Corinth

1Now after these things Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.

2And encountering a certain Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to depart from Rome), he joined them;

3and because he practiced the same trade, he stayed on with them and worked (their trade was tentmaker). ³⁹¹

4Every Sabbath in the synagogue he would reason with both Jews and Greeks, trying to persuade them.

5But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was constrained by the Spirit, ³⁹²solemnly insisting to the Jews: Jesus is the Christ. ³⁹³

6But since they kept contradicting and blaspheming, he shook his clothes ³⁹⁴and said to them: “Your blood be upon your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

The house of Justus becomes the base

7So he moved from there into the house of a man named Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue.

8Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household; and as they were hearing, many of the Corinthians were believing and being baptized.

9Now the Lord said to Paul by a vision at night: “Do not be afraid; rather speak and do not keep silent,

10because I am with you and no one will attack you to harm you, ³⁹⁵because I have many people in this city.”

11So he stayed on for a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among them. ³⁹⁶

Gallio

12Now while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the judgment seat,

13saying, “This fellow persuades the people to worship God contrary to the law.”

14But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews: “If there really was some misdeed or wicked crime, O Jews, there would be reason for me to bear with you;

15but since it is an issue over a word and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; because I refuse to be a judge of such matters.”

16And he drove them from the judgment seat.

17Then all the Greeks ³⁹⁷took Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, ³⁹⁸and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But none of this was a delay to Gallio. ³⁹⁹

To Ephesus and Antioch

18Paul still remained there a good while, then took leave of the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila (he had shaved his head in Cenchrea, because he had a vow). ⁴⁰⁰

19He came to Ephesus and left them there (after having entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews).

20When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent;

21rather he took leave of them saying, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; ⁴⁰¹but I will return again to you, God willing.” ⁴⁰²Then he set sail from Ephesus.

22When he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up and greeted the church [in Jerusalem], ⁴⁰³he returned to Antioch.

23After spending some time there, he departed and went through the region of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

Apollos

24Now a certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus.

25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in the Spirit he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, ⁴⁰⁴although he knew only the baptism of John.

26So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

27When he decided to go across into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to receive him; ⁴⁰⁵upon arriving he was a great help to those who had believed through the Grace;

28because he kept refuting the Jews vigorously, publicly, demonstrating Jesus to be the Christ, from the Scriptures. ⁴⁰⁶