Acts 20
Darby Translation
20 But after the tumult had ceased, Paul having called the disciples to [him] and embraced [them], went away to go to Macedonia.
2 And having passed through those parts, and having exhorted them with much discourse, he came to Greece.
3 And having spent three months [there], a treacherous plot against him having been set on foot by the Jews, as he was going to sail to Syria, [the] resolution was adopted of returning through Macedonia.
4 And there accompanied him as far as Asia, Sopater [son] of Pyrrhus, a Berean; and of Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius and Timotheus of Derbe, and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.
5 These going before waited for us in Troas;
6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and we came to them to Troas in five days, where we spent seven days.
7 And the first day of the week, we being assembled to break bread, Paul discoursed to them, about to depart on the morrow. And he prolonged the discourse till midnight.
8 And there were many lights in the upper room where we were assembled.
9 And a certain youth, by name Eutychus, sitting at the window-opening, overpowered by deep sleep, while Paul discoursed very much at length, having been overpowered by the sleep, fell from the third story down to the bottom, and was taken up dead.
10 But Paul descending fell upon him, and enfolding [him] [in his arms], said, Be not troubled, for his life is in him.
11 And having gone up, and having broken the bread, and eaten, and having long spoken until daybreak, so he went away.
12 And they brought [away] the boy alive, and were no little comforted.
13 And we, having gone before on board ship, sailed off to Assos, going to take in Paul there; for so he had directed, he himself being about to go on foot.
14 And when he met with us at Assos, having taken him on board, we came to Mitylene;
15 and having sailed thence, on the morrow arrived opposite Chios, and the next day put in at Samos; and having stayed at Trogyllium, the next day we came to Miletus:
16 for Paul thought it desirable to sail by Ephesus, so that he might not be made to spend time in Asia; for he hastened, if it was possible for him, to be the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem.
17 But from Miletus having sent to Ephesus, he called over [to him] the elders of the assembly.
18 And when they were come to him, he said to them, *Ye* know how I was with you all the time from the first day that I arrived in Asia,
19 serving the Lord with all lowliness, and tears, and temptations, which happened to me through the plots of the Jews;
20 how I held back nothing of what is profitable, so as not to announce [it] to you, and to teach you publicly and in every house,
21 testifying to both Jews and Greeks repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ.
22 And now, behold, bound in my spirit *I* go to Jerusalem, not knowing what things shall happen to me in it;
23 only that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and tribulations await me.
24 But I make no account of [my] life [as] dear to myself, so that I finish my course, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the glad tidings of the grace of God.
25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom [of God], shall see my face no more.
26 Wherefore I witness to you this day, that I am clean from the blood of all,
27 for I have not shrunk from announcing to you all the counsel of God.
28 Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, wherein the Holy Spirit has set you as overseers, to shepherd the assembly of God, which he has purchased with the blood of his own.
29 [For] *I* know [this,] that there will come in amongst you after my departure grievous wolves, not sparing the flock;
30 and from among your own selves shall rise up men speaking perverted things to draw away the disciples after them.
31 Wherefore watch, remembering that for three years, night and day, I ceased not admonishing each one [of you] with tears.
32 And now I commit you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build [you] up and give [to you] an inheritance among all the sanctified.
33 I have coveted [the] silver or gold or clothing of no one.
34 Yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my wants, and to those who were with me.
35 I have shewed you all things, that thus labouring [we] ought to come in aid of the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
36 And having said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
37 And they all wept sore; and falling upon the neck of Paul they ardently kissed him,
38 specially pained by the word which he had said, that they would no more see his face. And they went down with him to the ship.
Acts 20
Living Bible
20 When it was all over, Paul sent for the disciples, preached a farewell message to them, said good-bye and left for Greece, 2 preaching to the believers along the way in all the cities he passed through. 3 He was in Greece three months and was preparing to sail for Syria when he discovered a plot by the Jews against his life, so he decided to go north to Macedonia first.
4 Several men were traveling with him, going as far as Turkey;[a] they were Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus; Aristarchus and Secundus, from Thessalonica; Gaius, from Derbe; and Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus, who were returning to their homes in Turkey, 5 and had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas. 6 As soon as the Passover ceremonies ended, we boarded ship at Philippi in northern Greece and five days later arrived in Troas, Turkey, where we stayed a week.
7 On Sunday[b] we gathered for a Communion service, with Paul preaching. And since he was leaving the next day, he talked until midnight! 8 The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps; 9 and as Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, went fast asleep and fell three stories to his death below. 10-12 Paul went down and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s all right!” And he was! What a wave of awesome joy swept through the crowd! They all went back upstairs and ate the Lord’s Supper together; then Paul preached another long sermon—so it was dawn when he finally left them!
13 Paul was going by land to Assos, and we went on ahead by ship. 14 He joined us there and we sailed together to Mitylene; 15 the next day we passed Chios; the next, we touched at Samos; and a day later we arrived at Miletus.
16 Paul had decided against stopping at Ephesus this time, as he was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, for the celebration of Pentecost.
17 But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus asking them to come down to the boat to meet him.
18 When they arrived he told them, “You men know that from the day I set foot in Turkey until now 19 I have done the Lord’s work humbly—yes, and with tears—and have faced grave danger from the plots of the Jews against my life. 20 Yet I never shrank from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes. 21 I have had one message for Jews and Gentiles alike—the necessity of turning from sin to God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
22 “And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit,[c] not knowing what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24 But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.
25 “And now I know that none of you among whom I went about teaching the Kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Let me say plainly that no man’s blood can be laid at my door, 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all God’s message to you.
28 “And now beware! Be sure that you feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his blood—for the Holy Spirit is holding you responsible as overseers. 29 I know full well that after I leave you, false teachers, like vicious wolves, will appear among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Some of you yourselves will distort the truth in order to draw a following. 31 Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watchcare over you night and day and my many tears for you.
32 “And now I entrust you to God and his care and to his wonderful words that are able to build your faith and give you all the inheritance of those who are set apart for himself.
33 “I have never been hungry for money or fine clothing— 34 you know that these hands of mine worked to pay my own way and even to supply the needs of those who were with me. 35 And I was a constant example to you in helping the poor; for I remembered the words of the Lord Jesus, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them, 37 and they wept aloud as they embraced him in farewell, 38 sorrowing most of all because he said that he would never see them again. Then they accompanied him down to the ship.
Footnotes
- Acts 20:4 Turkey, literally, “Asia.”
- Acts 20:7 On Sunday, or “On Saturday night”; literally, “On the first day of the week,” by Jewish reckoning, from sundown to sundown.
- Acts 20:22 by the Holy Spirit, or “by an inner compulsion.”
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The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.