Acts 18
18
Paul in Corinth
1Later, Paul left Athens and went to the city of Corinth. 2There he met a Jewish man named Aquila, who was born in the country of Pontus. But he and his wife, Priscilla, had recently moved to Corinth from Italy. They left Italy because Claudius had given an order for all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit Aquila and Priscilla. 3They were tentmakers, the same as Paul, so he stayed with them and worked with them.
4Every Sabbath day Paul went to the synagogue and talked with both Jews and Greeks, trying to persuade them to believe in Jesus. 5But after Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time telling God’s message to the Jews, trying to convince them that Jesus is the Messiah. 6But they disagreed with what Paul was teaching and started insulting him. So Paul shook the dust from his clothes.#18:6 shook the dust from his clothes A warning. It showed Paul was finished talking to these Jews. He said to them, “If you are not saved, it will be your own fault! I have done all I can do. After this I will go only to the non-Jewish people.”
7Paul left the synagogue and moved into the home of Titius Justus, a man who was a worshiper of the true God. His house was next to the synagogue. 8Crispus was the leader of that synagogue. He and all the people living in his house believed in the Lord Jesus. Many other people in Corinth also listened to Paul. They, too, believed and were baptized.
9During the night, Paul had a vision. The Lord said to him, “Don’t be afraid, and don’t stop talking to people. 10I am with you, and no one will be able to hurt you. Many of my people are in this city.” 11Paul stayed there for a year and a half teaching God’s message to the people.
Paul Is Brought Before Gallio
12During the time that Gallio was the governor of Achaia, some of the Jews came together against Paul. They took him to court. 13They said to Gallio, “This man is teaching people to worship God in a way that is against our law!”
14Paul was ready to say something, but Gallio spoke to the Jews. He said, “I would listen to you if your complaint was about a crime or other wrong. 15But it is only about words and names—arguments about your own law. So you must solve this problem yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge of these matters.” 16So Gallio made them leave the court.
17Then they all grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue. They beat him before the court. But this did not bother Gallio.
Paul Returns to Antioch
18Paul stayed with the believers for many days. Then he left and sailed for Syria. Priscilla and Aquila were also with him. At Cenchrea Paul cut off his hair,#18:18 cut off his hair This may show that Paul was ending a Nazirite vow, a time of special dedication and service promised to God. See “Nazirite” in the Word List. because he had made a promise to God. 19Then they went to the city of Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. While Paul was in Ephesus, he went into the synagogue and talked with the Jews. 20They asked him to stay longer, but he refused. 21He left them and said, “I will come back to you again if God wants me to.” And so he sailed away from Ephesus.
22When Paul arrived at Caesarea, he went to Jerusalem and visited the church there. After that he went to Antioch. 23Paul stayed in Antioch for a while. Then he left there and went through the countries of Galatia and Phrygia. He traveled from town to town in these countries, helping all the followers of Jesus grow stronger in their faith.
Apollos in Ephesus and Corinth
24A Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. Born in the city of Alexandria, he was an educated man who knew the Scriptures well. 25He had been taught about the Lord and was always excited#18:25 excited Or “on fire with the Spirit.” to talk to people about Jesus. What he taught was right, but the only baptism he knew about was the baptism that John taught. 26Apollos began to speak very boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him speak, they took him to their home and helped him understand the way of God better.
27Apollos wanted to go to Achaia. So the believers in Ephesus helped him. They wrote a letter to the Lord’s followers in Achaia and asked them to accept Apollos. When he arrived there, he was a great help to those who had believed in Jesus because of God’s grace. 28He argued very strongly against the Jews before all the people. He clearly proved that the Jews were wrong. He used the Scriptures and showed that Jesus is the Messiah.
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