Acts 18:1-21

Amplified Bible

Paul at Corinth

18 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. ² There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife, Priscilla, because [the Roman Emperor] Claudius had issued an edict that all the ^[a]Jews were to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, ³ and because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them; and they worked together for they were tent-makers. ⁴ And he reasoned and debated in the synagogue every Sabbath, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks;

⁵ but when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia (northern Greece), Paul began devoting himself completely to [preaching] the word, and solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). ⁶ But since the Jews kept resisting and opposing him, and blaspheming [God], he ^[b]shook out his robe and said to them, “Your blood (damnation) be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”^{(A) 7} Then he moved on from there and went to the house of a man named ^[c]Titius Justus, who worshiped God and whose house was next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with his entire household [joyfully acknowledging Him as Messiah and Savior]; and many of the Corinthians who heard [Paul’s message] were believing and being baptized. ⁹ One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid anymore, but go on speaking and do not be silent; ¹⁰ for I am with you, and no one will attack you in order to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”^{(B) 11} So he settled there for a year and six months, teaching them the word of God [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ].

¹² But when ^[d]Gallio was proconsul of Achaia (southern Greece), the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before ^[e]the judgment seat, ¹³ declaring, “This man is persuading people to worship God in violation of the law [of Moses].” ¹⁴ But when Paul was about to reply, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some misdemeanor or serious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to put up with you; ¹⁵ but since it is merely a question [of doctrine within your religion] about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am ^[f]unwilling to judge these matters.” ¹⁶ And he drove them away from the judgment seat. ¹⁷ Then the Greeks all seized ^[g]Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him right in front of the judgment seat; but Gallio paid no attention to any of this.^(C)

¹⁸ Paul stayed for a while longer, and then told the ^[h]brothers and sisters goodbye and sailed for Syria; and he was accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea [the southeastern port of Corinth] he had his hair cut, because he was keeping a [Nazirite] vow [of abstention]. ¹⁹ Then they arrived in Ephesus, and he left the others there; but he entered the synagogue and reasoned and debated with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he refused; ²¹ but after telling them goodbye and saying, “I will return again if God is willing,” he set sail from Ephesus.