In Corinth

18 After this, Paul left Athens^(A) and went to Corinth.^{(B) 2} There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla,^(C) because Claudius^(D) had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, ³ and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.^{(E) 4} Every Sabbath^(F) he reasoned in the synagogue,^(G) trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

⁵ When Silas^(H) and Timothy^(I) came from Macedonia,^(J) Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.^{(K) 6} But when they opposed Paul and became abusive,^(L) he shook out his clothes in protest^(M) and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads!^(N) I am innocent of it.^(O) From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^(P)

⁷ Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.^{(Q) 8} Crispus,^(R) the synagogue leader,^(S) and his entire household^(T) believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.

⁹ One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision:^(U) “Do not be afraid;^(V) keep on speaking, do not be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you,^(W) and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” ¹¹ So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.^(X)

¹² While Gallio was proconsul^(Y) of Achaia,^(Z) the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. ¹³ “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. ¹⁵ But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law^(AA)—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” ¹⁶ So he drove them off. ¹⁷ Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes^(AB) the synagogue leader^(AC) and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos

¹⁸ Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters^(AD) and sailed for Syria,^(AE) accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.^(AF) Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae^(AG) because of a vow he had taken.^{(AH) 19} They arrived at Ephesus,^(AI) where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. ²¹ But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.”^(AJ) Then he set sail from Ephesus. ²² When he landed at Caesarea,^(AK) he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.^(AL)

²³ After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia^(AM) and Phrygia,^(AN) strengthening all the disciples.^(AO)

²⁴ Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos,^(AP) a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus.^(AQ) He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor^[a](AR) and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.^{(AS) 26} He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila^(AT) heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

²⁷ When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia,^(AU) the brothers and sisters^(AV) encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. ²⁸ For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures^(AW) that Jesus was the Messiah.^(AX)

Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos^(AY) was at Corinth,^(AZ) Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.^(BA) There he found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit^(BB) when^[b] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism^(BC) was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”^{(BD) 5} On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.^{(BE) 6} When Paul placed his hands on them,^(BF) the Holy Spirit came on them,^(BG) and they spoke in tongues^[c](BH) and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ Paul entered the synagogue^(BI) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.^{(BJ) 9} But some of them^(BK) became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.^(BL) So Paul left them. He took the disciples^(BM) with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years,^(BN) so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia^(BO) heard the word of the Lord.^(BP)

¹¹ God did extraordinary miracles^(BQ) through Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured^(BR) and the evil spirits left them.

¹³ Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits^(BS) tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus^(BT) whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

¹⁷ When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,^(BU) they were all seized with fear,^(BV) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸ Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. ¹⁹ A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.^{[d] 20} In this way the word of the Lord^(BW) spread widely and grew in power.^(BX)

Psalm 18^[a](A)

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: