Unless the Lord Builds the House

A Song of ^(A)Ascents. Of Solomon.

Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

A Song of ^(J)Ascents.

They Have Afflicted Me from My Youth

A Song of ^(U)Ascents.

Paul in Corinth

18 After this Paul^[a] left Athens and went to Corinth. ² And he found a Jew named ^(A)Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife ^(B)Priscilla, because ^(C)Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, ³ and ^(D)because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. ⁴ And ^(E)he reasoned in the synagogue ^(F)every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks.

^5 (G)When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul ^(H)was occupied with the word, ^(I)testifying to the Jews that the Christ was ^(J)Jesus. ⁶ And when they opposed and reviled him, ^(K)he shook out his garments and said to them, ^(L)“Your blood be on your own heads! ^(M)I am innocent. ^(N)From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” ⁷ And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius ^(O)Justus, ^(P)a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. ^8 (Q)Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together ^(R)with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. ⁹ And the Lord said to Paul ^(S)one night in ^(T)a vision, ^(U)“Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, ^10 (V)for I am with you, and ^(W)no one will attack you to harm you, for ^(X)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 ^(Y)proconsul of Achaia, ^(Z)the Jews^[b] made a united attack on Paul and ^(AA)brought him before the tribunal, ¹³ saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to ^(AB)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 ^(AC)crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. ¹⁵ But ^(AD)since it is a matter of questions about words and names and ^(AE)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 ^(AF)the brothers^[c] and set sail for Syria, and with him ^(AG)Priscilla and Aquila. At ^(AH)Cenchreae ^(AI)he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. ¹⁹ And they came to ^(AJ)Ephesus, and he left them there, but ^(AK)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 ^(AL)if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.

²² When he had landed at Caesarea, he ^(AM)went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. ²³ After spending some time there, he departed and ^(AN)went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, ^(AO)strengthening all the disciples.

Apollos Speaks Boldly in Ephesus

²⁴ Now a Jew named ^(AP)Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, ^(AQ)competent in the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in ^(AR)the way of the Lord. And ^(AS)being fervent in spirit,^[d] he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only ^(AT)the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when ^(AU)Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him ^(AV)the way of God more accurately. ²⁷ And when he wished to cross to ^(AW)Achaia, ^(AX)the brothers encouraged him and ^(AY)wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, ^(AZ)he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures ^(BA)that the Christ was Jesus.