Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece
20 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging[a] them and saying farewell,[b] he left to go to Macedonia.[c] 2 After he had gone through those regions[d] and spoken many words of encouragement[e] to the believers there,[f] he came to Greece,[g] 3 where he stayed[h] for three months. Because the Jews had made[i] a plot[j] against him as he was intending[k] to sail[l] for Syria, he decided[m] to return through Macedonia.[n] 4 Paul[o] was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea,[p] Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica,[q] Gaius[r] from Derbe,[s] and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.[t] 5 These had gone on ahead[u] and were waiting for us[v] in Troas.[w] 6 We[x] sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread,[y] and within five days[z] we came to the others[aa] in Troas,[ab] where we stayed for seven days. 7 On the first day[ac] of the week, when we met[ad] to break bread, Paul began to speak[ae] to the people, and because he intended[af] to leave the next day, he extended[ag] his message until midnight. 8 (Now there were many lamps[ah] in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)[ai] 9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window,[aj] was sinking[ak] into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak[al] for a long time. Fast asleep,[am] he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down,[an] threw himself[ao] on the young man,[ap] put his arms around him,[aq] and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!”[ar] 11 Then Paul[as] went back upstairs,[at] and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them[au] a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly[av] comforted.
The Voyage to Miletus
13 We went on ahead[aw] to the ship and put out to sea[ax] for Assos,[ay] intending[az] to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way.[ba] He[bb] himself was intending[bc] to go there by land.[bd] 14 When he met us in Assos,[be] we took him aboard[bf] and went to Mitylene.[bg] 15 We set sail[bh] from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios.[bi] The next day we approached[bj] Samos,[bk] and the day after that we arrived at Miletus.[bl] 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so as not to spend time[bm] in the province of Asia,[bn] for he was hurrying[bo] to arrive in Jerusalem, if possible,[bp] by the day of Pentecost. 17 From Miletus[bq] he sent a message[br] to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him.[bs]
18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived[bt] the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot[bu] in the province of Asia,[bv] 19 serving the Lord with all humility[bw] and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots[bx] of the Jews. 20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming[by] to you anything that would be helpful,[bz] and from teaching you publicly[ca] and from house to house, 21 testifying[cb] to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.[cc] 22 And now,[cd] compelled[ce] by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem[cf] without knowing what will happen to me there,[cg] 23 except[ch] that the Holy Spirit warns[ci] me in town after town[cj] that[ck] imprisonment[cl] and persecutions[cm] are waiting for me. 24 But I do not consider my life[cn] worth anything[co] to myself, so that[cp] I may finish my task[cq] and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news[cr] of God’s grace.
25 “And now[cs] I know that none[ct] of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom[cu] will see me[cv] again. 26 Therefore I declare[cw] to you today that I am innocent[cx] of the blood of you all.[cy] 27 For I did not hold back from[cz] announcing[da] to you the whole purpose[db] of God. 28 Watch out for[dc] yourselves and for all the flock of which[dd] the Holy Spirit has made you overseers,[de] to shepherd the church of God[df] that he obtained[dg] with the blood of his own Son.[dh] 29 I know that after I am gone[di] fierce wolves[dj] will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Even from among your own group[dk] men[dl] will arise, teaching perversions of the truth[dm] to draw the disciples away after them. 31 Therefore be alert,[dn] remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning[do] each one of you with tears. 32 And now I entrust[dp] you to God and to the message[dq] of his grace. This message[dr] is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have desired[ds] no one’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine[dt] provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me. 35 By all these things,[du] I have shown you that by working in this way we must help[dv] the weak,[dw] and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”[dx]
36 When[dy] he had said these things, he knelt down[dz] with them all and prayed. 37 They all began to weep loudly,[ea] and hugged[eb] Paul and kissed him,[ec] 38 especially saddened[ed] by what[ee] he had said, that they were not going to see him[ef] again. Then they accompanied[eg] him to the ship.
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