Acts 20

1 Once the uproar had died down, Paul called the believers together and encouraged them. Then he said goodbye, and left for Macedonia.

When the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and, with encouraging words, bade them goodbye, and started on his journey to Macedonia.

2 He passed through the area, sharing many words of encouragement with the believers there, and then traveled on to Greece.

After going through those districts and speaking many encouraging words to the disciples, he went into Greece, where he stayed three months.

3 After he had spent three months there and just as he was about to sail to Syria, it was discovered that the Jews were plotting against him. So he decided to return through Macedonia.

He was about to sail to Syria, when he learned that a plot had been laid against him by several of the Jewish leaders; so he decided to return by way of Macedonia.

4 These were the people who traveled with him: Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus; Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica; Gaius from Derbe; Timothy; Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.

He was accompanied by Sopater the son of Pyrrhus, of Beroea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, as well as by Tychicus and Trophimus of Roman Asia.

5 They went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.

These people went to Troas and waited for us there;

6 After the Feast of Unleavened Bread we sailed from Philippi, and met them five days later in Troas, where we spent a week.

while we ourselves sailed from Philippi after the Passover, and joined them five days later at Troas, where we stayed for a week.

7 Paul was speaking on the first day of the week as we gathered together to break bread. He was planning to leave in the morning, and went on speaking until midnight.

On the first day of the week, when we had met for the breaking of bread, Paul, who was intending to leave the next day, began to address those who were present, and prolonged his address until midnight.

8 (The upstairs room where we were meeting was lit by many lamps.)

There were a good many lamps in the upstairs room, where we had met;

9 A young man called Eutychus was sitting in the window, and he began feeling very sleepy. As Paul went on speaking he fell sound asleep and tumbled down from the third story. When they picked him up they found he was dead.

and a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, was gradually overcome with great drowsiness, as Paul continued his address. At last, quite overpowered by his drowsiness, he fell from the third story to the ground, and was picked up for dead.

10 Paul went down, stretched himself out upon him, and hugged him. “Don't worry, he's alive,” he said.

But Paul went down, threw himself on him, and put his arms around him. “Do not be alarmed,” he said, “he is still alive.”

11 Paul went back upstairs, broke bread, and ate together with them. He went on talking with them until dawn came, and then he left.

Then he went upstairs; and, after breaking and partaking of the bread, he talked with them at great length until daybreak, and then left.

12 They took the young man home alive and well, and were very thankful for this.

Meanwhile they had taken the lad away alive, and were greatly comforted.

13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos. There we were due to pick up Paul, since that was what he had planned as he decided to travel on foot.

We started first, went on board ship, and sailed for Assos, intending to take Paul on board there. This was by his own arrangement, as he intended to go by land himself.

14 He did indeed meet us at Assos. We picked him up, and went on to Mitylene.

So, when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went on to Mitylene.

15 Sailing on from there we arrived off Kios, and the next day we stopped briefly at Samos, and the following day we arrived at Miletus.

The day after we had sailed from there, we arrived off Chios, touched at Samos the following day, and the next day reached Miletus;

16 Paul had planned to sail on past Ephesus so he wouldn't have to spend time in the province of Asia. He was keen to get to Jerusalem in time for the Day of Pentecost.

for Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so as to avoid spending much time in Roman Asia. He was making haste to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the Festival at the close of the Harvest.

17 From Miletus Paul sent a message to the elders of the church in Ephesus.

From Miletus, however, he sent to Ephesus and invited the church elders to meet him;

18 When they arrived, he told them, “You know how I always behaved while I was with you from the first day I arrived in the province of Asia.

and, when they came, he said to them, “You know well the life that I always led among you from the very first day that I set foot in Roman Asia,

19 I served the Lord in humility and in tears. I put up with the troubles and stress caused by the plots of the Jews.

serving the Lord, as I did, in all humility, amid the tears and trials which fell to my lot through the plots of some of the Jewish leaders.

20 However, I never held back from sharing with you anything that would be to your benefit, and I taught you in public, going from house to house.

I never shrank from telling you anything that could be helpful to you, or from teaching you both in public and in private.

21 I witnessed both to Jews and Greeks that it was essential to repent and turn to God, and to trust in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I earnestly pointed both Jews and Greeks to the repentance that leads to God, and to faith in Jesus, our Lord.

22 Now the Spirit is insisting that I go to Jerusalem, and I have no idea what will happen to me there.

And now, under spiritual constraint, I am here on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

23 All I know is that in every city I visit the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and suffering are waiting for me.

except that in town after town the Holy Spirit plainly declares to me that imprisonment and troubles await me.

24 But I don't consider my life as worth anything to me. I only want to finish my mission and the ministry that the Lord Jesus gave to me, to witness to the good news of the grace of God.

But I count my life of no value to myself, if only I may complete the course marked out for me, and the task that was allotted me by the Lord Jesus – which was to declare the good news of the love of God.

25 Now I am certain that you will not see my face again, you among whom I shared the news of the kingdom.

And now, I tell you, I know that none of you will ever see my face again – you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom.

26 So I declare to you today that I am not responsible if anyone is lost.

Therefore I declare to you this day, that my conscience is clear in regard to the fate of any of you,

27 I didn't hesitate to tell you everything God wants you to know.

for I have not shrunk from announcing the whole purpose of God regarding you.

28 Take care of yourselves and of all the flock, which the Holy Spirit has given to you to supervise. Feed the Lord's church which he bought with his own blood.

Be watchful over yourselves, and over the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has placed you in charge, to shepherd the church of God, which he won for himself at the cost of his life.

29 I know that after I leave vicious wolves will come among you, and won't spare the flock.

I know that, after my departure, merciless wolves will get in among you, who will not spare the flock;

30 From among your own group men will rise up perverting what is right and good so they can lead believers to follow them.

and from among yourselves, too, people will arise, who will teach perversions of truth, so as to draw away the disciples after them.

31 So watch out! Don't forget that for three years I went on instructing all of you night and day, often crying over you.

Therefore, be on your guard, remembering how for three years, night and day, I never ceased, even with tears, to warn each one of you.

32 Now I commit you in God's care and to the message of his grace, which is able to build you up and provide you with the inheritance that belongs to all who are kept right with him.

And now I commend you to the Lord and to the message of his love – a message which has the power to build up your characters, and to give you your place among all those who have become Christ’s people.

33 I never had any desire for anyone's silver or gold or clothing.

I have never coveted anyone’s gold or silver or clothing.

34 You know that I worked with my own hands to provide for my own needs, as well as for those who were with me.

You, yourselves, know that these hands of mine provided not only for my own wants, but for my companions also.

35 I have given you an example in everything: work to help those who are weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

I left nothing undone to show you that, laboring as I labored, you ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said himself – ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

36 When he finished speaking, he kneeled down and prayed with all of them.

When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

37 They all wept as they hugged and kissed him.

All were in tears; and throwing their arms around Paul’s neck, they kissed him again and again,

38 What upset them the most was what he said about never seeing him again... Then they walked down to the ship with him.

grieving most of all over what he had said – that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.