Acts 13:1-18:22

New Catholic Bible

Antioch^[a]

Paul’s First Missionary Journey^[b]

Chapter 13

Barnabas and Paul Sent Out on Mission.^{[c] 1} In the Church at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² On one occasion, while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me to do the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then, after completing their fasting and prayer, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

⁴ Having been sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia,^[d] and from there they set sail for Cyprus. ⁵ When they arrived in Salamis,^[e] they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues, while John served as their assistant.

At Cyprus Facing a Proconsul and a Magician.^{[f] 6} When they had traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos,^[g] they encountered a magician named Bar-Jesus, who was a Jewish false prophet. ⁷ He was an attendant of the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a learned man who had summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. ⁸ However, the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them in an attempt to prevent the proconsul’s conversion to the faith.

⁹ Then Saul, also known as Paul,^[h] filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at Elymas ¹⁰ and said, “You offspring of the devil, you enemy of righteousness, filled with every kind of deceit and fraud, will you never cease to pervert the straight paths of the Lord? ¹¹ Now take note of how the hand of the Lord will strike you. You will be blind, and for a period of time you will not be able to see the sun.” Immediately, he was enveloped in a dark mist, and he groped about for someone to lead him by the hand. ¹² When the proconsul saw what had happened, he became a believer, having been deeply impressed by the teaching of the Lord.

¹³ Paul’s Arrival at Antioch in Pisidia.^[i]Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and arrived at Perga^[j] in Pamphylia. There, John left them and returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ Then they went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch^[k] in Pisidia.

On the Sabbath, they went into the synagogue and took their seats. ¹⁵ After the readings from the Law and the Prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent this message to them, “Brethren, if you have any words of exhortation to offer to the people, please do so.”

¹⁶ Paul’s Speech in the Synagogue. Then Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak, saying, “Listen, men of Israel and you others who fear God!^{[l] 17} The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made our people great while they were dwelling as foreigners in Egypt. With uplifted arm, he led them out, ¹⁸ and for about forty years he endured their conduct in the desert.

¹⁹ “After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave their land to his people as their inheritance ²⁰ at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.^[m] After that, he appointed judges for them until the time of the prophet Samuel.

²¹ “Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. He reigned for forty years, ²² after which God removed him and raised up David as their king. In commending him, he said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, to be a man after my own heart. He will carry out my every wish.’

²³ “From this man’s descendants, God has fulfilled his promise by raising up for Israel a savior, Jesus. ²⁴ Prior to his coming, John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was nearing the end of his work, he said, ‘I am not the one you believe me to be. One is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to unfasten.’

²⁶ “Brethren, children of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who fear God, we are the ones to whom this message of salvation has been sent. ²⁷ The people of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize Jesus or to understand the words of the Prophets that are read on every Sabbath, and they fulfilled those prophecies by condemning him. ²⁸ Even though they found no basis to justify his execution, they asked Pilate to have him killed.

²⁹ “When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb. ³⁰ However, God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and over a period of many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are now his witnesses before the people.

³² “We have come here to proclaim to you the good news—what God promised to our ancestors ³³ he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus up as it is written in the second psalm:

³⁴ “God raised him from the dead, never to be subjected to corruption. He declares it in these words, ‘To you I will give the blessings promised to David.’ ³⁵ And he also says in another psalm, ‘You will not allow your Holy One to suffer corruption.’ ³⁶ When David had served God’s purposes during his lifetime, he fell asleep, and he was buried with his ancestors, and he saw corruption. ³⁷ However, the one whom God raised up did not see corruption. ³⁸ “You must understand, brethren, that it is through him that forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you. ³⁹ All those who believe are justified from all the things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware, then, lest what the Prophets have foretold will happen to you:

⁴² As they were leaving the synagogue, the people urged them to speak further on these subjects on the following Sabbath. ⁴³ After the congregation had dispersed, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.

⁴⁴ Paul’s Speech to the Gentiles. On the next Sabbath, almost the entire city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵ When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and with blasphemy they contradicted whatever Paul said. ⁴⁶ Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be proclaimed to you first. However, since you have rejected it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷ For so has the Lord commanded us to do, saying,

⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were delighted, and they praised the word of the Lord. All those who were destined for eternal life became believers. ⁴⁹ Thus, the word of the Lord continued to spread throughout the entire region.

⁵⁰ However, the Jews incited the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city. As a result, a campaign of persecution was stirred up against Paul and Barnabas, and they were driven out of the territory. ⁵¹ And so they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.^{[n] 52} And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

Chapter 14

Jews and Gentiles at Iconium.^{[o] 1} In Iconium, they went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke so effectively that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. ² However, the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. ³ Therefore, they stayed there for a considerable period of time, speaking boldly on behalf of the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to work signs and wonders.

⁴ However, the people in the city were divided, some siding with the Jews, others with the apostles. ⁵ Eventually, a plot was hatched by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their leaders, to attack and stone them. ⁶ When they became aware of this, they fled to the Lycaonian cities^[p] of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding area. ⁷ There they preached the good news.

At Lystra Paul and Barnabas Are Taken for Gods.^{[q] 8} At Lystra, there was a man who was crippled. Lame from birth, he had never once been able to walk. ⁹ He listened to Paul speaking. Paul looked intently at him, and, seeing that he had the faith to be healed, ¹⁰ called out to him in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet.” The man sprang up and began to walk.

^11 [r]When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in Lycaonian, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ¹² They called Barnabas Zeus, and since Paul was the chief speaker, they called him Hermes. ¹³ And the priest of Zeus, who was on the outskirts of the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, since he and the people intended to offer sacrifice.

¹⁴ However, when the apostles Barnabas and Paul learned about this, they tore their clothes^[s] and rushed into the crowd, shouting, ¹⁵ “Men, why are you doing this? We are only human beings, just like you. We proclaim to you the good news so that you may turn from these idols to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them.

¹⁶ “In the past, God allowed all the Gentiles to go their own way. ¹⁷ However, even then he did not leave you without a witness in doing good, for he sends you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons, and he provides you with food and fills your hearts with joy.” ¹⁸ Yet, even with these words, they were barely able to prevent the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.

¹⁹ End of the First Mission.^[t] Shortly thereafter, some Jews arrived on the scene from Antioch and Iconium, and they won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town, believing that he was dead. ²⁰ But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and entered the city. On the next day, he and Barnabas departed for Derbe.

²¹ After they had proclaimed the good news in that city and gained a considerable number of disciples, they returned to Lystra and then moved on to Iconium and Antioch. ²² They strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships in order to enter the kingdom of God.” ²³ In each Church, they appointed presbyters for them, and with prayer and fasting they commended them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

²⁴ Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. ²⁵ After proclaiming the word at Perga, they went down to Attalia,^{[u] 26} and from there they sailed to Antioch,^[v] where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had completed. ²⁷ When they arrived, they called the church together and related all that God had accomplished through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. ²⁸ And they stayed there with the disciples for some time.

Chapter 15

The Council of Jerusalem^[w]

The Question of Circumcision. Some men who had come down from Judea were teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the tradition of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² As a result, Paul and Barnabas engaged in a lengthy and acrimonious debate with them, and finally it was decided that Paul and Barnabas and some of the others should go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders.

³ So the church sent them on their journey; and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported how the Gentiles had been converted, and this news was received with great joy by all the brethren. ⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the Church and by the apostles and the elders, and they gave a report of all that God had accomplished through them. ⁵ But some from the group of Pharisees who had become believers stood up and declared, “It is necessary for the Gentiles to be circumcised and ordered to observe the Law of Moses.”

Salvation through the Grace of Christ. ⁶ The apostles and the elders convened to consider this matter. ⁷ After a long period of debate, Peter stood up to address them. “Brethren,” he said, “you are well aware that in the early days God made his choice among you that it would be through my mouth that the Gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and become believers. ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by giving to them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between them and us, for he purified their hearts by faith.

¹⁰ “Therefore, why are you determined to try God’s patience by laying a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither we nor our ancestors have found easy to bear? ¹¹ On the contrary, we believe that we are saved in the same way as they are, through the grace of the Lord Jesus.” ¹² On hearing this, the whole assembly fell silent, and they listened as Barnabas and Paul described all the signs and wonders that God had worked through them among the Gentiles.

¹³ James on Dietary Law. After they had finished speaking, James responded, “Brethren, listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon^[x] has related how God first looked favorably upon the Gentiles and took from among them a people for his name. ¹⁵ This agrees with the words of the Prophets, as it is written,

¹⁹ “Therefore, I have come to this decision. We should not make things more difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Rather, we should send a letter simply instructing them to abstain from things that have been polluted by idols, from unchastity, from the meat of animals that have been strangled, and from blood. ²¹ For in every town for many generations, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he is read aloud in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

²² The Letter of the Apostles. Then the apostles and the elders, with the approval of the whole Church, decided to choose representatives from their number and to send them with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. They sent Judas, who was called Barsabbas,^[y] and Silas, leaders in the community, ²³ to deliver the following letter:

The apostles and the elders, your brethren,

To the brethren in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

Greetings.

²⁴ It has come to our attention that some of our number, without having received any instructions from us, have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind. ²⁵ Therefore, we have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you together with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶ men who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ And so we are sending Judas and Silas who will confirm these things by word of mouth.

²⁸ It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and also our decision not to lay any further burden upon you beyond these essentials: ²⁹ you are to abstain from food that has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of animals that have been strangled, and from unchastity. If you avoid these, you will be doing what is right.

Farewell.

³⁰ Delegates at Antioch. So the men departed. When they reached Antioch, they summoned together the entire congregation and delivered the letter. ³¹ Upon reading it, the community rejoiced at its encouragement.

³² Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, spoke at length to strengthen and encourage the brethren. ³³ After they had spent some time there, they were sent off in peace by the brethren to return to those who had sent them. ³⁴ [But Silas decided to remain there.]^{[z] 35} Meanwhile, Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where, along with many others, they taught and proclaimed the word of God.

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey^[aa]

³⁶ Paul and Barnabas Separate.^[ab] After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brethren in all the cities where we proclaimed the word of the Lord so that we can see how they are progressing.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, ³⁸ but Paul was adamant about not taking with them a man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued to share in their work.

³⁹ As a result, there was such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas sailed to Cyprus with Mark. ⁴⁰ However, Paul chose Silas and set out on his journey, as the brethren commended him to the grace of the Lord.

⁴¹ Pastoral Visit to Asia Minor.^[ac] He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, bringing strength to the churches.

Chapter 16

¹ He then moved on to Derbe and Lystra where there was a disciple named Timothy,^[ad] the son of a Jewish woman who had become a believer, but his father was a Greek. ² The brethren of Lystra and Iconium regarded him highly, ³ and Paul decided to take him along. Therefore, he had him circumcised, because of the Jews in that region who all knew that his father was a Greek.

⁴ As they traveled from town to town, they made known to the brethren there the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and the elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. ⁵ Day by day, the churches grew strong in the faith and increased in numbers.

⁶ They traveled through the region of Phrygia^[ae] and Galatia because they had been told by the Holy Spirit not to preach the word in the province of Asia. ⁷ When they approached the border of Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but since the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to do so, ⁸ they passed through Mysia and came down to Troas.^[af]

Paul at Philippi.^{[ag] 9} During the night, Paul had a vision in which a man of Macedonia appeared to him and pleaded with him, saying, “Cross over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ Once he had seen this vision, we immediately arranged for passage to Macedonia, convinced that God had summoned us to proclaim the good news to them.

¹¹ We set sail from Troas and made a straight run to Samothrace.^[ah] On the following day, we reached Neapolis, ¹² and from there we sailed to Philippi,^[ai] a leading city in the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We spent some time in that city.

¹³ On the Sabbath, we went outside the city gate alongside the river where we assumed there would be a place of prayer. We sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴ One of the women, whose name was Lydia, was a worshiper of God. She was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying. ¹⁵ When she and her household had been baptized, she urged us insistently, “If you regard me as a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she won us over.

¹⁶ Paul Imprisoned at Philippi.^[aj]On one occasion, as we were on our way to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who was possessed by a spirit of divination and brought large profits to her owners by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ She began to follow Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to proclaim to you a way of salvation.” ¹⁸ She kept doing this for many days, until Paul became very greatly troubled. He turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And the spirit came out of her instantly.

¹⁹ When her owners realized that their hope of making money from her was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. ²⁰ They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are causing a disturbance in our city. They are Jews, ²¹ and they are advocating practices that it is illegal for us as Romans to adopt or follow.”

²² The crowd joined in the attack against them, and the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be beaten. ²³ After they had inflicted a severe beating on them, they threw them into prison and instructed the jailer to guard them closely. ²⁴ Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and locked their feet in the stocks.

²⁵ Paul Set Free. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly, there was such a huge earthquake that the very foundations of the prison were shaken. At once, all the doors flew open, and everyone’s chains were loosened.

²⁷ When the jailer awakened and saw all the doors of the prison wide open, he drew his sword, intending to kill himself, since he assumed that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ However, Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”

²⁹ The jailer called for lights and, rushing in, he threw himself before Paul and Silas, trembling with fear. ³⁰ Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, and so too will your household.” ³² After this, they preached the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.

³³ At that late hour of the night, the jailer took them and bathed their wounds. Then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. ³⁴ Afterward, he brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced over their belief in God.

³⁵ When it was daylight, the magistrates sent police officers with the order, “Let those men go.” ³⁶ The jailer reported the message to Paul, saying, “The magistrates sent word to let you go. Now you can come out and depart in peace.” ³⁷ But Paul said to the officers, “We are Roman citizens. They gave us a public beating and threw us into prison without a trial. And now they are going to release us secretly. Absolutely not! Let them come in person and escort us out themselves.”

³⁸ The officers reported Paul’s words, and the magistrates became alarmed when they learned that those men were Roman citizens. ³⁹ So they came and apologized to them, then escorted them out and begged them to leave the city. ⁴⁰ After emerging from the prison, they went to Lydia’s home, where they met the brethren and spoke words of encouragement to them. Then they departed.

Chapter 17

Paul in Thessalonica.^{[ak] 1} After they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they reached Thessalonica^[al] where there was a Jewish synagogue. ² Following his usual practice, Paul went in, and for three Sabbaths he argued with them from the Scriptures, ³ explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and rise from the dead. “And the Christ,” he said, “is this Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.” ⁴ Some of them were convinced and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many God-fearing Greeks as well as not a few prominent women.

⁵ However, the Jews became jealous, and they recruited some ruffians from the marketplace, formed a mob, and soon had the city in an uproar. They stormed Jason’s house, intending to bring them out before the crowd. ⁶ And when they could not find them there, they dragged Jason and some of the brethren before the city magistrates, shouting, “These people who have been causing trouble all over the world have come here also, ⁷ and Jason has given them shelter. They are all acting in opposition to the decrees of Caesar, claiming that there is another king named Jesus.” ⁸ Upon hearing this, the mob and the magistrates were greatly agitated. ⁹ They then took a bond from Jason and the others before releasing them.

¹⁰ Paul in Beroea. As soon as it got dark, the brethren sent Paul and Silas away to Beroea. Upon their arrival, they immediately went to the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ The people there were more receptive than those in Thessalonica. They received the word with great eagerness, and they examined the Scriptures every day to check whether these things were so. ¹² Many of them became believers, as did a considerable number of influential Greek women and men.

¹³ However, when the Jews of Thessalonica learned that the word of God was being proclaimed by Paul in Beroea, they followed him there to cause trouble and stir up the crowds. ¹⁴ Therefore, the brethren immediately sent Paul on his way to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. ¹⁵ After Paul’s escorts brought him as far as Athens, they returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

¹⁶ Paul in Athens.^[am] While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was outraged to note that the city was full of idols. ¹⁷ Therefore, he debated in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and also in the city square with whoever chanced to be there. ¹⁸ Even a few Epicurean and Stoic philosophers^[an] argued with him. Some asked, “What is this man babbling about?” Others said, “Apparently, he is here to promote foreign deities,” because he was preaching about Jesus and the resurrection.

¹⁹ Therefore, they took him and brought him to the Areopagus^[ao] and asked him, “Can you explain to us what this new doctrine is that you are teaching? ²⁰ You are presenting strange ideas to us, and we would like to find out what they all mean.” ²¹ The major pastime of the Athenians and the foreigners living there was to spend their time telling or listening to the latest ideas.

²² Paul’s Speech at the Areopagus.^[ap]Then Paul stood before them in the Areopagus and said: “Men of Athens, I have seen how religious you are. ²³ For as I walked around, looking carefully at your shrines, I noticed among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an Unknown God.’ What, therefore, you worship as unknown, I now proclaim to you.

²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in shrines made by human hands. ²⁵ Nor is he served by human hands as though he were in need of anything. Rather, it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and all other things. ²⁶ From one ancestor,^[aq] he created all peoples to occupy the entire earth, and he decreed their appointed times and the boundaries of where they would live.

²⁷ “He did all this so that people might seek God in the hope that by groping for him they might find him, even though indeed he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ For ‘In him we live and move and have our being.’^[ar] As even your own poets have said, ‘We are all his offspring.’

²⁹ “Since we are God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like an image of gold or silver or stone, fashioned by human art and imagination. ³⁰ God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, but now he commands people everywhere to repent, ³¹ because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world with justice by a man whom he has appointed. He has given public confirmation of this to all by raising him from the dead.”

³² When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some scoffed, but others said, “We should like to hear you speak further on this subject at another time.” ³³ After that, Paul left them. ³⁴ However, some of them joined him and became believers, including Dionysius^[as] the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, as well as some others.

Chapter 18

Paul in Corinth.^{[at] 1} At that point, Paul departed from Athens and moved on 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 Claudius^[au] had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. He went to visit them, ³ and because they were tentmakers just as he was, he stayed with them and they worked together.^{[av] 4} Every Sabbath, he entered into discussions in the synagogue, attempting to convert both Jews and Greeks.

⁵ After Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul devoted all his efforts to preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. ⁶ When they opposed him and began to hurl insults, he shook out his garments in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I have a clear conscience. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles.”

⁷ With that, he left and went to the house of a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God, who lived next door to the synagogue. ⁸ Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord along with his entire household. Many Corinthians who heard Paul came to believe and were baptized.

⁹ One night, the Lord appeared to Paul in a vision^[aw] and said, “Do not be afraid. Continue with your preaching, and do not be silent, ¹⁰ for I am with you. No one will attack you or try to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.” ¹¹ And so he remained there for eighteen months, teaching the word of God to them.

¹² Accusations before Gallio. However, when Gallio became proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a concerted attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, ¹³ saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the Law.”

¹⁴ Just as Paul was about to refute them, Gallio said to the Jews, “If you were accusing this man of some crime or fraudulent act, O Jews, I would be more than willing to listen to your complaint. ¹⁵ But since your argument is about words and names and your own Law, settle it yourselves. I have no intention of making judgments about such matters.” ¹⁶ With that, he dismissed them from the tribunal. ¹⁷ Then they all attacked Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio remained unconcerned about their action.

¹⁸ Return to Antioch in Pisidia.^[ax] After he remained in Corinth for some considerable time, Paul took leave of the brethren and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae, he had his hair cut because he had taken a vow.

¹⁹ When they reached Ephesus,^[ay] he left them there. He himself went into the synagogue and had discussions with the Jews. ²⁰ When they asked him to stay longer, he declined, ²¹ but on taking leave of them he promised, “I will return to you, if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. ²² When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the Church,^[az] and then he went down to Antioch.