Acts 18:1-19:21

New King James Version

Ministering at Corinth

18 After these things Paul departed from Athens and went to Corinth. ² And he found a certain Jew named ^(A)Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla (because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome); and he came to them. ³ So, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them ^(B)and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers. ^4 (C)And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.

^5 (D)When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was ^(E)compelled ^[a]by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. ⁶ But ^(F)when they opposed him and blasphemed, ^(G)he shook his garments and said to them, ^(H)“Your blood be upon your own heads; ^(I)I am clean. ^(J)From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” ⁷ And he departed from there and entered the house of a certain man named ^[b]Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ^8 (K)Then Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his household. And many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized.

⁹ Now ^(L)the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; ^10 (M)for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him to the ^[c]judgment seat, ¹³ saying, “This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ And when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or wicked crimes, O Jews, there would be reason why I should bear with you. ¹⁵ But if it is a ^(N)question of words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; for I do not want to be a judge of such matters.” ¹⁶ And he drove them from the judgment seat. ¹⁷ Then ^[d]all the Greeks took ^(O)Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. But Gallio took no notice of these things.

Paul Returns to Antioch

¹⁸ So Paul still remained ^[e]a good while. Then he took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. ^(P)He had his hair cut off at ^(Q)Cenchrea, for he had taken a vow. ¹⁹ And he came to Ephesus, and left them there; but he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, ²¹ but took leave of them, saying, ^(R)“I^[f] must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, ^(S)God willing.” And he sailed from Ephesus.

²² And when he had landed at ^(T)Caesarea, and ^[g]gone up and greeted the church, he went down to Antioch. ²³ After he had spent some time there, he departed and went over the region of ^(U)Galatia and Phrygia ^[h]in order, ^(V)strengthening all the disciples.

Ministry of Apollos

^24 (W)Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being ^(X)fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, ^(Y)though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he desired to cross to Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, ^(Z)he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; ²⁸ for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, ^(AA)showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

Paul at Ephesus

19 And it happened, while ^(AB)Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through ^(AC)the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples ² he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

So they said to him, ^(AD)“We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”

So they said, ^(AE)“Into John’s baptism.”

⁴ Then Paul said, ^(AF)“John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”

⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized ^(AG)in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had ^(AH)laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and ^(AI)they spoke with tongues and prophesied. ⁷ Now the men were about twelve in all.

^8 (AJ)And he went into the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading ^(AK)concerning the things of the kingdom of God. ⁹ But ^(AL)when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil ^(AM)of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ And ^(AN)this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles Glorify Christ

¹¹ Now ^(AO)God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, ^12 (AP)so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. ^13 (AQ)Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists ^(AR)took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ^[i]“We ^[j]exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul ^(AS)preaches.” ¹⁴ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.

¹⁵ And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”

¹⁶ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, ^[k]overpowered them, and prevailed against ^[l]them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known both to all Jews and Greeks dwelling in Ephesus; and ^(AT)fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. ¹⁸ And many who had believed came ^(AU)confessing and telling their deeds. ¹⁹ Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. ^20 (AV)So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

The Riot at Ephesus

^21 (AW)When these things were accomplished, Paul ^(AX)purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through ^(AY)Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, ^(AZ)I must also see Rome.”