Acts 18
English Standard Version
Paul in Corinth
18 After this Paul[a] left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named (A)Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife (B)Priscilla, because (C)Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3 and (D)because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And (E)he reasoned in the synagogue (F)every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 (G)When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul (H)was occupied with the word, (I)testifying to the Jews that the Christ was (J)Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, (K)he shook out his garments and said to them, (L)“Your blood be on your own heads! (M)I am innocent. (N)From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius (O)Justus, (P)a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8 (Q)Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together (R)with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul (S)one night in (T)a vision, (U)“Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 (V)for I am with you, and (W)no one will attack you to harm you, for (X)I have many in this city who are my people.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 But when Gallio was (Y)proconsul of Achaia, (Z)the Jews[b] made a united attack on Paul and (AA)brought him before the tribunal, 13 saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to (AB)the law.” 14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious (AC)crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. 15 But (AD)since it is a matter of questions about words and names and (AE)your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” 16 And he drove them from the tribunal. 17 And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.
Paul Returns to Antioch
18 After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of (AF)the brothers[c] and set sail for Syria, and with him (AG)Priscilla and Aquila. At (AH)Cenchreae (AI)he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. 19 And they came to (AJ)Ephesus, and he left them there, but (AK)he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. 21 But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you (AL)if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he (AM)went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time there, he departed and (AN)went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, (AO)strengthening all the disciples.
Apollos Speaks Boldly in Ephesus
24 Now a Jew named (AP)Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, (AQ)competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in (AR)the way of the Lord. And (AS)being fervent in spirit,[d] he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only (AT)the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when (AU)Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him (AV)the way of God more accurately. 27 And when he wished to cross to (AW)Achaia, (AX)the brothers encouraged him and (AY)wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, (AZ)he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, 28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures (BA)that the Christ was Jesus.
Footnotes
- Acts 18:1 Greek he
- Acts 18:12 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verses 14 (twice), 28
- Acts 18:18 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 27
- Acts 18:25 Or in the Spirit
Acts 18
New Living Translation
Paul Meets Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth
18 Then Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.[a] 2 There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. They had left Italy when Claudius Caesar deported all Jews from Rome. 3 Paul lived and worked with them, for they were tentmakers[b] just as he was.
4 Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike. 5 And after Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the word. He testified to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed and insulted him, Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”
7 Then he left and went to the home of Titius Justus, a Gentile who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, and everyone in his household believed in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard Paul, became believers, and were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision and told him, “Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! 10 For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” 11 So Paul stayed there for the next year and a half, teaching the word of God.
12 But when Gallio became governor of Achaia, some Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the governor for judgment. 13 They accused Paul of “persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to our law.”
14 But just as Paul started to make his defense, Gallio turned to Paul’s accusers and said, “Listen, you Jews, if this were a case involving some wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have a reason to accept your case. 15 But since it is merely a question of words and names and your Jewish law, take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” 16 And he threw them out of the courtroom.
17 The crowd[c] then grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right there in the courtroom. But Gallio paid no attention.
Paul Returns to Antioch of Syria
18 Paul stayed in Corinth for some time after that, then said good-bye to the brothers and sisters[d] and went to nearby Cenchrea. There he shaved his head according to Jewish custom, marking the end of a vow. Then he set sail for Syria, taking Priscilla and Aquila with him.
19 They stopped first at the port of Ephesus, where Paul left the others behind. While he was there, he went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews. 20 They asked him to stay longer, but he declined. 21 As he left, however, he said, “I will come back later,[e] God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 The next stop was at the port of Caesarea. From there he went up and visited the church at Jerusalem[f] and then went back to Antioch.
23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul went back through Galatia and Phrygia, visiting and strengthening all the believers.[g]
Apollos Instructed at Ephesus
24 Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. 25 He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit[h] and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. 26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.
27 Apollos had been thinking about going to Achaia, and the brothers and sisters in Ephesus encouraged him to go. They wrote to the believers in Achaia, asking them to welcome him. When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed. 28 He refuted the Jews with powerful arguments in public debate. Using the Scriptures, he explained to them that Jesus was the Messiah.
Footnotes
- 18:1 Athens and Corinth were major cities in Achaia, the region in the southern portion of the Greek peninsula.
- 18:3 Or leatherworkers.
- 18:17 Greek Everyone; other manuscripts read All the Greeks.
- 18:18 Greek brothers; also in 18:27.
- 18:21 Some manuscripts read “I must by all means be at Jerusalem for the upcoming festival, but I will come back later.”
- 18:22 Greek the church.
- 18:23 Greek disciples; also in 18:27.
- 18:25 Or with enthusiasm in the Spirit.
Acts 18
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
18 After this [Paul] departed from Athens and went to Corinth.
2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently arrived from Italy with Priscilla his wife, due to the fact that Claudius had issued an edict that all the Jews were to leave Rome. And [Paul] went to see them,
3 And because he was of the same occupation, he stayed with them; and they worked [together], for they were tentmakers by trade.
4 But he discoursed and argued in the synagogue every Sabbath and won over [both] Jews and Greeks.
5 By the time Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was completely engrossed with preaching, earnestly arguing and testifying to the Jews that Jesus [is] the Christ.
6 But since they kept opposing and abusing and reviling him, he shook out his clothing [against them] and said to them, Your blood be upon your [own] heads! I am innocent [of it]. From now on I will go to the Gentiles (the heathen).(A)
7 He then left there and went to the house of a man named Titus Justus, who worshiped God and whose house was next door to the synagogue.
8 But Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed [that Jesus is the Messiah and acknowledged Him with joyful trust as Savior and Lord], together with his entire household; and many of the Corinthians who listened [to Paul also] believed and were baptized.
9 And one night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, Have no fear, but speak and do not keep silent;
10 For I am with you, and no man shall assault you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.(B)
11 So he settled down among them for a year and six months, teaching the Word of God [concerning the [a]attainment through Christ of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God].
12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia (most of Greece), the Jews unitedly made an attack upon Paul and brought him before the judge’s seat,
13 Declaring, This fellow is advising and inducing and inciting people to worship God in violation of the [b]Law [of Rome and of Moses].
14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth to reply, Gallio said to the Jews, If it were a matter of some misdemeanor or villainy, O Jews, I should have cause to bear with you and listen;
15 But since it is merely a question [of doctrine] about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I decline to be a judge of such matters and I have no intention of trying such cases.
16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat.
17 Then they [the Greeks] all seized Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him right in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio paid no attention to any of this.
18 Afterward Paul remained many days longer, and then told the brethren farewell and sailed for Syria; and he was accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he [[c]Paul] cut his hair, for he had made a vow.
19 Then they arrived in Ephesus, and [Paul] left the others there; but he himself entered the synagogue and discoursed and argued with the Jews.
20 When they asked him to remain for a longer time, he would not consent;
21 But when he was leaving them he said, I will return to you if God is willing, and he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and saluted the church [at Jerusalem], and then went down to Antioch.
23 After staying there some time, he left and went from place to place in an orderly journey through the territory of Galatia and Phrygia, establishing the disciples and imparting new strength to them.
24 Meanwhile, there was a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, who came to Ephesus. He was a cultured and eloquent man, well versed and mighty in the Scriptures.
25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and burning with spiritual zeal, he spoke and taught diligently and accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he was acquainted only with the baptism of John.
26 He began to speak freely (fearlessly and boldly) in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him with them and expounded to him the way of God more definitely and accurately.
27 And when [Apollos] wished to cross to Achaia (most of Greece), the brethren wrote to the disciples there, urging and encouraging them to accept and welcome him heartily. When he arrived, he proved a great help to those who through grace (God’s unmerited favor and mercy) had believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ as Lord and Savior).
28 For with great power he refuted the Jews in public [discussions], showing and proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah).
Footnotes
- Acts 18:11 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Acts 18:13 The Jews were claiming that Paul was advocating a religion not recognized by Roman law as Judaism was.
- Acts 18:18 Some commentators (such as Marvin Vincent, Word Studies and Henry Alford, The Greek New Testament) believe Paul is the one who made the vow, while others think Aquila is meant.
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