After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a
Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with
his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to
leave Rome. And he went to see them, and because he was of the same
trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by
trade. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to
persuade Jews and Greeks.
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied
with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus.
And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments
and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent.
From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” And he left there and went
to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His
house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the
synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire
household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and
were baptized. And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do
not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am
with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many
in this city who are my people.” And he stayed a year and six
months, teaching the word of God among them.
But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united
attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, saying, “This
man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” But
when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If
it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would
have reason to accept your complaint. But since it is a matter of
questions about words and names and your own law, see to it
yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” And he drove
them from the tribunal. And they all seized Sosthenes, the ruler of
the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio
paid no attention to any of this.
After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of
the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and
Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow.
And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself
went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked
him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave
of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set
sail from Ephesus.
When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the
church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time
there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the
region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus.
He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been
instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he
spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he
knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the
synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him
aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when
he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote
to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped
those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the
Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was
Jesus.
