Font Size
Acts 18-20
Contemporary English Version
Acts 18-20
Contemporary English Version
Paul in Corinth
18 Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, 2 where he met Aquila, a Jewish man from Pontus. Not long before this, Aquila had come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Emperor Claudius had ordered the Jewish people to leave Rome.[a] Paul went to see Aquila and Priscilla 3 and found out they were tent makers. Paul was also a tent maker, so he stayed with them, and they worked together.
4 Every Sabbath, Paul went to the synagogue. He spoke to Jews and Gentiles[b] and tried to win them over. 5 But after Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, he spent all his time preaching to the Jews about Jesus the Messiah. 6 Finally, they turned against him and insulted him. So he shook the dust from his clothes[c] and told them, “Whatever happens to you will be your own fault! I am not to blame. From now on I am going to preach to the Gentiles.”
7 Paul then moved into the house of a man named Titius Justus, who worshiped God and lived next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus was the leader of the synagogue. He and everyone in his family put their faith in the Lord. Many others in Corinth also heard the message, and all the people who had faith in the Lord were baptized.
9 One night, Paul had a vision, and in it the Lord said, “Don't be afraid to keep on preaching. Don't stop! 10 I am with you, and you won't be harmed. Many people in this city belong to me.” 11 Paul stayed on in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching God's message to the people.
12 While Gallio was governor of Achaia, some of the Jewish leaders got together and grabbed Paul. They brought him into court 13 and said, “This man is trying to make our people worship God in a way that is against our Law!”
14 Even before Paul could speak, Gallio said, “If you were charging this man with a crime or some other wrong, I would have to listen to you. 15 But since this concerns only words, names, and your own law, you will have to take care of it yourselves. I refuse to judge such matters.” 16 Then he sent them out of the court. 17 The crowd grabbed Sosthenes, the Jewish leader, and beat him up in front of the court. But none of this mattered to Gallio.
Paul Returns to Antioch in Syria
18 (A) After Paul had stayed for a while with the Lord's followers in Corinth, he told them goodbye and sailed on to Syria with Aquila and Priscilla. But before he left, he had his head shaved[d] at Cenchreae because he had made a promise to God.
19 The three of them arrived in Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He then went into the synagogue to talk with the people there. 20 They asked him to stay longer, but he refused. 21 He told them goodbye and said, “If God lets me, I will come back.”
22 Paul sailed to Caesarea, where he greeted the church. Then he went on to Antioch. 23 After staying there for a while, he left and visited several places in Galatia and Phrygia. He helped the followers there to become stronger in their faith.
Apollos in Ephesus
24 A Jewish man named Apollos came to Ephesus. Apollos had been born in the city of Alexandria. He was a very good speaker and knew a lot about the Scriptures. 25 He also knew much about the Lord's Way,[e] and he spoke about it with great excitement. What he taught about Jesus was right, but all he knew was John's message about baptism.
26 Apollos started speaking bravely in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him to their home and helped him understand God's Way even better.
27 Apollos decided to travel through Achaia. So the Lord's followers wrote letters, encouraging the followers there to welcome him. After Apollos arrived in Achaia, he was a great help to everyone who had put their faith in the Lord Jesus because of God's gift of undeserved grace. 28 He got into fierce arguments with the Jewish people, and in public he used the Scriptures to prove that Jesus is the Messiah.
Paul in Ephesus
19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled across the hill country to Ephesus, where he met some of the Lord's followers. 2 He asked them, “When you put your faith in Jesus, were you given the Holy Spirit?”
“No!” they answered. “We have never even heard of the Holy Spirit.”
3 “Then why were you baptized?” Paul asked.
They answered, “Because of what John taught.”[f]
4 (B) Paul replied, “John baptized people so they would turn to God. But he also told them someone else was coming, and they should put their faith in him. Jesus is the one that John was talking about.” 5 After the people heard Paul say this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 Then Paul placed his hands on them. The Holy Spirit was given to them, and they spoke unknown languages and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in this group.
8 For three months Paul went to the synagogue and talked bravely with the people about God's kingdom. He tried to win them over, 9 but some of them were stubborn and refused to believe. In front of everyone they said terrible things about God's Way. Paul left and took the followers with him to the lecture hall of Tyrannus. He spoke there every day 10 for two years, until every Jew and Gentile[g] in Asia had heard the Lord's message.
The Sons of Sceva
11 God gave Paul the power to work great miracles. 12 People even took handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul's body, and they carried them to everyone who was sick. All of the sick people were healed, and the evil spirits went out.
13 Some Jewish men started going around trying to force out evil spirits by using the name of the Lord Jesus. They said to the spirits, “Come out in the name of that same Jesus that Paul preaches about!”
14 Seven sons of a high priest named Sceva were doing this, 15 when an evil spirit said to them, “I know Jesus! And I have heard about Paul. But who are you?” 16 Then the man with the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them up. They ran out of the house, naked and bruised.
17 When the Jews and Gentiles[h] in Ephesus heard about this, they were so frightened that they praised the name of the Lord Jesus. 18 Many who were followers now started telling everyone about the evil things they had been doing. 19 Some who had been practicing witchcraft even brought their books and burned them in public. These books were worth about 50,000 silver coins. 20 So the Lord's message spread and became even more powerful.
The Riot in Ephesus
21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[i] to visit Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Jerusalem. Paul had said, “From there I will go on to Rome.” 22 So he sent his two helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia. But he stayed on in Asia for a while.
23 At that time there was serious trouble because of the Lord's Way.[j] 24 A silversmith named Demetrius had a business that made silver models of the temple of the goddess Artemis. Those who worked for him earned a lot of money. 25 Demetrius brought together everyone who was in the same business and said:
Friends, you know we make a good living at this. 26 But you have surely seen and heard how this man Paul is upsetting a lot of people, not only in Ephesus, but almost everywhere in Asia. He claims that the gods we humans make are not really gods at all. 27 Everyone will start saying terrible things about our business. They will stop respecting the temple of the goddess Artemis, who is worshiped in Asia and all over the world. Our great goddess will be forgotten!
28 When the workers heard this, they got angry and started shouting, “Great is Artemis, the goddess of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in a riot, and some men grabbed Gaius and Aristarchus, who had come from Macedonia with Paul. Then everyone in the crowd rushed to the place where the town meetings were held.
30 Paul wanted to go out and speak to the people, but the Lord's followers would not let him. 31 A few of the local officials were friendly to Paul, and they sent someone to warn him not to go.
32 Some of the people in the meeting were shouting one thing, and others were shouting something else. Everyone was completely confused, and most of them did not even know why they were there.
33 Several of the Jewish leaders pushed a man named Alexander to the front of the crowd and started telling him what to say. He motioned with his hand and tried to explain what was going on. 34 But when the crowd saw that he was Jewish, they all shouted for two hours, “Great is Artemis, the goddess of the Ephesians!”
35 Finally, a town official made the crowd be quiet. Then he said:
People of Ephesus, who in the world doesn't know that our city is the center for worshiping the great goddess Artemis? Who doesn't know that her image which fell from heaven is right here? 36 No one can deny this, and so you should calm down and not do anything foolish. 37 You have brought men in here who have not robbed temples or spoken against our goddess.
38 If Demetrius and his workers have a case against these men, we have courts and judges. Let them take their complaints there. 39 But if you want to do more than that, the matter will have to be brought before the city council. 40 We could easily be accused of starting a riot today. There is no excuse for it! We cannot even give a reason for this uproar.
41 After saying this, he told the people to leave.
Paul Goes through Macedonia and Greece
20 When the riot was over, Paul sent for the followers and encouraged them. He then told them goodbye and left for Macedonia. 2 As he traveled from place to place, he encouraged the followers with many messages. Finally, he went to Greece[k] 3 and stayed there for three months.
Paul was about to sail to Syria. But some of the Jewish leaders plotted against him, so he decided to return by way of Macedonia. 4 With him were Sopater, son of Pyrrhus from Berea, and Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica. Gaius from Derbe was also with him, and so were Timothy and the two Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 They went on ahead to Troas and waited for us there. 6 After the Festival of Thin Bread, we sailed from Philippi. Five days later we met them in Troas and stayed there for a week.
Paul's Last Visit to Troas
7 On the first day of the week[l] we met to break bread together.[m] Paul spoke to the people until midnight because he was leaving the next morning. 8 In the upstairs room where we were meeting, there were a lot of lamps. 9 A young man by the name of Eutychus was sitting on a window sill. While Paul was speaking, the young man got very sleepy. Finally, he went to sleep and fell three floors all the way down to the ground. When they picked him up, he was dead.
10 Paul went down and bent over Eutychus. He took him in his arms and said, “Don't worry! He's alive.” 11 After Paul had gone back upstairs, he broke bread, and ate with us. He then spoke until dawn and left. 12 Then the followers took the young man home alive and were very happy.
The Voyage from Troas to Miletus
13 Paul decided to travel by land to Assos. The rest of us went on ahead by ship, and we were to take him aboard there. 14 When he met us in Assos, he came aboard, and we sailed on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we came to a place near Chios, and the following day we reached Samos. The day after that we sailed to Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, because he did not want to spend too much time in Asia. He was in a hurry and wanted to be in Jerusalem in time for Pentecost.[n]
Paul Says Goodbye to the Church Leaders of Ephesus
17 From Miletus, Paul sent a message for the church leaders at Ephesus to come and meet with him. 18 When they got there, he said:
You know everything I did during the time I was with you when I first came to Asia. 19 Some of the Jews plotted against me and caused me a lot of sorrow and trouble. But I served the Lord and was humble. 20 When I preached in public or taught in your homes, I didn't hold back from telling anything that would help you. 21 I told Jews and Gentiles to turn to God and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
22 I don't know what will happen to me in Jerusalem, but I must obey God's Spirit and go there. 23 In every city I visit, I am told by the Holy Spirit that I will be put in jail and will be in trouble in Jerusalem. 24 (C) But I don't care what happens to me, as long as I finish the work the Lord Jesus gave me to do. And this work is to tell the good news about God's gift of undeserved grace.
25 I have gone from place to place, preaching to you about God's kingdom, but now I know that none of you will ever see me again. 26 I tell you today I am no longer responsible for any of you! 27 I have told you everything God wants you to know. 28 Look after yourselves and everyone the Holy Spirit has placed in your care. Be like shepherds to God's church. It is the flock he bought with the blood of his own Son.[o]
29 I know that after I am gone, others will come like fierce wolves to attack you. 30 Some of your own people will tell lies to win over the Lord's followers. 31 Be on your guard! Remember how day and night for three years I kept warning you with tears in my eyes.
32 I now place you in God's care. Remember the message about his gift of undeserved grace! This message can help you and give you what belongs to you as God's people. 33 I have never wanted anyone's money or clothes. 34 You know how I have worked with my own hands to make a living for myself and my friends. 35 By everything I did, I showed how you should work to help everyone who is weak. Remember that our Lord Jesus said, “More blessings come from giving than from receiving.”
36 After Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 Everyone cried and hugged and kissed him. 38 They were especially sad because Paul had told them, “You will never see me again.”
Then they went with him to the ship.
Footnotes
- 18.2 Emperor Claudius had ordered the Jewish people to leave Rome: Probably a.d. 49, though it may have been a.d. 41.
- 18.4 Gentiles: Here the word is “Greeks.” But see the note at 14.1.
- 18.6 shook the dust from his clothes: This means the same as shaking dust from the feet (see the note at 13.51).
- 18.18 he had his head shaved: Paul had promised to be a “Nazirite” for a while. This meant that for the time of the promise, he could not cut his hair or drink wine. When the time was over, he would have to cut his hair and offer a sacrifice to God.
- 18.25 the Lord's Way: See the note at 9.2.
- 19.3 Then why were you baptized? … Because of what John taught: Or “In whose name were you baptized? … We were baptized in John's name.”
- 19.10 Gentile: The text has “Greek” (see the note at 14.1).
- 19.17 Gentiles: The text has “Greeks” (see the note at 14.1).
- 19.21 Paul decided: Or “Paul was led by the Holy Spirit.”
- 19.23 the Lord's Way: See the note at 9.2.
- 20.2 Greece: Probably Corinth.
- 20.7 On the first day of the week: Since the Jewish day began at sunset, the meeting would have begun in the evening.
- 20.7 break bread together: See the note at 2.46.
- 20.16 in time for Pentecost: The Jewish people liked to be in Jerusalem for this festival (see the note at 2.1).
- 20.28 the blood of his own Son: Or “his own blood.”
Acts 18-20
New International Version
Acts 18-20
New International Version
In Corinth
18 After this, Paul left Athens(A) and went to Corinth.(B) 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla,(C) because Claudius(D) had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.(E) 4 Every Sabbath(F) he reasoned in the synagogue,(G) trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
5 When Silas(H) and Timothy(I) came from Macedonia,(J) Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.(K) 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive,(L) he shook out his clothes in protest(M) and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads!(N) I am innocent of it.(O) From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”(P)
7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.(Q) 8 Crispus,(R) the synagogue leader,(S) and his entire household(T) believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized.
9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision:(U) “Do not be afraid;(V) keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you,(W) and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.(X)
12 While Gallio was proconsul(Y) of Achaia,(Z) the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. 13 “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”
14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law(AA)—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.” 16 So he drove them off. 17 Then the crowd there turned on Sosthenes(AB) the synagogue leader(AC) and beat him in front of the proconsul; and Gallio showed no concern whatever.
Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos
18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters(AD) and sailed for Syria,(AE) accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila.(AF) Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae(AG) because of a vow he had taken.(AH) 19 They arrived at Ephesus,(AI) where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.”(AJ) Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea,(AK) he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.(AL)
23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia(AM) and Phrygia,(AN) strengthening all the disciples.(AO)
24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos,(AP) a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus.(AQ) He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor[a](AR) and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.(AS) 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila(AT) heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.
27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia,(AU) the brothers and sisters(AV) encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. 28 For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures(AW) that Jesus was the Messiah.(AX)
Paul in Ephesus
19 While Apollos(AY) was at Corinth,(AZ) Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.(BA) There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit(BB) when[b] you believed?”
They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”
“John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism(BC) was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”(BD) 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.(BE) 6 When Paul placed his hands on them,(BF) the Holy Spirit came on them,(BG) and they spoke in tongues[c](BH) and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
8 Paul entered the synagogue(BI) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.(BJ) 9 But some of them(BK) became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.(BL) So Paul left them. He took the disciples(BM) with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. 10 This went on for two years,(BN) so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia(BO) heard the word of the Lord.(BP)
11 God did extraordinary miracles(BQ) through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured(BR) and the evil spirits left them.
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits(BS) tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus(BT) whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.
17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,(BU) they were all seized with fear,(BV) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.[d] 20 In this way the word of the Lord(BW) spread widely and grew in power.(BX)
21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[e] to go to Jerusalem,(BY) passing through Macedonia(BZ) and Achaia.(CA) “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.”(CB) 22 He sent two of his helpers,(CC) Timothy(CD) and Erastus,(CE) to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia(CF) a little longer.
The Riot in Ephesus
23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.(CG) 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business.(CH) 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus(CI) and in practically the whole province of Asia.(CJ) He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.(CK) 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(CL) 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius(CM) and Aristarchus,(CN) Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia,(CO) and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples(CP) would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another.(CQ) Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned(CR) for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(CS)
35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians,(CT) doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples(CU) nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen(CV) have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.(CW) They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Through Macedonia and Greece
20 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples(CX) and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.(CY) 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him(CZ) just as he was about to sail for Syria,(DA) he decided to go back through Macedonia.(DB) 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus(DC) and Secundus from Thessalonica,(DD) Gaius(DE) from Derbe, Timothy(DF) also, and Tychicus(DG) and Trophimus(DH) from the province of Asia.(DI) 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us(DJ) at Troas.(DK) 6 But we sailed from Philippi(DL) after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas,(DM) where we stayed seven days.
Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas
7 On the first day of the week(DN) we came together to break bread.(DO) Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room(DP) where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man(DQ) and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!”(DR) 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread(DS) and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus.(DT) 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus(DU) to avoid spending time in the province of Asia,(DV) for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem,(DW) if possible, by the day of Pentecost.(DX)
17 From Miletus,(DY) Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders(DZ) of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you,(EA) from the first day I came into the province of Asia.(EB) 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears(EC) and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.(ED) 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything(EE) that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews(EF) and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance(EG) and have faith in our Lord Jesus.(EH)
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,(EI) not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me(EJ) that prison and hardships are facing me.(EK) 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;(EL) my only aim is to finish the race(EM) and complete the task(EN) the Lord Jesus has given me(EO)—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.(EP)
25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom(EQ) will ever see me again.(ER) 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.(ES) 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.(ET) 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock(EU) of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.(EV) Be shepherds of the church of God,[f](EW) which he bought(EX) with his own blood.[g](EY) 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves(EZ) will come in among you and will not spare the flock.(FA) 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples(FB) after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years(FC) I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.(FD)
32 “Now I commit you to God(FE) and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance(FF) among all those who are sanctified.(FG) 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.(FH) 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.(FI) 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.(FJ) 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.(FK) 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.(FL) Then they accompanied him to the ship.(FM)
Footnotes
- Acts 18:25 Or with fervor in the Spirit
- Acts 19:2 Or after
- Acts 19:6 Or other languages
- Acts 19:19 A drachma was a silver coin worth about a day’s wages.
- Acts 19:21 Or decided in the Spirit
- Acts 20:28 Many manuscripts of the Lord
- Acts 20:28 Or with the blood of his own Son
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.