Acts 20-21

Acts 20

¹But after the tumult had ceased, Paul having called the disciples to him and embraced them, went away to go to Macedonia.

²And having passed through those parts, and having exhorted them with much discourse, he came to Greece.

³And having spent three months there, a treacherous plot against him having been set on foot by the Jews, as he was going to sail to Syria, the resolution was adopted of returning through Macedonia.

⁴And there accompanied him as far as Asia, Sopater son of Pyrrhus, a Berean; and of Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius and Timotheus of Derbe, and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.

⁵These going before waited for us in Troas;

⁶but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and we came to them to Troas in five days, where we spent seven days.

⁷And the first day of the week, we being assembled to break bread, Paul discoursed to them, about to depart on the morrow. And he prolonged the discourse till midnight.

⁸And there were many lights in the upper room where we were assembled.

⁹And a certain youth, by name Eutychus, sitting at the window-opening, overpowered by deep sleep, while Paul discoursed very much at length, having been overpowered by the sleep, fell from the third story down to the bottom, and was taken up dead.

¹⁰But Paul descending fell upon him, and enfolding him in his arms, said, Be not troubled, for his life is in him.

¹¹And having gone up, and having broken the bread, and eaten, and having long spoken until daybreak, so he went away.

¹²And they brought away the boy alive, and were no little comforted.

¹³And we, having gone before on board ship, sailed off to Assos, going to take in Paul there; for so he had directed, he himself being about to go on foot.

¹⁴And when he met with us at Assos, having taken him on board, we came to Mitylene;

¹⁵and having sailed thence, on the morrow arrived opposite Chios, and the next day put in at Samos; and having stayed at Trogyllium, the next day we came to Miletus:

¹⁶for Paul thought it desirable to sail by Ephesus, so that he might not be made to spend time in Asia; for he hastened, if it was possible for him, to be the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem.

¹⁷But from Miletus having sent to Ephesus, he called over to him the elders of the assembly.

¹⁸And when they were come to him, he said to them, *Ye* know how I was with you all the time from the first day that I arrived in Asia,

¹⁹serving the Lord with all lowliness, and tears, and temptations, which happened to me through the plots of the Jews;

²⁰how I held back nothing of what is profitable, so as not to announce it to you, and to teach you publicly and in every house,

²¹testifying to both Jews and Greeks repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ.

²²And now, behold, bound in my spirit *I* go to Jerusalem, not knowing what things shall happen to me in it;

²³only that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and tribulations await me.

²⁴But I make no account of my life as dear to myself, so that I finish my course, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the glad tidings of the grace of God.

²⁵And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

²⁶Wherefore I witness to you this day, that I am clean from the blood of all,

²⁷for I have not shrunk from announcing to you all the counsel of God.

²⁸Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, wherein the Holy Spirit has set you as overseers, to shepherd the assembly of God, which he has purchased with the blood of his own.

²⁹For *I* know this, that there will come in amongst you after my departure grievous wolves, not sparing the flock;

³⁰and from among your own selves shall rise up men speaking perverted things to draw away the disciples after them.

³¹Wherefore watch, remembering that for three years, night and day, I ceased not admonishing each one of you with tears.

³²And now I commit you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give to you an inheritance among all the sanctified.

³³I have coveted the silver or gold or clothing of no one.

³⁴Yourselves know that these hands have ministered to my wants, and to those who were with me.

³⁵I have shewed you all things, that thus labouring we ought to come in aid of the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

³⁶And having said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

³⁷And they all wept sore; and falling upon the neck of Paul they ardently kissed him,

³⁸specially pained by the word which he had said, that they would no more see his face. And they went down with him to the ship.

Acts 21

¹And when, having got away from them, we at last sailed away, we came by a direct course to Cos, and on the morrow to Rhodes, and thence to Patara.

²And having found a ship passing over into Phoenicia, we went on board and sailed;

³and having sighted Cyprus, and left it on the left hand, we sailed to Syria, and made the land at Tyre, for there the ship was to discharge her cargo.

⁴And having found out the disciples, we remained there seven days; who said to Paul by the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.

⁵But when we had completed the days, we set out and took our journey, all of them accompanying us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And kneeling down upon the shore we prayed.

⁶And having embraced one another, we went on board ship, and they returned home.

⁷And we, having completed the voyage, arrived from Tyre at Ptolemais, and having saluted the brethren, we remained one day with them.

⁸And leaving on the morrow, we came to Caesarea; and entering into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was of the seven, we abode with him.

⁹Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.

¹⁰And as we stayed there many days, a certain man, by name Agabus, a prophet, came down from Judaea,

¹¹and coming to us and taking the girdle of Paul, and having bound his own hands and feet, said, Thus saith the Holy Spirit, The man whose this girdle is shall the Jews thus bind in Jerusalem, and deliver him up into the hands of the Gentiles.

¹²And when we heard these things, both we and those of the place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem.

¹³But Paul answered, What do ye, weeping and breaking my heart? for *I* am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

¹⁴And when he would not be persuaded, we were silent, saying, The will of the Lord be done.

¹⁵And after these days, having got our effects ready, we went up to Jerusalem.

¹⁶And some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us, bringing with them a certain Mnason, a Cyprian, an old disciple, with whom we were to lodge.

¹⁷And when we arrived at Jerusalem the brethren gladly received us.

¹⁸And on the morrow Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders came there.

¹⁹And having saluted them, he related one by one the things which God had wrought among the nations by his ministry.

²⁰And they having heard it glorified God, and said to him, Thou seest, brother, how many myriads there are of the Jews who have believed, and all are zealous of the law.

²¹And they have been informed concerning thee, that thou teachest all the Jews among the nations apostasy from Moses, saying that they should not circumcise their children, nor walk in the customs.

²²What is it then? a multitude must necessarily come together, for they will hear that thou art come.

²³This do therefore that we say to thee: We have four men who have a vow on them;

²⁴take these and be purified with them, and pay their expenses, that they may have their heads shaved; and all will know that of those things of which they have been informed about thee nothing is true; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, keeping the law.

²⁵But concerning those of the nations who have believed, we have written, deciding that they should observe no such thing, only to keep themselves both from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication.

²⁶Then Paul, taking the men, on the next day, having been purified, entered with them into the temple, signifying the time the days of the purification would be fulfilled, until the offering was offered for every one of them.

²⁷And when the seven days were nearly completed, the Jews from Asia, having seen him in the temple, set all the crowd in a tumult, and laid hands upon him,

²⁸crying, Israelites, help! this is the man who teaches all everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place, and has brought Greeks too into the temple, and profaned this holy place.

²⁹For they had before seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.

³⁰And the whole city was moved, and there was a concourse of the people; and having laid hold on Paul they drew him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.

³¹And as they were seeking to kill him, a representation came to the chiliarch of the band that the whole of Jerusalem was in a tumult;

³²who, taking with him immediately soldiers and centurions, ran down upon them. But they, seeing the chiliarch and the soldiers, ceased beating Paul.

³³Then the chiliarch came up and laid hold upon him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains, and inquired who he might be, and what he had done.

³⁴And different persons cried some different thing in the crowd. But he, not being able to know the certainty on account of the uproar, commanded him to be brought into the fortress.

³⁵But when he got upon the stairs it was so that he was borne by the soldiers on account of the violence of the crowd.

³⁶For the multitude of the people followed, crying, Away with him.

³⁷But as he was about to be led into the fortress, Paul says to the chiliarch, Is it allowed me to say something to thee? And he said, Dost thou know Greek?

³⁸Thou art not then that Egyptian who before these days raised a sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the assassins?

³⁹But Paul said, *I* am a Jew of Tarsus, citizen of no insignificant city of Cilicia, and I beseech of thee, allow me to speak to the people.

⁴⁰And when he had allowed him, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people; and a great silence having been made, he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,