long before reports got back to the Thessalonian hard-line Jews that Paul was at it again, preaching the Word of God, this time in Berea. They lost no time responding, and created a mob scene there, too. With the help of his friends, Paul gave them the slip—caught a boat and put out to sea. Silas and Timothy stayed behind. The men who helped Paul escape got him as far as Athens and left him there. Paul sent word back with them to Silas and Timothy: "Come as quickly as you can!" The longer Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy, the angrier he got—all those idols! The city was a junkyard of idols. He discussed it with the Jews and other like-minded people at their meeting place. And every day he went out on the streets and talked with anyone who happened along. He got to know some of the Epicurean and Stoic intellectuals pretty well through these conversations. Some of them dismissed him with sarcasm: "What an airhead!" But others, listening to him go on about Jesus and the resurrection, were intrigued: "That's a new slant on the gods. Tell us more." These people got together and asked him to make a public presentation over at the Areopagus, where things were a little quieter. They said, "This is a new one on us. We've never heard anything quite like it. Where did you come up with this anyway? Explain it so we can understand." Downtown Athens was a great place for gossip. There were always people hanging around, natives and tourists alike, waiting for the latest tidbit on most anything. So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. "It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows . I'm here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you're dealing with. "The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn't live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn't take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don't make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We're the God-created.' Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn't make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it? "God overlooks it as long as you don't know any better—but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and he's calling for a radical life-change. He has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And he has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead." At the phrase "raising him from the dead," the listeners split: Some laughed at him and walked off making jokes; others said, "Let's do this again. We want to hear more." But that was it for the day, and Paul left. There were still others, it turned out, who were convinced then and there, and stuck with Paul—among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris. ⁶Thessalonica They took the road south through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, where there was a community of Jews. Paul went to their meeting place, as he usually did when he came to a town, and for three Sabbaths running he preached to them from the Scriptures. He opened up the texts so they understood what they'd been reading all their lives: that the Messiah absolutely had to be put to death and raised from the dead—there were no other options—and that "this Jesus I'm introducing you to is that Messiah." Some of them were won over and joined ranks with Paul and Silas, among them a great many God-fearing Greeks and a considerable number of women from the aristocracy. But the hard-line Jews became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as they hunted down Paul and Silas. They broke into Jason's house, thinking that Paul and Silas were there. When they couldn't find them, they collared Jason and his friends instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically, "These people are out to destroy the world, and now they've shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! And Jason is hiding them, these traitors and turncoats who say Jesus is king and Caesar is nothing!" The city fathers and the crowd of people were totally alarmed by what they heard. They made Jason and his friends post heavy bail and let them go while they investigated the charges. That night, under cover of darkness, their friends got Paul and Silas out of town as fast as they could. They sent them to Berea, where they again met with the Jewish community. They were treated a lot better there than in Thessalonica. The Jews received Paul's message with enthusiasm and met with him daily, examining the Scriptures to see if they supported what he said. A lot of them became believers, including many Greeks who were prominent in the community, women and men of influence. But it wasn't long before reports got back to the Thessalonian hard-line Jews that Paul was at it again, preaching the Word of God, this time in Berea. They lost no time responding, and created a mob scene there, too. With the help of his friends, Paul gave them the slip—caught a boat and put out to sea. Silas and Timothy stayed behind. The men who helped Paul escape got him as far as Athens and left him there. Paul sent word back with them to Silas and Timothy: "Come as quickly as you can!" The longer Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy, the angrier he got—all those idols! The city was a junkyard of idols. He discussed it with the Jews and other like-minded people at their meeting place. And every day he went out on the streets and talked with anyone who happened along. He got to know some of the Epicurean and Stoic intellectuals pretty well through these conversations. Some of them dismissed him with sarcasm: "What an airhead!" But others, listening to him go on about Jesus and the resurrection, were intrigued: "That's a new slant on the gods. Tell us more." These people got together and asked him to make a public presentation over at the Areopagus, where things were a little quieter. They said, "This is a new one on us. We've never heard anything quite like it. Where did you come up with this anyway? Explain it so we can understand." Downtown Athens was a great place for gossip. There were always people hanging around, natives and tourists alike, waiting for the latest tidbit on most anything. So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. "It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, to the god nobody knows . I'm here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you're dealing with. "The God who made the world and everything in it, this Master of sky and land, doesn't live in custom-made shrines or need the human race to run errands for him, as if he couldn't take care of himself. He makes the creatures; the creatures don't make him. Starting from scratch, he made the entire human race and made the earth hospitable, with plenty of time and space for living so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near. We live and move in him, can't get away from him! One of your poets said it well: ‘We're the God-created.' Well, if we are the God-created, it doesn't make a lot of sense to think we could hire a sculptor to chisel a god out of stone for us, does it? "God overlooks it as long as you don't know any better—but that time is past. The unknown is now known, and he's calling for a radical life-change. He has set a day when the entire human race will be judged and everything set right. And he has already appointed the judge, confirming him before everyone by raising him from the dead." At the phrase "raising him from the dead," the listeners split: Some laughed at him and walked off making jokes; others said, "Let's do this again. We want to hear more." But that was it for the day, and Paul left. There were still others, it turned out, who were convinced then and there, and stuck with Paul—among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris. ⁷Thessalonica They took the road south through Amphipolis and Apollonia to Thessalonica, where there was a community of Jews. Paul went to their meeting place, as he usually did when he came to a town, and for three Sabbaths running he preached to them from the Scriptures. He opened up the texts so they understood what they'd been reading all their lives: that the Messiah absolutely had to be put to death and raised from the dead—there were no other options—and that "this Jesus I'm introducing you to is that Messiah." Some of them were won over and joined ranks with Paul and Silas, among them a great many God-fearing Greeks and a considerable number of women from the aristocracy. But the hard-line Jews became furious over the conversions. Mad with jealousy, they rounded up a bunch of brawlers off the streets and soon had an ugly mob terrorizing the city as they hunted down Paul and Silas. They broke into Jason's house, thinking that Paul and Silas were there. When they couldn't find them, they collared Jason and his friends instead and dragged them before the city fathers, yelling hysterically, "These people are out to destroy the world, and now they've shown up on our doorstep, attacking everything we hold dear! And Jason is hiding them, these traitors and turncoats who say Jesus is king and Caesar is nothing!" ⁸The city fathers and the crowd of people were totally alarmed by what they heard. They made Jason and his friends post heavy bail and let them go while they investigated the charges.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

and these: Acts 16:21, Acts 25:8-11, Ezra 4:12-15, Daniel 3:12, Daniel 6:13, Luke 23:2, John 19:12, 1 Peter 2:15

Reciprocal: Ezra 4:15 - this city Esther 3:8 - their laws Matthew 2:3 - he Matthew 22:17 - Caesar Acts 17:5 - Jason Acts 24:5 - we have Acts 28:22 - for

Cross-References

Genesis 17:9
God continued to Abraham, "And you: You will honor my covenant, you and your descendants, generation after generation. This is the covenant that you are to honor, the covenant that pulls in all your descendants: Circumcise every male. Circumcise by cutting off the foreskin of the penis; it will be the sign of the covenant between us. Every male baby will be circumcised when he is eight days old, generation after generation—this includes house-born slaves and slaves bought from outsiders who are not blood kin. Make sure you circumcise both your own children and anyone brought in from the outside. That way my covenant will be cut into your body, a permanent mark of my permanent covenant. An uncircumcised male, one who has not had the foreskin of his penis cut off, will be cut off from his people—he has broken my covenant."

Genesis 17:17
Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, "Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?"

Genesis 28:13
Then God was right before him, saying, "I am God , the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. I'm giving the ground on which you are sleeping to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will be as the dust of the Earth; they'll stretch from west to east and from north to south. All the families of the Earth will bless themselves in you and your descendants. Yes. I'll stay with you, I'll protect you wherever you go, and I'll bring you back to this very ground. I'll stick with you until I've done everything I promised you."

Exodus 3:6
Then he said, "I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God.

Exodus 3:15
God continued with Moses: "This is what you're to say to the Israelites: ‘ God , the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you.' This has always been my name, and this is how I always will be known.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Whom Jason hath received,.... Into his house in a private manner, and has entertained, contrary to law, which forbids men to receive and entertain persons of seditious principles, and practices, for this is mentioned as a charge against Jason:

and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar; both the apostle and those with him, and Jason, and the brethren, whom they now had set before the magistrates, who were all of the same sentiments and practices; and which were opposite to the decrees of the Roman emperor, and the Roman senate, who suffered none to be called a king but whom they pleased; whereas these men taught, saying,

that there is another king, one Jesus; but then though they said he was a king, yet not a temporal one, but one whose kingdom was spiritual, and not of this world; and therefore asserted nothing contrary to the decrees of Caesar, or what was in the least prejudicial to his worldly interest and glory.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Whom Jason hath received - Has received into his house, and entertained kindly.

These all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar - The charge against them was that of sedition and rebellion against the Roman emperor. Grotius on this verse remarks that the Roman people, and after them the emperors, would not permit the name of king to be mentioned in any of the vanquished provinces except by their permission.

Saying that there is another king - This was probably a charge of mere malignity. They probably understood that when the apostles spoke of Jesus as a king, they did not do it as of a temporal prince. But it was easy to pervert their words, and to give plausibility to the accusation. The same thing had occurred in regard to the Lord Jesus himself, Luke 23:2.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 17:7. These all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar — Persecutors always strive to affect the lives of the objects of their hatred, by accusing them of sedition, or plots against the state.

That there is another king, one Jesus. — How malevolent was this saying! The apostles proclaimed Jesus as king-that is true; but never once insinuated that his kingdom was of this world. The reverse they always maintained.