Founding the Corinthian Church

18 After this, he^[a] left Athens and went to Corinth,^{(A) 2} where he found a Jewish man named Aquila,^(B) a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius^[b] had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul came to them, ³ and being of the same occupation, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers^[c] by trade.^{(C) 4} He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.^(D)

⁵ When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with preaching the message^[d] and solemnly testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.^{(E) 6} But when they resisted and blasphemed,^(F) he shook his robe^[e](G) and told them, “Your blood is on your own heads!^(H) I am innocent.^[f] From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^{(I) 7} So he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed the Lord, along with his whole household.^(J) Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent. ¹⁰ For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”^{(K) 11} And he stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹² While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack against Paul and brought him to the judge’s bench.^{(L) 13} “This man,” they said, “persuades people to worship God contrary to the law!”

¹⁴ As Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of a crime or of moral evil, 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 don’t want to be a judge of such things.”^{(M) 16} So he drove them from the judge’s bench. ¹⁷ Then they all^[g] seized Sosthenes,^(N) the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the judge’s bench. But none of these things concerned Gallio.

The Return Trip to Antioch

¹⁸ So Paul, having stayed on for many days, said good-bye to the brothers and sailed away to Syria. Priscilla and Aquila were with him. He shaved his head at Cenchreae because he had taken a vow.^{(O) 19} When they reached Ephesus^(P) he left them there, but he himself entered the synagogue and engaged in discussion with^[h] the Jews. ²⁰ And though they asked him to stay for a longer time, he declined, ²¹ but he said good-bye and stated,^[i] “I’ll come back to you again, if God wills.”^(Q) Then he set sail from Ephesus.

²² On landing at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church^[j] and went down to Antioch.^{(R) 23} And after spending some time there, he set out, traveling through one place after another in the Galatian territory and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.^(S)

The Eloquent Apollos

²⁴ A Jew named Apollos,^(T) a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was powerful in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit,^[k] he spoke and taught the things about Jesus accurately, although he knew only John’s baptism.^{(U) 26} He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him home^[l] and explained the way of God to him more accurately.^{(V) 27} When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers wrote to the disciples urging them to welcome him. After he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace.^{(W) 28} For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.^(X)