Acts 18:13-26

Christian Standard Bible

¹³ “This man,” they said, “is persuading people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

¹⁴ As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrongdoing or of a serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you Jews. ¹⁵ But if these are questions about words, names, and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of such things.”^{(A) 16} So he drove them from the tribunal. ¹⁷ And they all^[a] seized Sosthenes,^(B) the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal, but none of these things mattered to Gallio.

The Return Trip to Antioch

¹⁸ After staying for some time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken.^{(C) 19} When they reached Ephesus^(D) he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and debated with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, ²¹ but he said farewell and added,^[b] “I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.”^(E) Then he set sail from Ephesus.

²² On landing at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, then went down to Antioch.^(F)

²³ After spending some time there, he set out, traveling through one place after another in the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.^(G)

The Eloquent Apollos

²⁴ Now a Jew named Apollos,^(H) a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit,^[c] he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John’s baptism.^{(I) 26} He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside^[d] and explained the way of God to him more accurately.^(J)