Paul Plants the Church in Corinth
Paul works tents with Aquila and Priscilla and argues every Sabbath until opposition drives him next door. Told in a vision to keep speaking, he stays a year and a half. Gallio throws the case out as a squabble over words, and the crowd beats Sosthenes instead.
18 1After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2There he found a Jew named Aquila, native of Pontus, newly arrived from Italy with his wife Priscilla since Claudius had ordered all Jews out of Rome. Paul visited them, 3since they shared a trade, he stayed and worked with them—tentmakers by trade. 4Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul was consumed by the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. 6When they resisted and insulted him, he shook out his clothes and said, "Your blood is on your own heads! I'm clean of it. From now on I'll go to the Gentiles."
7He left the synagogue and went to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of our Father, next door to the synagogue. 8Crispus, the synagogue leader, believed in the Lord with his whole household; many Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
9One night the Lord told Paul in a vision, "Don't be afraid; keep speaking, don't stay silent, 10for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city."
11So Paul stayed for a year and six months, teaching the word of our Father among them.
12While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews united against Paul and brought him before the tribunal, 13saying, "This man is persuading people to worship God in ways contrary to the law."
14As Paul was about to speak, Gallio told the Jews, "If this were some wrong or vicious crime, Jews, I'd have reason to put up with you. 15Since this is a dispute about words, names, and your own law, settle it yourselves. I won't judge such matters. 16And he drove them away from the tribunal."
17So they all grabbed Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, and beat him before the judgment seat, but none of it concerned Gallio.
Paul Returns to Antioch
18Paul stayed on in Corinth for many more days. Then he said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut off, for he was keeping a vow. a a v18 Cutting his hair marked the formal end of a Jewish vow of dedication to God. 19They reached Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila, but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20When they asked him to stay longer, he declined. 21But he left, saying, "I will come back to you if our Father is willing," and sailed from Ephesus.
22Landing at Caesarea, he went up, greeted the church, then went down to Antioch.
23After some time there, he set out through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. 24A Jew named Apollos, born in Alexandria, came to Ephesus—a learned man, well versed in the Scriptures. 25He had been taught the way of the Lord, and, spirit boiling over, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus—though he knew only John's baptism. 26He spoke boldly in the synagogue. Priscilla and Aquila heard him, took him aside, and explained the way of our Father more accurately.
27When Apollos wanted to cross to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; arriving, he greatly helped those who had believed by grace, 28for he forcefully refuted the Jews in public, proving from the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
