Acts 18:23-21:16

New American Standard Bible

Third Missionary Journey

²³ And after spending some time there, he left and passed successively through the ^(A)Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

²⁴ Now a Jew named ^(B)Apollos, an ^(C)Alexandrian by birth, ^[a]an eloquent man, came to ^(D)Ephesus; and he was proficient in the Scriptures. ²⁵ This man had been instructed in ^(E)the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was accurately speaking and teaching things about Jesus, being acquainted only with ^(F)the baptism of John; ²⁶ and ^[b]he began speaking boldly in the synagogue. But when ^(G)Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained ^(H)the way of God more accurately to him. ²⁷ And when he wanted to go across to ^(I)Achaia, ^(J)the brothers encouraged him and wrote to ^(K)the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly ^[c]helped those who had believed through grace, ²⁸ for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating ^(L)by the Scriptures that ^(M)Jesus was the ^[d]Christ.

Paul in Ephesus

19 Now it happened that while ^(N)Apollos was in ^(O)Corinth, Paul passed through the ^(P)upper country and came to ^(Q)Ephesus, and found some disciples. ² He said to them, “^(R)Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, ^(S)we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” ³ And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “^(T)Into John’s baptism.” ⁴ Paul said, “^(U)John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people ^(V)to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ When they heard this, they were ^(W)baptized ^[e]in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ And when Paul had ^(X)laid hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they began ^(Y)speaking with tongues and ^(Z)prophesying. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ And he entered ^(AA)the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, having discussions and persuading them ^(AB)about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when ^(AC)some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of ^[f](AD)the Way before the ^[g]people, he withdrew from them and took ^(AE)the disciples away with him, and had discussions daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This took place for ^(AF)two years, so that all who lived in ^[h](AG)Asia heard ^(AH)the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

Miracles at Ephesus

¹¹ God was performing ^(AI)extraordinary ^[i]miracles by the hands of Paul, ^12 (AJ)so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and ^(AK)the evil spirits went out. ¹³ But also some of the Jewish ^(AL)exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to ^[j]use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!” ¹⁴ Now there were seven sons of ^[k]Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this. ¹⁵ But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁶ And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷ This became known to all who lived in ^(AM)Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. ¹⁸ Also many of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. ¹⁹ And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they added up the prices of ^[l]the books and found it to be fifty thousand ^[m](AN)pieces of silver. ²⁰ So ^[n](AO)the word of the Lord ^(AP)was growing and prevailing mightily.

²¹ Now after these things were finished, Paul resolved in ^[o]the Spirit to ^(AQ)go to Jerusalem ^(AR)after he had passed through ^(AS)Macedonia and ^(AT)Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, ^(AU)I must also see Rome.” ²² And after he sent into ^(AV)Macedonia two of ^(AW)those who assisted him, ^(AX)Timothy and ^(AY)Erastus, he himself stayed in ^[p](AZ)Asia for a while.

²³ About that time ^[q]a major disturbance occurred in regard to ^[r](BA)the Way. ²⁴ For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of ^[s]Artemis, ^(BB)was bringing ^[t]considerable ^[u]business to the craftsmen; ²⁵ he gathered these men together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity ^[v]depends upon this business. ²⁶ You see and hear that not only in ^(BC)Ephesus, but in almost all of ^[w](BD)Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that ^[x](BE)gods made by hands are not gods at all. ²⁷ Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess ^[y]Artemis will be regarded as worthless, and that she whom all of ^[z](BF)Asia and ^(BG)the ^[aa]world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence.”

²⁸ When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began shouting, saying, “Great is ^[ab]Artemis of the ^(BH)Ephesians!” ²⁹ The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging along ^(BI)Gaius and ^(BJ)Aristarchus, Paul’s ^(BK)Macedonian traveling ^(BL)companions. ³⁰ And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, ^(BM)the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Also some of the ^[ac]Asiarchs who were friends of his sent word to him and repeatedly urged him not to ^[ad]venture into the theater. ^32 (BN)So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the ^[ae]assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know ^[af]for what reason they had come together. ³³ Some of the crowd ^[ag]concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having ^(BO)motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, “Great is ^[ah]Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ After quieting the crowd, the town clerk *said, “Men of ^(BP)Ephesus, what person is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great ^[ai]Artemis and of the image which fell down from ^[aj]the sky? ³⁶ So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither ^(BQ)temple robbers nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸ So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are in session and ^[ak](BR)proconsuls are available; have them bring charges against one another. ³⁹ But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the ^[al]lawful ^[am]assembly. ⁴⁰ For indeed, we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today’s events, since there is no real reason for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering.” ⁴¹ After saying this he dismissed the ^[an]assembly.

Paul in Macedonia and Greece

20 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for ^(BS)the disciples, and when he had ^[ao]encouraged them and taken his leave of them, he left ^(BT)to go to ^(BU)Macedonia. ² When he had gone through those regions and had given them much ^[ap]encouragement, he came to Greece. ³ And there he spent three months, and when ^(BV)a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for ^(BW)Syria, he decided to return through ^(BX)Macedonia. ⁴ And ^[aq]he was accompanied by Sopater of ^(BY)Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by ^(BZ)Aristarchus and Secundus of the ^(CA)Thessalonians, and ^(CB)Gaius of ^(CC)Derbe, and ^(CD)Timothy, and ^(CE)Tychicus and ^(CF)Trophimus of ^[ar](CG)Asia. ⁵ Now these had gone on ahead and were waiting for ^(CH)us at ^(CI)Troas. ^6 (CJ)We sailed from ^(CK)Philippi after ^[as](CL)the days of Unleavened Bread, and reached them at ^(CM)Troas within five days; and we stayed there for seven days.

⁷ On ^(CN)the first day of the week, when ^(CO)we were gathered together to ^(CP)break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his ^[at]message until midnight. ⁸ There were many ^(CQ)lamps in the ^(CR)upstairs room where we were gathered together. ⁹ And there was a young man named ^[au]Eutychus sitting ^[av]on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, Eutychus was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor, and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ But Paul went down and ^(CS)fell upon him, and after embracing him, he ^(CT)said, “^[aw]Do not be troubled, for ^[ax]he is still alive.” ¹¹ When Paul had gone back up and had ^(CU)broken the bread and ^[ay]eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. ¹² They took away the boy alive, and were ^[az]greatly comforted.

Troas to Miletus

¹³ But ^(CV)we went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for that was what he had arranged, intending himself to go ^[ba]by land. ¹⁴ And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. ¹⁵ Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day we came to ^(CW)Miletus. ¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past ^(CX)Ephesus so that he would not have to lose time in ^[bb](CY)Asia; for he was hurrying, if it might be possible for him ^(CZ)to be in Jerusalem ^(DA)the day of Pentecost.

Farewell to Ephesus

¹⁷ From Miletus he sent word to ^(DB)Ephesus and called to himself ^(DC)the elders of the church. ¹⁸ And when they came to him, he said to them,

“You yourselves know, ^(DD)from the first day that I set foot in ^[bc]Asia, how I was with you the whole time, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and trials which came upon me ^[bd]through ^(DE)the plots of the Jews; ²⁰ how I ^(DF)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was beneficial, and teaching you publicly and ^[be]from house to house, ²¹ solemnly ^(DG)testifying to both Jews and Greeks of ^(DH)repentance toward God and ^(DI)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²² And now, behold, bound by the ^[bf]Spirit, ^(DJ)I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that ^(DK)the Holy Spirit solemnly ^(DL)testifies to me in every city, saying that ^(DM)chains and afflictions await me. ²⁴ But ^(DN)I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may ^(DO)finish my course and ^(DP)the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to ^(DQ)testify solemnly of the gospel of ^(DR)God’s grace.

²⁵ “And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about ^(DS)preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. ²⁶ Therefore, I ^[bg]testify to you this day that ^(DT)I am ^[bh]innocent of the blood of all people. ²⁷ For I ^(DU)did not shrink from declaring to you the whole ^(DV)purpose of God. ²⁸ Be on guard for yourselves and for all ^(DW)the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you ^[bi]overseers, to shepherd ^(DX)the church of God which ^(DY)He ^[bj]purchased ^[bk]with His own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure ^(DZ)savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing ^(EA)the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away ^(EB)the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of ^(EC)three years I did not cease to admonish each one ^(ED)with tears. ³² And now I ^(EE)entrust you to God and to ^(EF)the word of His grace, which is able to ^(EG)build you up and to give you ^(EH)the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ^33 (EI)I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. ³⁴ You yourselves know that ^(EJ)these hands served my own needs and the ^(EK)men who were with me. ³⁵ In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

³⁶ When he had said these things, he ^(EL)knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷ And ^[bl]they all began to weep aloud and ^[bm](EM)embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, ^38 [bn]grieving especially over ^(EN)the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were ^(EO)accompanying him to the ship.

Paul Sails from Miletus

21 Now when ^(EP)we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran ^(EQ)a straight course to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara; ² and having found a ship crossing over to ^(ER)Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. ³ When we came in sight of ^(ES)Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to ^(ET)Syria and landed at ^(EU)Tyre; for the ship was to unload its cargo there. ⁴ After looking up ^(EV)the disciples, we stayed there for seven days; and they kept telling Paul, ^[bo](EW)through the Spirit, not to set foot in Jerusalem. ⁵ When ^[bp]our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, ^(EX)escorted us until we were out of the city. After ^(EY)kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. ⁶ Then we boarded the ship, and they returned ^(EZ)home.

⁷ When we had finished the voyage from ^(FA)Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting ^(FB)the brothers and sisters, we stayed with them for a day. ⁸ On the next day we left and came to ^(FC)Caesarea, and we entered the house of ^(FD)Philip the ^(FE)evangelist, who was ^(FF)one of the seven, and stayed with him. ⁹ Now this man had four virgin daughters who were ^(FG)prophetesses. ¹⁰ As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named ^(FH)Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ And he came to us and ^(FI)took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This ^(FJ)is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will ^(FK)bind the man who owns this belt and ^(FL)hand him over to the Gentiles.’” ¹² When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him ^(FM)not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For ^(FN)I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for ^(FO)the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ And since he would not be persuaded, we became quiet, remarking, “^(FP)The will of the Lord be done!”

Paul in Jerusalem

¹⁵ After these days we got ready and ^(FQ)started on our way up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of ^(FR)the disciples from ^(FS)Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of ^(FT)Cyprus, a ^(FU)disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay.