Gevurot 18

1. After these things Rav Sha’ul left Athens and went to Corinth.

2. And in Corinth Rav Sha’ul found some Messianic Jews, namely Aquila hailing from Pontus, having recently come from Italy, where Claudius ordered a decree of Jewish expulsion from Rome, and Priscilla, his isha. Rav Sha’ul went to see them.

3. And because he had the same parnasah (livelihood), Rav Sha’ul was staying with them, and he was working with them, for they were tentmakers by trade.

4. And Rav Sha’ul was debating in the shul every Shabbos, and he was convincing Yehudim and Yevanim.

5. Now when both Sila and Timotiyos came down from Macedonia, Rav Sha’ul was farnumen (preoccupied) and totally absorbed with the dvar Hashem, bearing solemn edut to the Yehudim that Yehoshua is the Moshiach.

6. But when some began opposing Rav Sha’ul, and when they began committing Chillul Hashem, Rav Sha’ul shook out his kaftan and said to them, "The responsibility of your lot be upon your own head! For I am tahor (clean); from now on, I go to the Nations." [2Sm 1:16; Ezek 33:4; 3:17-19; Neh 5:13]

7. And so Rav Sha’ul left them, and entered into the bais of a certain ish by the name Titius Justus, a yire Elohim whose bais was right next door to the shul!!

8. And Crispus, the Rosh Beit HaKnesset, came to emunah in Moshiach Adoneinu along with his entire bais; also many of the Corinthians who heard came to emunah, and were being given Moshiach’s tevilah of teshuva.

9. Then in the lailah, through a chazon, Adonoi said to Rav Sha’ul, "Do not fear, but speak out, and do not keep silent,

10. "For I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you; I have many people in this city."

11. And Rav Sha’ul sat shanah and shishah chodashim saying shiurim to them on the dvar Hashem.

12. And when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the [disobedient] Yehudim rose up with one accord keneged (against, in opposition to) Rav Sha’ul, and they took him to court,

13. Saying, "This one persuades anashim to worship Hashem in a manner against the Torah."

14. Rav Sha’ul was about to open his mouth when Gallio spoke to the Yehudim, "If this matter concerned some wrong or heinous crime, O Yehudim, I might reasonably put up with you;

15. "But if it is kashes (questions) about a dvar and shemot (names) and your Torah, you will see to it for yourselves. I do not intend to be a shofet (judge) of these things."

16. And he had them ejected from the courtroom.

17. They seized Sosthenes, the Rosh HaKnesset, and were beating him in full view of the Kes HaMishpat (Judgment Seat), and none of these things created a concern for Gallio.

18. But Rav Sha’ul still remained a number of yamim and then took leave of the Achim b’Moshiach, and was sailing away to Syria; and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he cut his hair, for he had taken a neder (vow). [BAMIDBAR 6:2,5,18]

19. Then they arrived in Ephesus, and Rav Sha’ul left them there, but he joined the minyan in the shul and debated with the Yehudim.

20. And when they were asking Rav Sha’ul to stay for a longer time, he did not give his consent.

21. But taking leave of them, he said, “I will return again im yirtzeh Hashem (G-d willing).” Then Rav Sha’ul set sail from Ephesus.

22. And having come down to Caesarea and having gone up and greeted the [Yerushalayim] Kehillah of Moshiach, then Rav Sha’ul went down to Antioch.

23. And having spent some time, he embarked, passing through the area of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the Moshiach’s talmidim.

24. Now a certain man, a Yehudi, arrived in Ephesus, Apollos by name, hailing from Alexandria, a lamdan (a Torah scholar with prodigious knowledge), being tief (deep and profound, erudite, keen) in the Kitvei HaKodesh.

25. This one had been taught the Derech Hashem and was on fire in the Ruach Hakodesh and saying shiurim and drashot accurate and true to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach. But Rav Apollos was acquainted only with the tevilah of teshuva of Yochanan [see Lk 3:16].

26. And this rabbi began to speak with ometz lev (boldness) in the shul. And having heard him, Priscilla and Aquila took him and more accurately instructed him in the Derech Hashem.

27. When Rav Apollos desired to go to Achaia, the Achim b’Moshiach encouraged him and wrote iggrot to Moshiach’s talmidim there to welcome him. When Rav Apollos arrived, he greatly helped the ones who through the Chen v’Chesed Hashem had come to emunah.

28. For Rav Apollos was publicly and powerfully refuting the [unbelieving] Yehudim, showing through the Kitvei HaKodesh that Yehoshua is the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.