17 From Miletus,(A) Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders(B) of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you,(C) from the first day I came into the province of Asia.(D) 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears(E) and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.(F) 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything(G) that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews(H) and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance(I) and have faith in our Lord Jesus.(J)

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem,(K) not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me(L) that prison and hardships are facing me.(M) 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me;(N) my only aim is to finish the race(O) and complete the task(P) the Lord Jesus has given me(Q)—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.(R)

25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom(S) will ever see me again.(T) 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.(U) 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.(V) 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock(W) of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.(X) Be shepherds of the church of God,[a](Y) which he bought(Z) with his own blood.[b](AA) 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves(AB) will come in among you and will not spare the flock.(AC) 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples(AD) after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years(AE) I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.(AF)

32 “Now I commit you to God(AG) and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance(AH) among all those who are sanctified.(AI) 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing.(AJ) 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions.(AK) 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.(AL) 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.(AM) 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.(AN) Then they accompanied him to the ship.(AO)

On to Jerusalem

21 After we(AP) had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia,(AQ) went on board and set sail. After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria.(AR) We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. We sought out the disciples(AS) there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit(AT) they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.(AU) After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.

We continued our voyage from Tyre(AV) and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters(AW) and stayed with them for a day. Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea(AX) and stayed at the house of Philip(AY) the evangelist,(AZ) one of the Seven. He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.(BA)

10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus(BB) came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says,(BC) ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind(BD) the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”(BE)

12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die(BF) in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”(BG) 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up(BH) and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”(BI)

15 After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem.(BJ) 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea(BK) accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus(BL) and one of the early disciples.

Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem

17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters(BM) received us warmly.(BN) 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James,(BO) and all the elders(BP) were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles(BQ) through his ministry.(BR)

20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous(BS) for the law.(BT) 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses,(BU) telling them not to circumcise their children(BV) or live according to our customs.(BW) 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow.(BX) 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites(BY) and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved.(BZ) Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”(CA)

26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.(CB)

Footnotes

  1. Acts 20:28 Many manuscripts of the Lord
  2. Acts 20:28 Or with the blood of his own Son

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