Acts 18
18
Paul in Corinth
1After this, Paul left Athens and went to the city of Corinth. 2In Corinth he met a Jewish man named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. Aquila had been born in Pontus, and they had recently come from Italy because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them, 3and because they made tents for a living as he did, he stayed with them and they worked together.
4On every day of rest—a holy day, Paul would discuss ⌞Scripture⌟ in the synagogue. He tried to win over Jews and Greeks who had converted to Judaism. 5But when Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his time to teaching God’s word. He assured the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah. 6But they opposed him and insulted him. So Paul shook the dust from his clothes and told them, “You’re responsible for your own death. I’m innocent. From now on I’m going to people who are not Jewish.”
7Then he left the synagogue and went to the home of a man named Titius Justus, who was a convert to Judaism. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8The synagogue leader Crispus and his whole family believed in the Lord. Many Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
9One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Don’t be afraid to speak out! Don’t be silent! 10I’m with you. No one will attack you or harm you. I have many people in this city.”
11Paul lived in Corinth for a year and a half and taught God’s word to them.
12While Gallio was governor of Greece, the Jews had one thought in mind. They attacked Paul and brought him to court. 13They said, “This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are against Moses’ Teachings.”
14Paul was about to answer when Gallio said to the Jews, “If there were some kind of misdemeanor or crime involved, reason would demand that I put up with you Jews. 15But since you’re disputing words, names, and your own teachings, you’ll have to take care of that yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge who gets involved in those things.” 16So Gallio had them forced out of his court.
17Then all ⌞the governor’s officers⌟ took Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio couldn’t have cared less.
Paul’s Return Trip to Antioch
18After staying in Corinth quite a while longer, Paul left ⌞for Ephesus⌟. Priscilla and Aquila went with him. In the city of Cenchrea, Aquila had his hair cut, since he had taken a vow. From Cenchrea they took a boat headed for Syria 19and arrived in the city of Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. Paul went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. 20The Jews asked him to stay longer, but he refused. 21As he left, he told them, “I’ll come back to visit you if God wants me to.”
Paul took a boat from Ephesus 22and arrived in the city of Caesarea. He went ⌞to Jerusalem⌟, greeted the church, and went back to the city of Antioch.
23After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia, where he strengthened ⌞the faith of⌟ all the disciples.
Apollos Tells Others about Jesus
24A Jew named Apollos, who had been born in Alexandria, arrived in the city of Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker and knew how to use the Scriptures in a powerful way. 25He had been instructed in the Lord’s way and spoke enthusiastically. He accurately taught about Jesus but knew only about the baptism John performed. 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him ⌞home⌟ with them and explained God’s way to him more accurately.
27When Apollos wanted to travel to Greece, the believers ⌞in Ephesus⌟ encouraged him. They wrote to the disciples in Greece to tell them to welcome him. When he arrived in Greece, God’s kindness #18:27 Or “grace.” enabled him to help the believers a great deal. 28In public Apollos helped them by clearly showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah and that the Jews were wrong.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Acts 18
18
1Paul then left Athens and went to Corinth 2where he met a Jew named Aquila. Aquila was originally from Pontus, and had just arrived from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius#18:2. The Roman Emperor. had ordered all Jews expelled from Rome. Paul went to see them, 3and because they were in the same business of tent-making, he stayed with them. 4He debated in the synagogue every Sabbath, convincing both Jews and Greeks. 5When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul felt he had to become more direct in what he said, and told the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6When they opposed him and cursed him, he shook out his clothes#18:6. A symbolic act declaring innocence. and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads! I am innocent of any guilt, and from now on I will go to the foreigners.”
7He left and went to stay with Titius Justus, who worshiped God and whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8Crispus, leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with his whole household. Many of the people of Corinth who heard the message became believers and were baptized.
9The Lord told Paul in a vision at night: “Don't be afraid. Speak up, don't keep quiet— 10because I am with you, and no one will attack you, for many people in this city are mine.” 11Paul stayed there for eighteen months, teaching the people the word of God.
12However, during the time when Gallio#18:12. Gallio was the brother of Seneca, the Roman Stoic philosopher. was the governor of Achaia, the Jews united in an attack against Paul and brought him before the court.#18:12. Literally, “judgment seat,” or “judge's bench.” Also in 18:16-17. 13“This man is persuading people to worship God illegally,” they declared.
14But just as Paul was about to defend himself, Gallio told the Jews, “If you Jews were bringing criminal charges or some serious legal offense, there would be a reason for me to listen to your case. 15But since you're only arguing over words and names and your own law, then you deal with it yourselves. I won't rule on such matters.” 16Then Gallio had them ejected from the court. 17Then the crowd turned on Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right outside the court, but Gallio wasn't concerned about this at all.
18Paul stayed on for a while. Then he left the believers and sailed for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila along with him. He had his head shaved while in Cenchrae, because he had taken a vow.#18:18. Vow: probably a Nazirite vow (see Numbers 6).
19They arrived in Ephesus, where Paul left the others behind. He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews. 20They asked him to stay longer, but he refused. 21He said his goodbyes, and set sail from Ephesus, telling them, “I'll come back and see you if it's God's will.”
22After landing at Caesarea he went to greet the church members,#18:22. Possibly the church members in Jerusalem. and then carried on to Antioch. 23He spent some time there and then went from town to town through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, encouraging all the believers.
24In the meantime a Jew named Apollos, originally from Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus. He was a gifted speaker who knew the Scriptures well. 25He had been taught the way of the Lord. He was spiritually passionate, and in his speaking and teaching he presented Jesus accurately, but he only knew about John's baptism. 26He started speaking openly in the synagogue. So when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to join them and explained the way of God to him more fully. 27When he decided to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him, and wrote to the disciples there telling them to welcome him. When he arrived he was very helpful to those who through grace trusted God, 28because he was able to strongly refute the Jews in public debate, demonstrating from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com