Book of Common Prayer

¹² When Gallio was the ruler of the province of Achaia, the Jews got together to stop Paul. They took him to court.

¹³ They said, `This man is talking to the people. He is trying to make them worship God in a way that is against our law.'

¹⁴ Paul wanted to speak. Then Gallio said to the Jews, `You Jews, if it were a matter of wrong or of doing something very bad, I would listen to you.

¹⁵ But this is a matter about words and names and about your own law. So you must go and take care of it yourselves! I will not judge such things.'

¹⁶ And he drove them out of the court.

¹⁷ They caught a man. His name was Sosthenes. He was the head ruler of the meeting house. They beat him in front of the judge, but Gallio did nothing about it.

¹⁸ Paul stayed there for many days. Then he said goodbye to the Christian brothers and went in a boat to the country of Syria. Priscilla and Aquila went with him. In the town of Cenchrea he cut his hair off. This was because he had made a promise to God.

¹⁹ When they reached the city of Ephesus, Paul left the others there. He himself went to the meeting place and talked with the Jews.

²⁰ The Jews begged him to stay longer but he would not stay.

²¹ `Goodbye,' he said. `I will come back to you again if it is God's will.' Then he got in a boat and left Ephesus.

²² When he reached Caesarea, he went to greet the church people. Then he went on to Antioch.

²³ He stayed there for a while. Then he left and went through all the countries of Galatia and Phrygia. He helped the disciples to believe more strongly.

²⁴ A Jew came to Ephesus. His name was Apollos. He was born in Alexandria. He spoke with power and was able to explain the holy writings well.

²⁵ This man had been taught the way of the Lord. He was strong in spirit as he talked to people. What he taught them about the Lord was true. But he knew only about the baptism of John.

²⁶ He began to speak without fear in the meeting place. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him to their house. They explained the way of God so that he knew more about it.

²⁷ Apollos decided to go into Achaia. The Christian brothers wrote to the disciples there and asked them to receive him. When he reached Achaia, he helped very much those who believed. They believed because God was kind to them.

²⁸ He talked strongly with the Jews before the people. He proved to them from the holy writings that Jesus is the Christ.

¹⁵ The people were waiting to see what would happen. They were all asking about John. They thought that he might be the Christ, the great king promised by God long ago.

¹⁶ John said to them all, `I baptise you with water. But another person is coming. He is greater than I am. I am not good enough to untie his shoe strings. He will baptise you with the Holy spirit and with fire.

¹⁷ He has a cleaning fan in his hand and will fan his grain very clean. He will put the grain into his storehouse. But he will burn the chaff in the fire that never goes out.'

¹⁸ By these words and many other ways, he told the people the good news.

¹⁹ John told Herod the ruler that he had done wrong things. He told him he should not have his brother's wife, Herodias. He also told him about all the other wrong things he had done.

²⁰ Later on Herod did another wrong thing after all those wrong things. He put John in prison.

²¹ When all the other people had been baptised, Jesus was also baptised. While he was talking with God, the sky opened.

²² The Holy Spirit came down upon him like a dove. And a voice from the sky said, `You are my dear Son. I am very pleased with you'.