Acts 20:13-38

Legacy Standard Bible

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

¹³ But ^(A)we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go ^[a]by land. ¹⁴ And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. ¹⁵ And sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos; and the day following we came to ^(B)Miletus. ¹⁶ For Paul had decided to sail past ^(C)Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in ^[b](D)Asia; for he was hurrying ^(E)to be in Jerusalem, if possible, ^(F)on the day of Pentecost.

¹⁷ Now from Miletus he sent to ^(G)Ephesus and called to him ^(H)the elders of the church. ¹⁸ And when they had come to him, he said to them,

“You yourselves know, ^(I)from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me ^[c]through ^(J)the plots of the Jews; ²⁰ how I ^(K)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and ^[d]from house to house, ²¹ solemnly ^(L)testifying to both Jews and Greeks about ^(M)repentance toward God and ^(N)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²² And now, behold, bound by the ^[e]Spirit, ^(O)I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that ^(P)the Holy Spirit solemnly ^(Q)testifies to me in every city, saying that ^(R)chains and afflictions await me. ²⁴ But ^(S)I do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may ^(T)finish my course and ^(U)the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to ^(V)testify solemnly of the gospel of ^(W)the grace of God.

²⁵ “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about ^(X)preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. ²⁶ Therefore, I ^[f]testify to you this day that ^(Y)I am ^[g]innocent of the blood of all. ²⁷ For I ^(Z)did not shrink from declaring to you the whole ^(AA)purpose of God. ²⁸ Be on guard for yourselves and for all ^(AB)the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you ^[h]overseers, to shepherd ^(AC)the church of God which ^(AD)He ^[i]purchased ^[j]with His own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure ^(AE)savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing ^(AF)the flock; ³⁰ and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away ^(AG)the disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore be watchful, remembering that night and day for a period of ^(AH)three years I did not cease to admonish each one ^(AI)with tears. ³² And now I ^(AJ)commend you to God and to ^(AK)the word of His grace, which is able to ^(AL)build you up and to give you ^(AM)the inheritance among all those who have been sanctified. ^33 (AN)I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. ³⁴ You yourselves know that ^(AO)these hands ministered to my own needs and to those ^(AP)who were with me. ³⁵ In everything I showed you that by laboring in this manner 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 And when he had said these things, he ^(AQ)knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷ And ^[k]they began to weep aloud and ^(AR)falling on Paul’s neck, they were kissing him, ³⁸ being in agony especially over ^(AS)the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were ^(AT)accompanying him to the ship.