Acts 20
20
1When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, said goodbye, and left for Macedonia. 2He went through that region and spoke many words of encouragement to the people. Then he went to Greece 3and stayed there for three months.
Paul in Troas
When Paul was going to board a ship for Syria, he found out that the Jews were plotting to kill him. So he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4Sopater (son of Pyrrhus) from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia accompanied Paul. 5All these men went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas. 6After the Festival of Unleavened Bread, we boarded a ship at Philippi. Five days later we joined them in Troas and stayed there for seven days.
7On Sunday we met to break bread. Paul was discussing ⌞Scripture⌟ with the people. Since he intended to leave the next day, he kept talking until midnight. 8(Many lamps were lit in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)
9A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window. As Paul was talking on and on, Eutychus was gradually falling asleep. Finally, overcome by sleep, he fell from the third story and was dead when they picked him up. 10Paul went to him, took him into his arms, and said, “Don’t worry! He’s alive!” 11Then Eutychus went upstairs again, broke the bread, and ate. Paul talked with the people for a long time, until sunrise, and then left.
12The people took the boy home. They were greatly relieved that he was alive.
Paul’s Trip to Miletus
13We went ahead to the ship and sailed for the city of Assos. At Assos, we were going to pick up Paul. He had made these arrangements, since he had planned to walk overland to Assos. 14When Paul met us in Assos, we took him on board and went to the city of Mitylene. 15We sailed from there. On the following day we approached the island of Chios. The next day we went by the island of Samos, and on the next day we arrived at the city of Miletus. 16Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, if that was possible.
Paul Meets with the Spiritual Leaders from Ephesus
17From Miletus Paul sent messengers to the city of Ephesus and called the spiritual leaders #20:17 Or “pastors,” or “elders.” of the church to meet with him ⌞in Miletus⌟. 18When they were with him, he said to them, “You know how I spent all my time with you from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia. 19I humbly served the Lord, often with tears in my eyes. I served the Lord during the difficult times I went through when the Jews plotted against me. 20I didn’t avoid telling you anything that would help you, and I didn’t avoid teaching you publicly and from house to house. 21I warned Jews and Greeks to change the way they think and act and to believe in our Lord Jesus.
22“I am determined to go to Jerusalem now. I don’t know what will happen to me there. 23However, the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that imprisonment and suffering are waiting for me. 24But I don’t place any value on my own life. I want to finish the race I’m running. I want to carry out the mission I received from the Lord Jesus—the mission of testifying to the Good News of God’s kindness.#20:24 Or “grace.”
25“Now I know that none of you whom I told about God’s kingdom will see me again. 26Therefore, I declare to you today that I am not responsible for the ⌞spiritual⌟ death of any of you. 27I didn’t avoid telling you the whole plan of God. 28Pay attention to yourselves and to the entire flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as bishops to be shepherds for God’s church which he acquired with his own blood. 29I know that fierce wolves will come to you after I leave, and they won’t spare the flock. 30Some of your own men will come forward and say things that distort the truth. They will do this to lure disciples into following them. 31So be alert! Remember that I instructed each of you for three years, day and night, at times with tears in my eyes.
32“I am now entrusting you to God and to his message that tells how kind he is. That message can help you grow and can give you the inheritance that is shared by all of God’s holy people.
33“I never wanted anyone’s silver, gold, or clothes. 34You know that I worked to support myself and those who were with me. 35I have given you an example that by working hard like this we should help the weak. We should remember the words that the Lord Jesus said, ‘Giving gifts is more satisfying than receiving them.’ ”
36When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. 37Everyone cried a lot as they put their arms around Paul and kissed him. 38The thought of not seeing Paul again hurt them most of all. Then they took Paul to the ship.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Acts 20
20
Paul in Macedonia and Greece
1After the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had encouraged them he told them goodbye, and set off to go to #20:1 Northern Greece.Macedonia. 2After he had gone through those districts and had encouraged the believers, he came to Greece. 3And he stayed three months, and when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia (northern Greece). 4He was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and by Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. 5These men went on ahead and were waiting for us (including Luke) at Troas. 6We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread (Passover week), and within five days we reached them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
7Now on the first day of the week (Sunday), when we were gathered together to break bread (share communion), Paul began talking with them, intending to leave the next day; and he kept on with his message until midnight. 8Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were assembled, 9and there was a young man named Eutychus (“Lucky”) sitting on the window sill. He was sinking into a deep sleep, and as Paul #20:9 Luke (the writer) takes a good-natured poke at Paul when he describes Paul’s long-winded preaching. Anyone who studies Paul’s letters, especially in the original Greek, will soon discover that Paul was a vivacious, wonderfully emotional servant of the Lord who was never stingy with words.kept on talking longer and longer, he was completely overcome by sleep and fell down from the third story; and he was picked up dead. 10But Paul went down and threw himself on him and embraced him, and said [to those standing around him], “Do not be troubled, because #20:10 Lit his soul is in him.he is alive.” 11When Paul had gone back upstairs and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked [informally and confidentially] with them for a long time—until daybreak [in fact]—and then he left. 12They took the boy [Eutychus] home alive, and were greatly comforted and encouraged.
Troas to Miletus
13But we went on ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there; for that was what he had arranged, intending himself to go [a shorter route] by land. 14So when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and sailed on to Mitylene. 15Sailing from there, we arrived the next day [at a point] opposite Chios; the following day we crossed over to Samos, and the next day we arrived at Miletus [about 30 miles south of Ephesus]. 16Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus so that he would not end up spending time [unnecessarily] in [the province of] Asia (modern Turkey); for he was in a hurry to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of #20:16 The yearly Jewish festival which celebrated the harvest.Pentecost.
Farewell to Ephesus
17However, from Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church [to meet him there]. 18And when they arrived he said to them:
“You know well how I [lived when I] was with you, from the first day that I set foot in Asia [until now], 19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and trials which came on me because of the plots of the Jews [against me]; 20[you know] how I did not shrink back in fear from telling you anything that was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public meetings, and from house to house, 21solemnly [and wholeheartedly] testifying to both Jews and Greeks, urging them to turn in repentance to God and [to have] faith in our Lord Jesus Christ [for salvation]. 22And now, compelled by the Spirit and obligated by my convictions, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23except that the Holy Spirit solemnly [and emphatically] affirms to me in city after city that imprisonment and suffering await me. 24But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy] finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious, undeserved] grace [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life].
25“And now, listen carefully: I know that none of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, #20:25 Paul did not to expect to return to Ephesus, but he did. See 1 Tim 1:3.will see me again. 26For that reason I testify to you on this [our parting] day that I am innocent of the blood of all people. 27For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose and plan of God. 28Take care and be on guard for yourselves and for the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd (tend, feed, guide) the church of God which He bought with His own blood. 29I know that after I am gone, [false teachers like] ferocious wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30even from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse and distorted things, to draw away the disciples after themselves [as their followers]. 31Therefore be continually alert, remembering that for three years, night or day, I did not stop admonishing and advising each one [of you] with tears. 32And now I commend you to God [placing you in His protective, loving care] and [I commend you] to the word of His grace [the counsel and promises of His unmerited favor]. His grace is able to build you up and to give you the [rightful] inheritance among all those who are sanctified [that is, among those who are set apart for God’s purpose—all believers]. 33I had no desire for anyone’s silver or gold or [expensive] clothes. 34You know personally that these hands ministered to my own needs [working in manual labor] and to [those of] the people who were with me. 35In everything I showed you [by example] that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed [and brings greater joy] to give than to receive.’ ”
36When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37And #20:37 Lit there was considerable weeping of all.they began to weep openly and threw their arms around Paul’s neck, and repeatedly kissed him, 38grieving and distressed especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see him again. And they accompanied him to the ship.
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