Acts 20

1 After the people at Ephesus had stopped rioting, Paul summoned the believers. He encouraged them [to continue to trust in the Lord Jesus. Soon] after that, he told them goodbye and left to go to Macedonia [province].

2 [After he arrived] there, he visited [each town where there were believers], and encouraged them. Then he arrived in Greece [province], [which is also called Achaia].

3 He stayed there for three months. Then he planned to return to Syria by ship, but [he heard that] some of the Jews [SYN] [in that area] were planning to kill him [as he traveled. So] he decided instead to go [by land, and he traveled] again through Macedonia.

4 The men who were going to travel with him [to Jerusalem were] Sopater, [who was] a son of Pyrrhus, who grew up in Berea [town]; Aristarchus and Secundus, who were from Thessalonica [city; ] Gaius, [who was] from Derbe [town; ] Timothy, [who was from Galatia province; ] and Tychicus and Trophimus who were from Asia [province].

5 Those [seven] men went ahead of [Paul and me, Luke, by ship from Macedonia, so] they got to Troas [before we did and] waited for [the two of] us there.

6 [But we two(exc) traveled by land as far as] Philippi [city]. After the Jewish festival [when they eat] unleavened bread, we got on a ship [that was going from] the port near [Philippi to Troas city]. After five days we [(exc)] arrived at Troas and we met the other men who had traveled there [ahead of us]. Then we [all] stayed in Troas for seven days.

7 (On Sunday evening/On the evening of the first day of the week), we [(exc) and the other believers there] gathered together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper [and to eat other food] [SYN]. Paul spoke to the believers. He continued teaching them until midnight, because he was planning to leave [Troas] the next day.

8 Many [oil] lamps were burning in the upstairs room in which we [(exc)] had gathered, [so the fumes caused some people to become sleepy].

9 A young man whose name was Eutychus was there. He was seated on [the sill of] an [open] window [on the third story of the house]. As Paul continued talking for a long time, Eutychus became sleepier and sleepier. Finally, he was sound/really asleep. He fell [out of the window] from the third story down [to the ground. Some of the believers went down] immediately and picked him up. [But he was] dead.

10 Paul [also] went down. He lay down and stretched out on top of the young man and put his arms around him. Then he said [to the people who were standing around], “Do not worry, he is alive [again now]!”

11 Then Paul, [along with the others], went upstairs again and they ate the Lord’s Supper and other food [SYN]. Afterwards, Paul conversed with the believers until dawn. Then he left.

12 The [other] people took the young man [home], and were greatly encouraged because he was alive [again].

13 We then went to the ship. Paul did not get on the ship [with us in Troas], because he preferred to go [more quickly] overland to Assos [town]. The rest of us got on the ship and sailed for Assos.

14 We [(exc)] met Paul in Assos. He got on [the ship] with us, and we sailed to Mitylene [town].

15 The day after [we reached Mitylene], we [sailed from there and] arrived [at a place] near Kios [Island]. The day after that, we sailed to Samos [Island]. The next day we [left Samos and] sailed to Miletus [town].

16 [Miletus was just south of Ephesus city]. Paul had [earlier] decided that he would not get on a ship that would stop at Ephesus, because he did not want to spend [several] days in Asia [province]. If possible, he wanted to arrive in Jerusalem by the [time of the] Pentecost festival, [and the time of that festival was near].

17 [When the ship arrived at] Miletus, Paul sent [a messenger] to Ephesus to ask the elders of the congregation to come to talk with him.

18 When the elders arrived, Paul said to them, “You personally know how I [conducted myself among you the entire time] that I was with you, from the first day when I arrived [here] in Asia [province until the day I left].

19 [You know how] I was serving the Lord [Jesus] very humbly and how I sometimes wept [about people. You also know how] I suffered because the Jews [SYN] [who were not believers often] tried [to harm me].

20 You also know that, as I preached [God’s message] to you, I never left out anything that would help you. You know that I taught you [God’s message] when many people were present, and I [also went to your] homes and taught it there.

21 I preached both to Jews and to non-Jews, telling them [all] that they must turn away from their sinful behavior. [I also told them they should] believe in our Lord Jesus.”

22 “And now note this: I am going to Jerusalem, because [God’s] Spirit has clearly shown me that I must go there. I do not know what will happen to me [while I am there].

23 But I do know that in each city [where I have stopped], the Holy Spirit has (told me/[caused the believers to] tell me) that [in Jerusalem] people will put me in prison [PRS] and will cause me to suffer [PRS].

24 But I do not care even if people kill me, if first I am able to finish the work [MET] that the Lord Jesus has told me [to do. He appointed me] to tell people the good message that God [saves us] by doing for us what we do not deserve.

25 I have preached to you the message about how God desires to rule [people’s lives]. But now I know that today is the last time that you fellow believers will see me [SYN].

26 So I want you all to understand that if anyone [who has heard me preach] dies [without trusting in Jesus], it is not my fault [MTY],

27 because I told you [LIT] everything [HYP] that God has planned for us [(inc)].

28 [You leaders] must continue to believe and obey [God’s message. You must also help] all the other believers [MET] for whom the Holy Spirit has caused you to be responsible [MTY]. Watch over [MET] yourselves and the other believers [as] a shepherd [watches over his sheep]. God bought them with the blood [that flowed from] his [Son’s body on the cross].

29 I know [very well] that after I leave, [people who teach] [MET] [false doctrines] will come among you and will do great harm to the believers. [They will be like] fierce wolves [that kill sheep].

30 Even in your own group of believers there will be some who will deceive [other] believers by teaching them messages that are false. They will teach those messages so that some people [will believe them and] will become their followers.

31 So watch out [that none of you stops believing the true message about our Lord Jesus]. Remember that day and night for [about] three years I repeatedly taught you that message, and warned you with tears [in my eyes not to believe any other message].”

32 “[Now as I leave you], I ask God to protect you and to keep you believing the message [that he saves us(inc)] by doing for us what we do not deserve. [If you continue believing] the message [that I told you], you will become [spiritually mature], and God will give you the blessings that he has promised to give to all of those who belong to him.

33 [As for myself], I have not desired anyone’s money [MTY] or [fine] clothing.

34 You yourselves know that I have worked [with my hands] [MTY] to earn the money that my companions and I needed.

35 In everything that I did, I showed you that we [(inc)] should work hard in order [to have enough money] to give some to those who are needy. We [(inc)] should remember that our Lord Jesus himself said, ‘You are happy when people give you what you need, but God will be happy with you when you give other people what they need.’”

36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of the elders and prayed.

37 They all cried a lot, and they hugged Paul and kissed him.

38 They were especially sad because he had said that they would never see him [SYN] again. Then they [all] went with him to the ship.