Acts 18:1–18

Paul in Corinth

¹⁸After this Paul^t left Athens and went to Corinth.^{* 2}There he found a Jew named Aquila from Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul^u went to see them,^{* 3}and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together—by trade they were tentmakers.^{* 4}Every Sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks.^*

⁵When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with proclaiming the word,^v testifying to the Jews that the Messiah^w was Jesus.^{* 6}When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes^x and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the gentiles.”^{* 7}Then he left the synagogue^y and went to the house of a man named Titius^z Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next door to the synagogue.^{* 8}Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, together with all his household, and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized.^{* 9}One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent,^{* 10}for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.”^{* 11}He stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

¹²But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. ¹³They said, “This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law.” ¹⁴Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of crime or serious villainy, I would be justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews,^{* 15}but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I do not wish to be a judge of these matters.” ¹⁶And he dismissed them from the tribunal. ¹⁷Then all of them^a seized Sosthenes, the official of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of these things.^*

Paul’s Return to Antioch

¹⁸After staying there for a considerable time, Paul said farewell to the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow.^*