New Testament in a Year

¹⁷ Paul’s Farewell Speech at Miletus.^[a] From Miletus, he sent a message to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Church. ¹⁸ When they came to him, he addressed them as follows:

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in the province of Asia. ¹⁹ I served the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that befell me as a result of the intrigues of the Jews. ²⁰ I did not hesitate to tell you what was for your benefit as I proclaimed the word to you and taught you publicly as well as from house to house. ²¹ I have attested to Jews and Gentiles alike about repentance before God and faith in our Lord Jesus.

²² “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem without knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that I will face imprisonment and hardships. ²⁴ As for me, I do not regard my life as of any value, only that I finish the race and complete the mission that I received from the Lord Jesus—to bear witness to the gospel of God’s grace.

²⁵ “I have gone among you proclaiming the kingdom, but now I realize that none of you will ever see my face again. ²⁶ Therefore, I solemnly declare to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, ²⁷ for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God. ²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, and be shepherds of the Church of God that he purchased with the price of his own blood.

²⁹ “I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰ Even from your own ranks men will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. ³¹ Therefore, be on your guard. Remember that for three years I never ceased night and day to warn every one of you with tears.

³² “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace that is able to build you up and give you your inheritance among all who are sanctified. ³³ I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴ You are aware that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions. ³⁵ In all this, I have shown you that by such hard work we must help the weak, keeping in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”^[b]

³⁶ When he had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed with them. ³⁷ They were all weeping loudly as they embraced Paul and kissed him, ³⁸ for they were deeply distressed at his words that they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.