Acts 20-21

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

20 After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples and warned and consoled and urged and encouraged them; then he embraced them and told them farewell and set forth on his journey to Macedonia.

² Then after he had gone through those districts and had warned and consoled and urged and encouraged the brethren with much discourse, he came to Greece.

³ Having spent three months there, when a plot was formed against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he resolved to go back through Macedonia.

⁴ He was accompanied by Sopater the son of Pyrrhus from Beroea, and by the Thessalonians Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius of Derbe and Timothy, and the Asians Tychicus and Trophimus.

⁵ These went on ahead and were waiting for us [including Luke] at Troas,

⁶ But we [ourselves] sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread [the Passover week], and in five days we joined them at Troas, where we remained for seven days.

⁷ And on the first day of the week, when we were assembled together to break bread [^[a]the Lord’s Supper], Paul discoursed with them, intending to leave the next morning; and he kept on with his message until midnight.

⁸ Now there were numerous lights in the upper room where we were assembled,

⁹ And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting in the window. He was borne down with deep sleep as Paul kept on talking still longer, and [finally] completely overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead.

¹⁰ But Paul went down and bent over him and embraced him, saying, Make no ado; his life is within him.

¹¹ When Paul had gone back upstairs and had broken bread and eaten [with them], and after he had talked confidentially and communed with them for a considerable time—until daybreak [in fact]—he departed.

¹² They took the youth home alive, and were not a little comforted and cheered and refreshed and encouraged.

¹³ But going on ahead to the ship, the rest of us set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for that was what he had directed, intending himself to go by land [on foot].

¹⁴ So when he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and sailed on to Mitylene.

¹⁵ And sailing from there, we arrived the day after at a point opposite Chios; the following day we struck across to Samos, and the next day we arrived at Miletus.

¹⁶ For Paul had determined to sail on past Ephesus, lest he might have to spend time [unnecessarily] in [the province of] Asia; for he was hastening on so that he might reach Jerusalem, if at all possible, by the day of Pentecost.

¹⁷ However, from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church [to come to him there].

¹⁸ And when they arrived he said to them: You yourselves are well acquainted with my manner of living among you from the first day that I set foot in [the province of] Asia, and how I continued afterward,

¹⁹ Serving the Lord with all humility in tears and in the midst of adversity (affliction and trials) which befell me, due to the plots of the Jews [against me];

²⁰ How I did not shrink from telling you anything that was for your benefit and teaching you in public meetings and from house to house,

²¹ But constantly and earnestly I bore testimony both to Jews and Greeks, urging them to turn in repentance [^[b]that is due] to God and to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ [^[c]that is due Him].

²² And now, you see, I am going to Jerusalem, bound by the [Holy] Spirit and obligated and compelled by the [convictions of my own] spirit, not knowing what will befall me there—

²³ Except that the Holy Spirit clearly and emphatically affirms to me in city after city that imprisonment and suffering await me.

²⁴ But none of these things move me; neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I may finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have obtained from [which was entrusted to me by] the Lord Jesus, faithfully to attest to the good news (Gospel) of God’s grace (His unmerited favor, spiritual blessing, and mercy).

²⁵ And now, observe, I perceive that all of you, among whom I have gone in and out proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more.

²⁶ Therefore I testify and protest to you on this [our parting] day that I am clean and innocent and not responsible for the blood of any of you.

²⁷ For I never shrank or kept back or fell short from declaring to you the whole purpose and plan and counsel of God.

²⁸ Take care and be on guard for yourselves and the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you bishops and guardians, to shepherd (tend and feed and guide) the church of the Lord or ^[d]of God which He obtained for Himself [buying it and saving it for Himself] with His own blood.

²⁹ I know that after I am gone, ferocious wolves will get in among you, not sparing the flock;

³⁰ Even from among your own selves men will come to the front who, by saying perverse (distorted and corrupt) things, will endeavor to draw away the disciples after them [to their own party].

³¹ Therefore be always alert and on your guard, being mindful that for three years I never stopped night or day seriously to admonish and advise and exhort you one by one with tears.

³² And now [brethren], I commit you to God [I deposit you in His charge, entrusting you to His protection and care]. And I commend you to the Word of His grace [to the commands and counsels and promises of His unmerited favor]. It is able to build you up and to give you [your rightful] inheritance among all God’s set-apart ones (those consecrated, purified, and transformed of soul).

³³ I coveted no man’s silver or gold or [costly] garments.

³⁴ You yourselves know personally that these hands ministered to my own needs and those [of the persons] who were with me.

³⁵ In everything I have pointed out to you [by example] that, by working diligently in this manner, we ought to assist the weak, being mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, It is more blessed (makes one happier and more ^[e]to be envied) to give than to receive.

³⁶ Having spoken thus, he knelt down with them all and prayed.

³⁷ And they all wept freely and threw their arms around Paul’s neck and kissed him fervently and repeatedly,

³⁸ Being especially distressed and sorrowful because he had stated that they were about to see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.

21 And when we had torn ourselves away from them and withdrawn, we set sail and made a straight run to Cos, and on the following [day came] to Rhodes and from there to Patara.

² There we found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia; so we went aboard and sailed away.

³ After we had sighted Cyprus, leaving it on our left we sailed on to Syria and put in at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload her cargo.

⁴ And having looked up the disciples there, we remained with them for seven days. Prompted by the [Holy] Spirit, they kept telling Paul not to set foot in Jerusalem.

⁵ But when our time there was ended, we left and proceeded on our journey; and all of them with their wives and children accompanied us on our way till we were outside the city. There we knelt down on the beach and prayed.

⁶ Then when we had told one another farewell, we went on board the ship, and they returned to their own homes.

⁷ When we had completed the voyage from Tyre, we landed at Ptolemais, where we paid our respects to the brethren and remained with them for one day.

⁸ On the morrow we left there and came to Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven [first deacons], and stayed with him.^(A)

⁹ And he had four maiden daughters who had the gift of prophecy.

¹⁰ While we were remaining there for some time, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

¹¹ And coming to [see] us, he took Paul’s belt and with it bound his own feet and hands and said, Thus says the Holy Spirit: The Jews at Jerusalem shall bind like this the man who owns this belt, and they shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles (heathen).

¹² When we heard this, both we and the residents of that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³ Then Paul replied, What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart like this? For I hold myself in readiness not only to be arrested and bound and imprisoned at Jerusalem, but also [even] to die for the name of the Lord Jesus.

¹⁴ And when he would not yield to [our] persuading, we stopped [urging and imploring him], saying, The Lord’s will be done!

¹⁵ After these days we packed our baggage and went up to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ And some of the disciples from Caesarea came with us, conducting us to the house of Mnason, a man from Cyprus, one of the disciples of long standing, with whom we were to lodge.

¹⁷ When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received and welcomed us gladly.

¹⁸ On the next day Paul went in with us to [see] James, and all the elders of the church were present [also].

¹⁹ After saluting them, Paul gave a detailed account of the things God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰ And upon hearing it, they adored and exalted and praised and thanked God. And they said to [Paul], You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and all of them are enthusiastic upholders of the [Mosaic] Law.

²¹ Now they have been informed about you that you continually teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn back from and forsake Moses, advising them not to circumcise their children or pay any attention to the observance of the [Mosaic] customs.

²² What then [is best that] should be done? A multitude will come together, for they will surely hear that you have arrived.

²³ Therefore do just what we tell you. With us are four men who have taken a vow upon themselves.

²⁴ Take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses [for the temple offering], so that they may have their heads shaved. Thus everybody will know that there is no truth in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself walk in observance of the Law.

²⁵ But with regard to the Gentiles who have believed (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on Christ), we have sent them a letter with our decision that they should keep themselves free from anything that has been sacrificed to idols and from [tasting] blood and [eating the meat of animals] which have been strangled and from all impurity and sexual immorality.

²⁶ Then Paul took the [four] men with him and the following day [he went through the rites of] purifying himself along with them. And they entered the temple to give notice when the days of purification (the ending of each vow) would be fulfilled and the usual offering could be presented on behalf of each of them.

²⁷ When the seven days were drawing to a close, some of the Jews from [the province of] Asia, who had caught sight of Paul in the temple, incited all the rabble and laid hands on him,

²⁸ Shouting, Men of Israel, help! [Help!] This is the man who is teaching everybody everywhere against the people and the Law and this place! Moreover, he has also [actually] brought Greeks into the temple; he has desecrated and polluted this holy place!

²⁹ For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with Paul and they supposed that he had brought the man into the temple [into the inner court forbidden to Gentiles].

³⁰ Then the whole city was aroused and thrown into confusion, and the people rushed together; they laid hands on Paul and dragged him outside the temple, and immediately the gates were closed.

³¹ Now while they were trying to kill him, word came to the commandant of the regular Roman garrison that the whole of Jerusalem was in a state of ferment.

³² So immediately he took soldiers and centurions and hurried down among them; and when the people saw the commandant and the troops, they stopped beating Paul.

³³ Then the commandant approached and arrested Paul and ordered that he be secured with two chains. He then inquired who he was and what he had done.

³⁴ Some in the crowd kept shouting back one thing and others something else, and since he could not ascertain the facts because of the furor, he ordered that Paul be removed to the barracks.

³⁵ And when [Paul] came to mount the steps, he was actually being carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob;

³⁶ For the mass of the people kept following them, shouting, Away with him! [Kill him!]

³⁷ Just as Paul was about to be taken into the barracks, he asked the commandant, May I say something to you? And the man replied, Can you speak Greek?

³⁸ Are you not then [as I supposed] the Egyptian who not long ago stirred up a rebellion and led those 4,000 men who were cutthroats out into the wilderness (desert)?

³⁹ Paul answered, I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant or undistinguished city. I beg you, allow me to address the people.

⁴⁰ And when the man had granted him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, gestured with his hand to the people; and there was a great hush. Then he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying: