Acts 18
18
Founding the Corinthian Church
1After this, he#18:1 Other mss read Paul left Athens and went to Corinth,#Ac 17:15; 19:1; 1Co 1:2; 2Co 1:1,23; 2Tm 4:20 2where he found a Jew named Aquila,#Ac 18:18,26; Rm 16:3–5; 1Co 16:19; 2Tm 4:19 a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them, 3and since they were of the same occupation, tentmakers by trade,#Ac 20:34; 1Co 4:12; 9:15; 2Co 11:7; 12:13; 1Th 2:9; 2Th 3:8 he stayed with them and worked. 4He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.#Ac 9:20; 13:14; 14:1; 18:19
5When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself to preaching the word#18:5 Other mss read was urged by the Spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.#Jb 32:18; Ac 15:22; 16:1,9; 17:3,14–15; 18:28; 1Th 3:6 6When they resisted and blasphemed,#Ac 13:45; Rm 3:8; 1Co 4:13; Ti 3:2 he shook out his clothes#Neh 5:13; Mt 10:14; Ac 13:51 and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads!#2Sm 1:16; Ezk 18:13; 33:4; Mt 27:25 I am innocent.#18:6 Lit clean From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”#Ezk 3:18; Ac 13:46 7So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household.#Mk 5:22; Ac 11:14; 1Co 1:14 Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
9The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. 10For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”#Mt 28:20; Ac 23:11 11He stayed there a year and a half, teaching the word of God among them.
12While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack against Paul and brought him to the tribunal.#Ac 13:7; 18:27 13“This man,” they said, “is persuading people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”
14As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or of a serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you Jews. 15But if these are questions about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.”#Ac 23:29; 25:11,19 16So he drove them from the tribunal. 17And they all#18:17 Other mss read Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes,#1Co 1:1 the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal, but none of these things mattered to Gallio.
The Return Trip to Antioch
18After staying for some time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.#Nm 6:2,5,9,18; Ac 21:24; Rm 16:1 19When they reached Ephesus#Ac 19:1; 20:16; 1Co 15:32; 1Tm 1:3; 2Tm 1:18 he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and debated with the Jews. 20When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, 21but he said farewell and added,#18:21 Other mss add “By all means it is necessary to keep the coming festival in Jerusalem. But “I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.”#Rm 1:10; 1Co 4:19; 16:7; Heb 6:3; Jms 4:15; 1Pt 3:17 Then he set sail from Ephesus.
22On landing at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, then went down to Antioch.#Ac 8:40; 11:19
23After spending some time there, he set out, traveling through one place after another in the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.#Ac 14:22; 16:6
The Eloquent Apollos
24Now a Jew named Apollos,#Ac 19:1; 1Co 1:12; 3:5; 4:6; 16:12; Ti 3:13 a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. 25He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit,#18:25 Or in the Spirit he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism.#Lk 7:29; Ac 9:2; 19:3; Rm 12:11 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside#18:26 Lit they received him and explained the way of God to him more accurately.#Mt 2:8; Lk 1:3; Ac 18:25; 23:15,20; 24:22; Eph 5:15; 1Th 5:2 27When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters wrote to the disciples to welcome him. After he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.#Ac 18:12,18; 1Co 3:6 28For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.#Ac 9:22; 17:2–3; 18:5
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Acts 18: CSB
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Acts 18
18
Paul Goes to Corinth
1After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2There he met a Jew named Aquila, who was a native of Pontus. Aquila had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla. The emperor Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see Aquila and Priscilla. 3They were tentmakers, just as he was. So he stayed and worked with them. 4Every Sabbath day he went to the synagogue. He was trying to get both Jews and Greeks to believe in the Lord.
5Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia. Then Paul spent all his time preaching. He was a witness to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6But they opposed Paul. They treated him badly. So he shook out his clothes in protest. Then he said to them, “God’s judgment against you will be your own fault! Don’t blame me for it! From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”
7Then Paul left the synagogue and went to the house next door. It was the house of Titius Justus, a man who worshiped God. 8Crispus was the synagogue leader. He and everyone living in his house came to believe in the Lord. Many others who lived in Corinth heard Paul. They too believed and were baptized.
9One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Keep on speaking. Don’t be silent. 10I am with you. No one will attack you and harm you. I have many people in this city.” 11So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half. He taught them God’s word.
12At that time Gallio was governor of Achaia. The Jews of Corinth got together and attacked Paul. They brought him into court. 13They made a charge against Paul. They said, “This man is talking people into worshiping God in wrong ways. Those ways are against the law.”
14Paul was about to give reasons for his actions. But just then Gallio spoke to them. He said, “You Jews don’t claim that Paul has committed a great or small crime. If you did, it would make sense for me to listen to you. 15But this is about your own law. It is a question of words and names. Settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16So he made them leave. 17Then the crowd there turned against Sosthenes, the synagogue leader. They beat him up in front of the governor. But Gallio didn’t care at all.
Priscilla and Aquila Teach Apollos
18Paul stayed in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria. Priscilla and Aquila went with him. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae. He did this because he had made a promise to God. 19They arrived at Ephesus. There Paul said goodbye to Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and talked with the Jews. 20The Jews asked him to spend more time with them. But he said no. 21As he left, he made them a promise. “If God wants me to,” he said, “I will come back.” Then he sailed from Ephesus. 22When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem. There he greeted the church. He then went down to Antioch.
23Paul spent some time in Antioch. Then he left and traveled all over Galatia and Phrygia. He gave strength to all the believers there.
24At that time a Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was an educated man from Alexandria. He knew the Scriptures very well. 25Apollos had been taught the way of the Lord. He spoke with great power. He taught the truth about Jesus. But he only knew about John’s baptism. 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. Priscilla and Aquila heard him. So they invited him to their home. There they gave him a better understanding of the way of God.
27Apollos wanted to go to Achaia. The brothers and sisters agreed with him. They wrote to the believers there. They asked them to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who had become believers by God’s grace. 28In public meetings, he argued strongly against Jews who disagreed with him. He proved from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
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