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
Contemporary English Version
Paul in Corinth
18 Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, 2 where he met Aquila, a Jewish man from Pontus. Not long before this, Aquila had come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Emperor Claudius had ordered the Jewish people to leave Rome.[a] Paul went to see Aquila and Priscilla 3 and found out they were tent makers. Paul was also a tent maker, so he stayed with them, and they worked together.
4 Every Sabbath, Paul went to the synagogue. He spoke to Jews and Gentiles[b] and tried to win them over. 5 But after Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, he spent all his time preaching to the Jews about Jesus the Messiah. 6 Finally, they turned against him and insulted him. So he shook the dust from his clothes[c] and told them, “Whatever happens to you will be your own fault! I am not to blame. From now on I am going to preach to the Gentiles.”
7 Paul then moved into the house of a man named Titius Justus, who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus was the leader of the synagogue. He and everyone in his family put their faith in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard the message, and all the people who had faith in the Lord were baptized.
9 One night, Paul had a vision, and in it the Lord said, “Don't be afraid to keep on preaching. Don't stop! 10 I am with you, and you won't be harmed. Many people in this city belong to me.” 11 Paul stayed on in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching God's message to the people.
12 While Gallio was governor of Achaia, some of the Jewish leaders got together and grabbed Paul. They brought him into court 13 and said, “This man is trying to make our people worship God in a way that is against our Law!”
14 Even before Paul could speak, Gallio said, “If you were charging this man with a crime or some other wrong, I would have to listen to you. 15 But since this concerns only words, names, and your own law, you will have to take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” 16 Then he sent them out of the court. 17 The crowd grabbed Sosthenes, the Jewish leader, and beat him up in front of the court. But none of this mattered to Gallio.
Paul Returns to Antioch in Syria
18 (A) After Paul had stayed for a while with the Lord's followers in Corinth, he told them goodbye and sailed on to Syria with Aquila and Priscilla. But before he left, he had his head shaved[d] at Cenchreae because he had made a promise to God.
19 The three of them arrived in Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He then went into the synagogue to talk with the people there. 20 They asked him to stay longer, but he refused. 21 He told them goodbye and said, “If God lets me, I will come back.”
22 Paul sailed to Caesarea, where he greeted the church. Then he went on to Antioch. 23 After staying there for a while, he left and visited several places in Galatia and Phrygia. He helped the followers there to become stronger in their faith.
Apollos in Ephesus
24 A Jewish man named Apollos came to Ephesus. Apollos had been born in the city of Alexandria. He was a very good speaker and knew a lot about the Scriptures. 25 He also knew much about the Lord's Way,[e] and he spoke about it with great excitement. What he taught about Jesus was right, but all he knew was John's message about baptism.
26 Apollos started speaking bravely in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him to their home and helped him understand God's Way even better.
27 Apollos decided to travel through Achaia. So the Lord's followers wrote letters, encouraging the followers there to welcome him. After Apollos arrived in Achaia, he was a great help to everyone who had put their faith in the Lord Jesus because of God's gift of undeserved grace. 28 He got into fierce arguments with the Jewish people, and in public he used the Scriptures to prove that Jesus is the Messiah.
Footnotes
- 18.2 Emperor Claudius had ordered the Jewish people to leave Rome: Probably a.d. 49, though it may have been a.d. 41.
- 18.4 Gentiles: Here the word is “Greeks.” But see the note at 14.1.
- 18.6 shook the dust from his clothes: This means the same as shaking dust from the feet (see the note at 13.51).
- 18.18 he had his head shaved: Paul had promised to be a “Nazirite” for a while. This meant that for the time of the promise, he could not cut his hair or drink wine. When the time was over, he would have to cut his hair and offer a sacrifice to God.
- 18.25 the Lord's Way: See the note at 9.2.
Apostelgeschichte 18
Schlachter 1951
Paulus eineinhalb Jahre in Korinth - Aquila und Priscilla
18 Darnach schied Paulus von Athen und kam nach Korinth. 2 Und dort fand er einen Juden namens Aquila, aus Pontus gebürtig, der vor kurzem samt seiner Frau Priscilla aus Italien gekommen war (weil Claudius befohlen hatte, daß alle Juden aus Rom[a] weichen sollten); 3 zu diesen ging er, und weil er das gleiche Handwerk hatte, blieb er bei ihnen und arbeitete; sie waren nämlich von Beruf Zeltmacher. 4 Er hatte aber in der Synagoge jeden Sabbat Unterredungen und überzeugte Juden und Griechen.
5 Als aber Silas und Timotheus aus Mazedonien ankamen, war Paulus eifrig mit dem Wort beschäftigt, indem er den Juden bezeugte, daß Jesus der Christus sei. 6 Als sie aber widerstrebten und lästerten, schüttelte er seine Kleider aus und sprach zu ihnen: Euer Blut komme über euer Haupt! Ich bin rein davon; von nun an gehe ich zu den Heiden!
7 Und er ging von dannen und begab sich in das Haus eines gottesfürchtigen Mannes mit Namen Justus, dessen Haus an die Synagoge stieß. 8 Krispus aber, der Synagogenvorsteher, wurde samt seinem ganzen Hause an den Herrn gläubig; auch viele Korinther, die zuhörten, wurden gläubig und ließen sich taufen.
9 Aber der Herr sprach in der Nacht durch ein Gesicht zu Paulus: Fürchte dich nicht, sondern rede und schweige nicht! 10 Denn ich bin mit dir, und niemand soll sich unterstehen, dir zu schaden; denn ich habe ein großes Volk in dieser Stadt.
11 Und er blieb ein Jahr und sechs Monate daselbst und lehrte unter ihnen das Wort Gottes.
12 Als aber Gallion Statthalter von Achaja war, traten die Juden einmütig wider Paulus auf und führten ihn vor den Richterstuhl 13 und sprachen: Dieser überredet die Leute zu einem gesetzwidrigen Gottesdienst!
14 Als aber Paulus den Mund öffnen wollte, sprach Gallion zu den Juden: Wenn es sich um eine Ungerechtigkeit oder um einen argen Frevel handelte, ihr Juden, so würde ich euch billig anhören;
15 sind es aber Streitfragen über eine Lehre und über Namen und über euer Gesetz, so sehet ihr selbst zu, denn darüber will ich nicht Richter sein! 16 Und er wies sie vom Richterstuhl hinweg.
17 Da ergriffen alle Griechen Sosthenes, den Synagogenvorsteher, und schlugen ihn vor dem Richterstuhl; und Gallion nahm sich dessen nichts an.
Reise nach Jerusalem und Rückkehr nach Antiochia
18 Paulus aber, nachdem er noch viele Tage dort verblieben war, nahm von den Brüdern Abschied und segelte nach Syrien, und mit ihm Priscilla und Aquila, nachdem er sich in Kenchreä[b] das Haupt hatte scheren lassen; denn er hatte ein Gelübde.
19 Und er gelangte nach Ephesus und ließ jene dort zurück; er selbst aber ging in die Synagoge und hatte Gespräche mit den Juden. 20 Als sie ihn aber baten, längere Zeit bei ihnen zu bleiben, willigte er nicht ein; 21 sondern nahm Abschied von ihnen, indem er sprach: Ich muß durchaus das bevorstehende Fest in Jerusalem feiern, ich werde aber wieder zu euch zurückkehren, so Gott will. Und er fuhr ab von Ephesus, 22 landete in Cäsarea, zog hinauf und grüßte die Gemeinde und ging hinab nach Antiochia.
Dritte Missionsreise - Kleinasien - Apollos in Ephesus und Korinth
23 Und nachdem er einige Zeit dort zugebracht hatte, zog er aus und durchreiste nacheinander die Landschaft Galatien und Phrygien und stärkte alle Jünger.
24 Ein Jude aber mit Namen Apollos, aus Alexandrien gebürtig, ein beredter Mann, mächtig in der Schrift, kam nach Ephesus. 25 Dieser war unterwiesen im Wege des Herrn und feurig im Geist, redete und lehrte genau über Jesus, kannte aber nur die Taufe des Johannes. 26 Dieser fing an, öffentlich in der Synagoge aufzutreten. Da aber Aquila und Priscilla ihn hörten, nahmen sie ihn zu sich und legten ihm den Weg Gottes noch genauer aus.
27 Als er aber nach Achaja hinübergehen wollte, ermunterten ihn die Brüder und schrieben an die Jünger, sie möchten ihn aufnehmen. Und als er dort ankam, wurde er denen sehr behilflich, die gläubig geworden waren durch die Gnade. 28 Denn mit großem Fleiß widerlegte er die Juden öffentlich, indem er durch die Schrift bewies, daß Jesus der Christus sei.
Footnotes
- Apostelgeschichte 18:2 Wir sind auch seines Geschlechts...,von dem Poeten Aratus von Cilicien, 300 Jahre vor J.C.
- Apostelgeschichte 18:18 Ausweisung der Juden aus Rom, im Jahr 52 von Claudius befohlen
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
Copyright © 1951 by Geneva Bible Society
