18 After these things Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth. ² He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them, ³ and because he practiced the same trade, he lived with them and worked, for by trade they were tent makers. ⁴ He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ⁶ When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”

⁷ He departed there and went into the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized. ⁹ The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Don’t be afraid, but speak and don’t be silent; ¹⁰ for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”

¹¹ He lived there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. ¹² But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, ¹³ saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of wicked crime, you Jews, it would be reasonable that I should bear with you; ¹⁵ but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves. For I don’t want to be a judge of these matters.” ¹⁶ So he drove them from the judgment seat.

¹⁷ Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. Gallio didn’t care about any of these things.

¹⁸ Paul, having stayed after this many more days, took his leave of the brothers,^[a] and sailed from there for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow. ¹⁹ He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay with them a longer time, he declined; ²¹ but taking his leave of them, he said, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return again to you if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.

²² When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly, and went down to Antioch. ²³ Having spent some time there, he departed and went through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples. ²⁴ Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside, and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

²⁷ When he had determined to pass over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him; and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he had come, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews, publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.