使徒行传 18
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
保罗在哥林多传道
18 这事之后，保罗离开雅典前往哥林多， 2 在那里认识了一位在本都出生的犹太人亚居拉。由于克劳狄命令所有的犹太人离开罗马，他最近和妻子百基拉从意大利来到哥林多。保罗拜访了他们。 3 他们夫妇跟保罗是同行，都以制造帐篷为业，保罗就留下来和他们同住，一起做工。 4 保罗每个安息日都到会堂与犹太人和希腊人辩论，劝导他们信主。
5 西拉和提摩太从马其顿来了之后，保罗就把全部时间都用来传道，向犹太人证明耶稣是基督。 6 可是，犹太人反对、毁谤保罗。保罗便抖掉衣服上的灰尘，对他们说：“你们的罪都归在你们自己头上，与我无关！从今以后，我要去外族人那里了。” 7 保罗就离开那里，来到一位敬畏上帝、名叫提多·犹士都的人家里，他家就在会堂隔壁。 8 会堂主管基利司布和他全家都信了主，许多哥林多人听了道后，也信了主，受了洗。
9 一天晚上，主在异象中对保罗说：“不要怕，只管继续传讲，不要停！ 10 因为我与你同在，没有人能够伤害你，在这城里还有许多属我的子民。” 11 保罗就在那里住了一年半，传授上帝的道。
12 迦流出任亚该亚总督时，犹太人联合起来攻击保罗，把他拉上法庭， 13 说：“这个人教唆百姓不按律法敬拜上帝。”
14 保罗刚要开口，迦流就对犹太人说：“你们这些犹太人！如果这事涉及什么罪行冤情，我当然会处理。 15 但如果只是关于字句、名称和你们犹太律法的争论，你们自己去解决吧，我不受理！” 16 随即把他们赶出了法庭。 17 到了庭外，众人揪住会堂主管所提尼，把他痛打一顿。迦流却置之不理。
保罗回到安提阿
18 保罗继续在哥林多逗留了相当时日，才向弟兄姊妹道别。他和百基拉、亚居拉乘船前往叙利亚。保罗因为许过愿，就在坚革哩剃了头发。 19 到了以弗所，保罗离开亚居拉夫妇，独自进入会堂跟犹太人辩论。 20 众人请保罗多留几天，保罗婉言谢绝了。 21 他向众人道别，说：“如果上帝许可，我会回来。”然后上船离开了以弗所。 22 他在凯撒利亚登岸后，先上耶路撒冷去问候教会，再下到安提阿。 23 他在安提阿逗留了一些日子，然后离开那里，走遍加拉太和弗吕迦地区，到处坚固门徒的信心。
亚波罗放胆传道
24 那时有一个生于亚历山大、名叫亚波罗的犹太人来到以弗所。他博学善辩，熟悉圣经。 25 他在主的道上曾受过栽培，心里火热，能正确地讲解和教导有关耶稣的事，但他只知道约翰的洗礼。 26 他在会堂里勇敢地讲道。百基拉和亚居拉听了以后，便请他到家里，将上帝的道更详细地告诉他。 27 亚波罗有意去亚该亚，以弗所的弟兄姊妹就鼓励他，并写信请当地的门徒接待他。亚波罗到了之后，带给当地蒙恩信主的人很大帮助。 28 他在公众面前有力地驳倒犹太人，引用圣经证明耶稣就是基督。
Acts 18
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 18
Paul in Corinth.[a] 1 At that point, Paul departed from Athens and moved on to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius[b] had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. He went to visit them, 3 and because they were tentmakers just as he was, he stayed with them and they worked together.[c] 4 Every Sabbath, he entered into discussions in the synagogue, attempting to convert both Jews and Greeks.
5 After Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his efforts to preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6 When they opposed him and began to hurl insults, he shook out his garments in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I have a clear conscience. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles.”
7 With that, he left and went to the house of a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God, who lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord along with his entire household. Many Corinthians who heard Paul came to believe and were baptized.
9 One night, the Lord appeared to Paul in a vision[d] and said, “Do not be afraid. Continue with your preaching, and do not be silent, 10 for I am with you. No one will attack you or try to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.” 11 And so he remained there for eighteen months, teaching the word of God to them.
12 Accusations before Gallio. However, when Gallio became proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a concerted attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, 13 saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the Law.”
14 Just as Paul was about to refute them, Gallio said to the Jews, “If you were accusing this man of some crime or fraudulent act, O Jews, I would be more than willing to listen to your complaint. 15 But since your argument is about words and names and your own Law, settle it yourselves. I have no intention of making judgments about such matters.” 16 With that, he dismissed them from the tribunal. 17 Then they all attacked Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio remained unconcerned about their action.
18 Return to Antioch in Pisidia.[e] After he remained in Corinth for some considerable time, Paul took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae, he had his hair cut because he had taken a vow.
19 When they reached Ephesus,[f] he left them there. He himself went into the synagogue and had discussions with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay longer, he declined, 21 but on taking leave of them he promised, “I will return to you, if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the Church,[g] and then he went down to Antioch.
Ephesus[h]
Paul’s Third Missionary Journey[i]
23 Paul Strengthens the Churches. After spending some time there, he departed and traveled through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
24 Apollos.[j] Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria and an eloquent speaker, came to Ephesus. He was well-versed in the Scriptures, 25 and he had been instructed in the Way of the Lord. Filled with spiritual fervor, he spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, although he had experienced only the baptism of John.
26 He then began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him more accurately the Way. 27 And when he expressed a wish to cross over to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there, asking that they make him welcome. From the time of his arrival, he was of great help to those who by the grace of God had become believers. 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, establishing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
Footnotes
- Acts 18:1 These passages deal with one of Paul’s most important activities. The great city of Corinth was at that time a cosmopolitan place and had a rather bad reputation due to the erotic cult of the goddess Aphrodite.
With its reference to Gallio in verse 12, the account provides us with a sure chronological clue to the events reported, since an inscription enables us to pinpoint the proconsulate of Gallio, a brother of Seneca, to the years A.D. 51–52 or 52–53. - Acts 18:2 Claudius: Emperor of Rome from A.D. 41 to 54. He expelled the Jews from Rome because of “their continuous tumults instigated by Chrestus,” a common misspelling for “Christ.” Needless to say, the tumults were instigated not by Christ but by the differing opinions people held about him.
- Acts 18:3 Paul was probably taught the trade of tentmaker in his youth, in accord with the Jewish custom of giving manual training to sons.
- Acts 18:9 In a vision: Paul now glimpses in a vision (see Acts 23:11) the Lord whom he has already seen in a resurrected body at his conversion (see Acts 9:4-6; 1 Cor 15:8) and in the temple in ecstasy (see Acts 22:17-18).
- Acts 18:18 After more than two and a half years of labor in Corinth, Paul embarks for Antioch. The Nazirite vow was a special consecration to God, usually lasting 30 days and taking the form of a special way of life (see Num 6:1-21).
Instead of reaching Antioch Paul lands at Ephesus, which will soon become the center of the following cycle of the Book. He leaves Priscilla and Aquila there, who will become the nucleus of a Christian community. - Acts 18:19 Ephesus: a leading city of Asia Minor and the capital of the province of Asia, where the temple of Artemis (Diana) was located.
- Acts 18:22 He went up and greeted the Church: although this could refer to a congregation in Caesarea, the words “he went up” indicate that it was the Church at Jerusalem, which was about 2500 feet above sea level.
- Acts 18:23 According to the author of Acts, Ephesus is the third center for the spread of God’s word. The city was a great center of commerce, and in it the cultural and religious currents of the Greco-Roman world and the East came together. Paul remains there for more than two years, and it is thought that he there wrote the Letters to the Corinthians, the Philippians, and perhaps the Galatians. Later on, the Letter to the Ephesians, one of the imprisonment letters, would be addressed to this community.
The early Church was now encountering other religious currents (besides the Judaic), and non-Jewish life was coming to the fore. The essence of the faith had to be brought out in the face of multiple cultural influences. - Acts 18:23 Paul remains at Syrian Antioch for some time, probably through the spring of 53, and then starts his third missionary journey. Setting out for Ephesus, some 1500 miles to the west, he revisits the Churches around Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. The account of this third journey focuses on his work at Ephesus (Acts 19:1—20:1).
- Acts 18:24 Apollos is a talented preacher who knows the Scriptures and instructs in the new Way of the Lord. He speaks and teaches accurately about Jesus, although he knows only of John’s baptism. He, too, begins to express himself fearlessly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila hear him, they take him home and explain to him God’s new Way in greater detail. Some scholars believe that he was the author of the Letter to the Hebrews.
Acts 18
Easy-to-Read Version
Paul in Corinth
18 Later, Paul left Athens and went to the city of Corinth. 2 There 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. 3 They were tentmakers, the same as Paul, so he stayed with them and worked with them.
4 Every Sabbath day Paul went to the synagogue and talked with both Jews and Greeks, trying to persuade them to believe in Jesus. 5 But 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. 6 But they disagreed with what Paul was teaching and started insulting him. So Paul shook the dust from his clothes.[a] 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.”
7 Paul 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. 8 Crispus 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.
9 During the night, Paul had a vision. The Lord said to him, “Don’t be afraid, and don’t stop talking to people. 10 I am with you, and no one will be able to hurt you. Many of my people are in this city.” 11 Paul stayed there for a year and a half teaching God’s message to the people.
Paul Is Brought Before Gallio
12 During the time that Gallio was the governor of Achaia, some of the Jews came together against Paul. They took him to court. 13 They said to Gallio, “This man is teaching people to worship God in a way that is against our law!”
14 Paul 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. 15 But 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.” 16 So Gallio made them leave the court.
17 Then 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
18 Paul 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,[b] because he had made a promise to God. 19 Then 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. 20 They asked him to stay longer, but he refused. 21 He left them and said, “I will come back to you again if God wants me to.” And so he sailed away from Ephesus.
22 When Paul arrived at Caesarea, he went to Jerusalem and visited the church there. After that he went to Antioch. 23 Paul 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
24 A Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. Born in the city of Alexandria, he was an educated man who knew the Scriptures well. 25 He had been taught about the Lord and was always excited[c] to talk to people about Jesus. What he taught was right, but the only baptism he knew about was the baptism that John taught. 26 Apollos 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.
27 Apollos 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. 28 He 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.
Footnotes
- Acts 18:6 shook the dust from his clothes A warning. It showed Paul was finished talking to these Jews.
- Acts 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.
- Acts 18:25 excited Or “on fire with the Spirit.”
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