Acts 20-21

Acts 20

¹And after the uproar was ceased, Paul having sent for the disciples and exhorted them, took leave of them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.

²And when he had gone through those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece.

³And when he had spent three months there, and a plot was laid against him by the Jews, as he was about to set sail for Syria, he determined to return through Macedonia.

⁴And there accompanied him as far as Asia Sopater of Beroea, the son of Pyrrhus; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus.

⁵But these had gone before, and were waiting for us at Troas.

⁶And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we tarried seven days.

⁷And upon the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul discoursed with them, intending to depart on the morrow; and prolonged his speech until midnight.

⁸And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where we were gathered together.

⁹And there sat in the window a certain young man named Eutychus, borne down with deep sleep; and as Paul discoursed yet longer, being borne down by his sleep he fell down from the third story, and was taken up dead.

¹⁰And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Make ye no ado; for his life is in him.

¹¹And when he was gone up, and had broken the bread, and eaten, and had talked with them a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.

¹²And they brought the lad alive, and were not a little comforted.

¹³But we, going before to the ship, set sail for Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, intending himself to go by land.

¹⁴And when he met us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.

¹⁵And sailing from thence, we came the following day over against Chios; and the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after we came to Miletus.

¹⁶For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.

¹⁷And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the church.

¹⁸And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, after what manner I was with you all the time,

¹⁹serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews:

²⁰how that I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house,

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

²²And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

²³save that the Holy Ghost testifieth unto me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

²⁴But I hold not my life of any account, as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

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

²⁶Wherefore I testify unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.

²⁷For I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God.

²⁸Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in the which the Holy Ghost hath made you bishops, to feed the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.

²⁹I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock;

³⁰and from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.

³¹Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every one night and day with tears.

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

³³I coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.

³⁴Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

³⁵In all things I gave you an example, how that so labouring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

³⁶And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.

³⁷And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him,

³⁸Sorrowing most of all for the word which he had spoken, that they should behold his face no more. And they brought him on his way unto the ship.

Acts 21

¹And when it came to pass that we were parted from them, and had set sail, we came with a straight course unto Cos, and the next day unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara:

²and having found a ship crossing over unto Phoenicia, we went aboard, and set sail.

³And when we had come in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left hand, we sailed unto Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden.

⁴And having found the disciples, we tarried there seven days: and these said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not set foot in Jerusalem.

⁵And when it came to pass that we had accomplished the days, we departed and went on our journey; and they all, with wives and children, brought us on our way, till we were out of the city: and kneeling down on the beach, we prayed,

⁶and bade each other farewell; and we went on board the ship, but they returned home again.

⁷And when we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais; and we saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day.

⁸And on the morrow we departed, and came unto Caesarea: and entering into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we abode with him.

⁹Now this man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.

¹⁰And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.

¹¹And coming to us, and taking Paul’s girdle, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

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

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

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

¹⁵And after these days we took up our baggage, and went up to Jerusalem.

¹⁶And there went with us also certain of the disciples from Caesarea, bringing with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we should lodge.

¹⁷And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly.

¹⁸And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.

¹⁹And when he had saluted them, he rehearsed one by one the things which God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.

²⁰And they, when they heard it, glorified God; and they said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of them which have believed; and they are all zealous for the law:

²¹and they have been informed concerning thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

²²What is it therefore? they will certainly hear that thou art come.

²³Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;

²⁴these take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges for them, that they may shave their heads: and all shall know that there is no truth in the things whereof they have been informed concerning thee; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, keeping the law.

²⁵But as touching the Gentiles which have believed, we wrote, giving judgment that they should keep themselves from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what is strangled, and from fornication.

²⁶Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them went into the temple, declaring the fulfillment of the days of purification, until the offering was offered for every one of them.

²⁷And when the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the multitude, and laid hands on him,

²⁸crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place: and moreover he brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath defiled this holy place.

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

³⁰And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they laid hold on Paul, and dragged him out of the temple: and straightway the doors were shut.

³¹And as they were seeking to kill him, tidings came up to the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in confusion.

³²And forthwith he took soldiers and centurions, and ran down upon them: and they, when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, left off beating Paul.

³³Then the chief captain came near, and laid hold on him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and inquired who he was, and what he had done.

³⁴And some shouted one thing, some another, among the crowd: and when he could not know the certainty for the uproar, he commanded him to be brought into the castle.

³⁵And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the crowd;

³⁶for the multitude of the people followed after, crying out, Away with him.

³⁷And as Paul was about to be brought into the castle, he saith unto the chief captain, May I say something unto thee? And he said, Dost thou know Greek?

³⁸Art thou not then the Egyptian, which before these days stirred up to sedition and led out into the wilderness the four thousand men of the Assassins?

³⁹But Paul said, I am a Jew, of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and I beseech thee, give me leave to speak unto the people.

⁴⁰And when he had given him leave, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with the hand unto the people; and when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, saying,