ActsChapter 20

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¹When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples. He encouraged them and said goodbye. Then he left for Macedonia. ²He went through that area and said many things to encourage the people. Then he came to Greece. ³He stayed there three months. He was about to sail for Syria. But the Jews made a plan against him. So he decided to go back through Macedonia. ⁴Some men went with Paul. They were Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, and Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica. Gaius from Derbe and Timothy went too. So did Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵These men went on ahead. They waited for us in Troas. ⁶After the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we sailed from Philippi. Five days later we joined them in Troas. We stayed there seven days. ⁷On the first day of the week we met together to break bread. Paul planned to leave the next day. So he spoke to the people, and he kept on talking until midnight. ⁸There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. ⁹A young man named Eutychus was sitting in a window. Paul talked on and on, and Eutychus got very sleepy. When he was sound asleep, he fell from the third floor. They picked him up dead. ¹⁰But Paul went down and threw himself on the young man. He put his arms around him. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "He is still alive!" ¹¹Then Paul went back upstairs. He broke bread and ate. He kept talking until the sun came up. Then he left. ¹²The people took the young man home alive, and they were greatly comforted. ¹³We went on ahead to the ship. We sailed to Assos, where we were going to pick up Paul. He had planned it this way because he was going there on foot. ¹⁴He met us at Assos, and we took him on board. Then we went on to Mitylene. ¹⁵We sailed on from there. The next day we came near Chios. The day after that we came to Samos. On the next day we came to Miletus. ¹⁶Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus. He did not want to spend time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost, if he could. ¹⁷From Miletus, Paul sent a message to Ephesus. He asked the elders of the church to come to him. ¹⁸When they came, he said to them, "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you. You know it from the first day I came to the province of Asia. ¹⁹I served the Lord humbly and with tears. I had many trials because of the plots of the Jews. ²⁰I did not hold back from telling you anything that would help you. I taught you in public and from house to house. ²¹I told both Jews and Greeks that they must turn back to God. I told them to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²²And now the Spirit is pushing me to go to Jerusalem. I don't know what will happen to me there. ²³I only know that in town after town the Holy Spirit warns me. He tells me that chains and troubles are waiting for me. ²⁴But my life means nothing to me. I only want to finish my race. I want to complete the work the Lord Jesus gave me. That work is to tell the good news of God's grace. ²⁵I have gone among you preaching the kingdom. Now I know that none of you will ever see my face again. ²⁶So I tell you today that I am not to blame for anyone's blood. ²⁷For I did not hold back from telling you all of God's plan. ²⁸Watch over yourselves and the whole flock. The Holy Spirit has made you overseers of it. Be shepherds of the church of God. He bought it with his own blood. ²⁹I know that after I leave, fierce wolves will come in among you. They will not spare the flock. ³⁰Even some men from your own group will rise up. They will twist the truth to pull disciples away to follow them. ³¹So stay alert! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you. I did it night and day with tears. ³²And now I give you into God's care. I give you to the word of his grace. It can build you up. It can give you an inheritance among all those who are made holy. ³³I have not wanted anyone's silver or gold or clothes. ³⁴You yourselves know that I worked with these hands. I met my own needs and the needs of the people with me. ³⁵In everything I showed you that we must work hard like this to help the weak. We must remember the words of the Lord Jesus himself. He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" ³⁶When Paul had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷They all cried hard. They hugged Paul and kissed him. ³⁸What made them saddest was what he said about never seeing his face again. Then they went with him to the ship.