Book Order Plan

Acts 20-21

Acts 20

1After the uproar had ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and when he had encouraged them and taken his leave of them, he left to go to Macedonia.

2When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece.

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

4And he was accompanied by Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.

5Now these had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas.

6We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and reached them at Troas within five days; and we stayed there for seven days.

7On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.

8There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered together.

9And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, Eutychus was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor, and was picked up dead.

10But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for he is still alive.”

11When Paul had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left.

12They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted.

13But we went ahead to the ship and set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for that was what he had arranged, intending himself to go by land.

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

15Sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day we came to Miletus.

16For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to lose time in Asia; for he was hurrying, if it might be possible for him to be in Jerusalem the day of Pentecost.

17From Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and called to himself the elders of the church.

18And when they came to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time,

19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews;

20how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was beneficial, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

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

22And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

23except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me.

24But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of God’s grace.

25“And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.

26Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all people.

27For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.

28Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

29I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;

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

31Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.

32And now I entrust 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 those who are sanctified.

33I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes.

34You yourselves know that these hands served my own needs and the men who were with me.

35In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way 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.’ 

36When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.

37And they all began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him,

38grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.

Acts 21

1Now when we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara;

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

3When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for the ship was to unload its cargo there.

4After looking up the disciples, we stayed there for seven days; and they kept telling Paul, through the Spirit, not to set foot in Jerusalem.

5When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another.

6Then we boarded the ship, and they returned home.

7When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brothers and sisters, we stayed with them for a day.

8On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.

9Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses.

10As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

11And he came to us and took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’ ”

12When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

14And since he would not be persuaded, we became quiet, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

15After these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem.

16Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay.

17After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us gladly.

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

19After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

20And when they heard about them, they began glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law;

21and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.

22So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.

23Therefore, do as we tell you: we have four men who have a vow upon themselves;

24take them along and purify yourself together with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and then everyone will know that there is nothing to what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also conform, keeping the Law.

25But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we sent a letter, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and what is strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

26Then Paul took along the men, and the next day, after purifying himself together with them, he went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

27When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him,

28crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who instructs everyone everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place!”

29For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they thought that Paul had brought him into the temple.

30Then the whole city was provoked and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.

31While they were intent on killing him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion.

32He immediately took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to the crowd; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.

33Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered that he be bound with two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done.

34But among the crowd, some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks.

35When Paul got to the stairs, it came about that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob;

36for the multitude of people kept following them, shouting, “Away with him!”

37As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he *said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek?

38Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?”

39But Paul said, “I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.”

40When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying,