Acts 20:13-38 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

Acts 20:13-38

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

13 But ^awe, 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 ¹by 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 ^aMiletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past ^aEphesus so that he would not have to spend time in ¹^bAsia; for he was hurrying ^cto be in Jerusalem, if possible, ^don the day of Pentecost.
17 Now from Miletus he sent to ^aEphesus and called to him ^bthe elders of the church. 18 And when they had come to him, he said to them,
“You yourselves know, ^afrom 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 ¹through ^athe plots of the Jews; 20 how I ^adid not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and ¹from house to house, 21 solemnly ^atestifying to both Jews and Greeks about ^brepentance toward God and ^cfaith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, bound by the ¹Spirit, ^aI am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that ^athe Holy Spirit solemnly ^btestifies to me in every city, saying that ^cchains and afflictions await me. 24 But ^aI do not make my life of any account nor dear to myself, so that I may ^bfinish my course and ^cthe ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to ^dtestify solemnly of the gospel of ^ethe grace of God.
25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about ^apreaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26 Therefore, I ¹testify to you this day that ^aI am ²innocent of the blood of all. 27 For I ^adid not shrink from declaring to you the whole ^bpurpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all ^athe flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you ¹overseers, to shepherd ^bthe church of God which ^cHe ²purchased ³with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure ^asavage wolves will come in among you, not sparing ^bthe flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away ^athe disciples after them. 31 Therefore be watchful, remembering that night and day for a period of ^athree years I did not cease to admonish each one ^bwith tears. 32 And now I ^acommend you to God and to ^bthe word of His grace, which is able to ^cbuild you up and to give you ^dthe inheritance among all those who have been sanctified. 33 ^aI have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34 You yourselves know that ^athese hands ministered to my own needs and to those ^bwho 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 ^aknelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And ¹they began to weep aloud and ^afalling on Paul’s neck, they were kissing him, 38 being in agony especially over ^athe word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were ^baccompanying him to the ship.