Paul in Corinth
1 After this Paul1 left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named sAquila, 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, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and tworked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And he reasoned in the usynagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 vWhen Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the wChrist was Jesus. 6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his xgarments and said to them, y“Your zblood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will ago to the Gentiles.” 7 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. 8 bCrispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul cbelieved and were dbaptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul one enight in a vision, f“Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, 10 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.” 11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews2 made a united attack on Paul and brought him gbefore the tribunal, 13 saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.” 14 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. 15 But since it is a matter of hquestions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things.” 16 And he drove them from the tribunal. 17 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.
Paul Returns to Antioch
18 After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers3 and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had icut his hair, for he was junder a kvow. 19 And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. 21 But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23 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.
Apollos Speaks Boldly in Ephesus
24 Now a Jew named lApollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an meloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit,4 he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the nbaptism of John. 26 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. 27 And owhen 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, 28 for he powerfully prefuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the qChrist was Jesus.
Greeting
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example
2 aWe give thanks to God always for all of you, bconstantly1 mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your cwork of dfaith and labor of elove and steadfastness of fhope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, gbrothers2 loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also hin power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. iYou know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you jbecame imitators of us and of the Lord, for kyou received the word in much affliction, with the ljoy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has mthe word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but nyour ofaith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of preception we had among you, and how you qturned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to rwait for his Son sfrom heaven, whom the raised from the dead, Jesus who udelivers us from the vwrath to come.
