And [a]he was accompanied by Sopater of (A)Berea, the son of Pyrrhus, and by (B)Aristarchus and Secundus of the (C)Thessalonians, and (D)Gaius of (E)Derbe, and (F)Timothy, and (G)Tychicus and (H)Trophimus of [b](I)Asia. Now these had gone on ahead and were waiting for (J)us at (K)Troas. (L)We sailed from (M)Philippi after [c](N)the days of Unleavened Bread, and reached them at (O)Troas within five days; and we stayed there for seven days.

On (P)the first day of the week, when (Q)we were gathered together to (R)break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to leave the next day, and he prolonged his [d]message until midnight. There were many (S)lamps in the (T)upstairs room where we were gathered together. And there was a young man named [e]Eutychus sitting [f]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. 10 But Paul went down and (U)fell upon him, and after embracing him, he (V)said, “[g]Do not be troubled, for [h]he is still alive.” 11 When Paul had gone back up and had (W)broken the bread and [i]eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left. 12 They took away the boy alive, and were [j]greatly comforted.

Troas to Miletus

13 But (X)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 [k]by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. 15 Sailing 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 (Y)Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past (Z)Ephesus so that he would not have to lose time in [l](AA)Asia; for he was hurrying, if it might be possible for him (AB)to be in Jerusalem (AC)the day of Pentecost.

Farewell to Ephesus

17 From Miletus he sent word to (AD)Ephesus and called to himself (AE)the elders of the church. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them,

“You yourselves know, (AF)from the first day that I set foot in [m]Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and trials which came upon me [n]through (AG)the plots of the Jews; 20 how I (AH)did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was beneficial, and teaching you publicly and [o]from house to house, 21 solemnly (AI)testifying to both Jews and Greeks of (AJ)repentance toward God and (AK)faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, bound by the [p]Spirit, (AL)I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that (AM)the Holy Spirit solemnly (AN)testifies to me in every city, saying that (AO)chains and afflictions await me. 24 But (AP)I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may (AQ)finish my course and (AR)the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to (AS)testify solemnly of the gospel of (AT)God’s grace.

25 “And now behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about (AU)preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. 26 Therefore, I [q]testify to you this day that (AV)I am [r]innocent of the blood of all people. 27 For I (AW)did not shrink from declaring to you the whole (AX)purpose of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all (AY)the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you [s]overseers, to shepherd (AZ)the church of God which (BA)He [t]purchased [u]with His own blood. 29 I know that after my departure (BB)savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing (BC)the flock; 30 and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away (BD)the disciples after them. 31 Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of (BE)three years I did not cease to admonish each one (BF)with tears. 32 And now I (BG)entrust you to God and to (BH)the word of His grace, which is able to (BI)build you up and to give you (BJ)the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 (BK)I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothes. 34 You yourselves know that (BL)these hands served my own needs and the (BM)men who were with me. 35 In 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.’

36 When he had said these things, he (BN)knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And [v]they all began to weep aloud and [w](BO)embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, 38 [x]grieving especially over (BP)the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were (BQ)accompanying him to the ship.

Paul Sails from Miletus

21 Now when (BR)we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran (BS)a straight course to Cos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara; and having found a ship crossing over to (BT)Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. When we came in sight of (BU)Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to (BV)Syria and landed at (BW)Tyre; for the ship was to unload its cargo there. After looking up (BX)the disciples, we stayed there for seven days; and they kept telling Paul, [y](BY)through the Spirit, not to set foot in Jerusalem. When [z]our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, (BZ)escorted us until we were out of the city. After (CA)kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. Then we boarded the ship, and they returned (CB)home.

When we had finished the voyage from (CC)Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting (CD)the brothers and sisters, we stayed with them for a day. On the next day we left and came to (CE)Caesarea, and we entered the house of (CF)Philip the (CG)evangelist, who was (CH)one of the seven, and stayed with him. Now this man had four virgin daughters who were (CI)prophetesses. 10 As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named (CJ)Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And he came to us and (CK)took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This (CL)is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews in Jerusalem will (CM)bind the man who owns this belt and (CN)hand him over to the Gentiles.’” 12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him (CO)not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For (CP)I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for (CQ)the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we became quiet, remarking, “(CR)The will of the Lord be done!”

Paul in Jerusalem

15 After these days we got ready and (CS)started on our way up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of (CT)the disciples from (CU)Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of (CV)Cyprus, a (CW)disciple of long standing with whom we were to stay.

17 After we arrived in Jerusalem, (CX)the brothers and sisters received us gladly. 18 And the following day Paul went in with us to [aa](CY)James, and all (CZ)the elders were present. 19 After he had greeted them, he (DA)began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his (DB)ministry. 20 And when they heard about them, they began (DC)glorifying God; and they said to him, “You see, brother, how many [ab]thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all (DD)zealous for the Law; 21 and they have been told about you, that you are (DE)teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them (DF)not to circumcise their children nor to [ac]walk according to (DG)the customs. 22 So what is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Therefore, do [ad]as we tell you: we have four men who (DH)have a [ae]vow upon themselves; 24 take them along and (DI)purify yourself together with them, and [af]pay their expenses so that they may (DJ)shave their [ag]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. 25 But regarding the Gentiles who have believed, we sent a letter, (DK)having decided that they should abstain from [ah]meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and what is [ai]strangled, and from sexual immorality.” 26 Then Paul [aj]took along the men, and the next day, after (DL)purifying himself together with them, he (DM)went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

Paul Seized in the Temple

27 When (DN)the seven days were almost over, (DO)the Jews from [ak](DP)Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, “Men of Israel, help! (DQ)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 (DR)defiled this holy place!” 29 For they had previously seen (DS)Trophimus the (DT)Ephesian in the city with him, and they thought that Paul had brought him into the temple. 30 Then the whole city was provoked and [al]the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they (DU)dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. 31 While they were intent on killing him, a report came up to the commander of the (DV)Roman [am]cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He immediately (DW)took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to [an]the crowd; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. 33 Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered that he be (DX)bound with (DY)two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. 34 But among the crowd, (DZ)some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the [ao]facts because of the uproar, he ordered that [ap]Paul be brought into (EA)the barracks. 35 When Paul got to (EB)the stairs, it came about that he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the [aq]mob; 36 for the multitude of people kept following them, shouting, “(EC)Away with him!”

37 As Paul was about to be brought into (ED)the barracks, he *said to the commander, “May I say something to you?” And he said, “Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not (EE)the Egyptian who some [ar]time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out (EF)into the wilderness?” 39 But Paul said, “(EG)I am a Jew of Tarsus in (EH)Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people.” 40 When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on (EI)the stairs, (EJ)motioned to the people with his hand; and when there [as]was a great silence, he spoke to them in the [at](EK)Hebrew dialect, saying,

Paul’s Defense before the Jews

22 (EL)[au]Brothers and fathers, hear my defense which I now offer to you.”

And when they heard that he was addressing them in the [av](EM)Hebrew dialect, they became even more quiet; and he *said,

(EN)I am (EO)a Jew, born in (EP)Tarsus of (EQ)Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated [aw]under (ER)Gamaliel, [ax](ES)strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as (ET)you all are today. (EU)I persecuted this (EV)Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons, as also (EW)the high priest and all (EX)the Council of the elders [ay]can testify. From them I also (EY)received letters to (EZ)the brothers, and started off for (FA)Damascus in order to bring even those who were there to Jerusalem [az]as prisoners to be punished.

(FB)But it happened that as I was on my way, approaching Damascus at about noon, a very bright light suddenly flashed from heaven all around me, and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am (FC)Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.’ And those who were with me (FD)saw the light, but (FE)did not [ba]understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me. 10 And I said, ‘(FF)What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Get up and go on into Damascus, and there you will be told about everything that has been appointed for you to do.’ 11 But since I (FG)could not see because of the [bb]brightness of that light, I came into Damascus being led by the hand by those who were with me.

12 “Now a certain (FH)Ananias, a man who was devout by the standard of the Law and (FI)well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there, 13 came to me, and standing nearby he said to me, ‘(FJ)Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ And [bc](FK)at that very moment I looked up at him. 14 And he said, ‘(FL)The God of our fathers has (FM)appointed you to know His will and to (FN)see the (FO)Righteous One and to hear a [bd]message from His mouth. 15 For you will be (FP)a witness for Him to all people of (FQ)what you have seen and heard. 16 Now why do you delay? (FR)Get up and be baptized, and (FS)wash away your sins by (FT)calling on His name.’

17 “It happened when I (FU)returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I (FV)fell into a trance, 18 and I saw Him saying to me, (FW)Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another (FX)I used to imprison and (FY)beat those who believed in You. 20 And (FZ)when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby and approving, and watching over the cloaks of those who were killing him.’ 21 And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away (GA)to the Gentiles.’

22 They listened to him up to this statement, and then they raised their voices and said, “(GB)Away with such a man from the earth, for (GC)he should not be allowed to live!” 23 And as they were shouting and (GD)throwing off their cloaks and (GE)tossing dust into the air, 24 the commander ordered that he be brought into (GF)the barracks, saying that he was to be (GG)interrogated by flogging so that he would find out the reason why they were shouting against him that way. 25 But when they stretched him out [be]with straps, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it [bf]lawful for you to flog (GH)a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?” 26 When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and told him, saying, “What are you about to do? For this man is a Roman.” 27 The commander came and said to [bg]Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” And he said, “Yes.” 28 The commander answered, “I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money.” And Paul said, “But I was actually born a citizen.” 29 Therefore, those who were about to (GI)interrogate him immediately backed away from him; and the commander also (GJ)was afraid when he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had [bh](GK)put him in chains.

30 Now on the next day, (GL)wanting to know for certain why Paul had been accused by the Jews, he (GM)released him and ordered the chief priests and all (GN)the [bi]Council to assemble, and he brought Paul down and placed him before them.

Paul before the Council

23 Now looking intently at (GO)the [bj]Council, Paul said, “[bk](GP)Brothers, (GQ)I have [bl]lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day.” But the high priest (GR)Ananias commanded those standing beside him (GS)to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, (GT)you whitewashed wall! Do you (GU)sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law, order me to be struck?” But those present said, “Are you insulting God’s high priest?” And Paul said, “I was not aware, brothers, that he is high priest; for it is written: ‘(GV)You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

But Paul, perceiving that one group were (GW)Sadducees and the other Pharisees, began crying out in (GX)the [bm]Council, “[bn](GY)Brothers, (GZ)I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for (HA)the hope and resurrection of the dead!” When he said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. For (HB)the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. And a great uproar occurred; and some of (HC)the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and started arguing heatedly, saying, “(HD)We find nothing wrong with this man; (HE)suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 And when a great dissension occurred, the commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, and he ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into (HF)the barracks.

11 But on (HG)the following night, the Lord stood near him and said, (HH)Be courageous! For (HI)as you have (HJ)testified to the truth about Me in Jerusalem, so you must testify in Rome also.”

A Conspiracy to Kill Paul

12 When it was day, (HK)the Jews formed a [bo]conspiracy and (HL)put themselves under an [bp]oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty who formed this plot. 14 They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have (HM)put ourselves under an [bq]oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. 15 Now therefore, you [br]and (HN)the [bs]Council notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to investigate his case more thoroughly; and as for us, we are ready to kill him before he comes near the place.”

16 But the son of Paul’s sister heard about their ambush, [bt]and he came and entered (HO)the barracks and told Paul. 17 Paul called one of the centurions to himself and said, “Take this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him.” 18 So he took him and led him to the commander and *said, “Paul (HP)the prisoner called me over to him and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 19 The commander took him by the hand, and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, “What is it that you have to report to me?” 20 And he said, “(HQ)The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to (HR)the [bu]Council, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. 21 So do not [bv]listen to them, for more than forty [bw]of them are (HS)in hiding to ambush him, and these men have (HT)put themselves under an oath not to eat or drink until they kill him; and now they are ready and waiting for assurance from you.” 22 Then the commander let the young man go, instructing him, “Tell no one that you have notified me of these things.”

Paul Moved to Caesarea

23 And he called to him two of the centurions and said, “Get two hundred soldiers ready by [bx]the third hour of the night to proceed to (HU)Caesarea, [by]with seventy horsemen and two hundred [bz]spearmen.” 24 They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to (HV)Felix the governor. 25 And he wrote a letter [ca]with the following content:

26 “Claudius Lysias, to the (HW)most excellent governor Felix: (HX)Greetings.

27 When this man was seized by the Jews and was about to be killed by them, (HY)I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, (HZ)after learning that he was a Roman. 28 And (IA)wanting to ascertain the basis for the charges they were bringing against him, I (IB)brought him down to their [cb](IC)Council; 29 and I found that he was being accused regarding (ID)questions in their Law, but [cc]was (IE)not charged with anything deserving death or [cd]imprisonment.

30 When I was (IF)informed that there would be (IG)a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing (IH)his accusers to [ce]bring charges against him before you.”

31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. 32 But on the next day they let (II)the horsemen go on with him, and they returned to (IJ)the barracks. 33 When these horsemen had come to (IK)Caesarea and delivered the letter to (IL)the governor, they also presented Paul to him. 34 Now when he had read it, he also asked from what (IM)province Paul was, and when he learned that (IN)he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing when your (IO)accusers arrive as well,” giving orders for [cf]Paul to be (IP)kept in Herod’s [cg]Praetorium.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 20:4 Lit there accompanied him
  2. Acts 20:4 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  3. Acts 20:6 I.e., Passover week
  4. Acts 20:7 Lit word, speech
  5. Acts 20:9 Eutychus means good fortune; i.e., “Lucky”
  6. Acts 20:9 Or at the window
  7. Acts 20:10 Or Stop being troubled
  8. Acts 20:10 Lit his soul is in him
  9. Acts 20:11 Lit tasted
  10. Acts 20:12 Lit not moderately
  11. Acts 20:13 Or on foot
  12. Acts 20:16 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  13. Acts 20:18 See note v 16
  14. Acts 20:19 Lit by
  15. Acts 20:20 Or in the various private homes
  16. Acts 20:22 Or in spirit
  17. Acts 20:26 Or call you to witness
  18. Acts 20:26 Lit pure from
  19. Acts 20:28 Or bishops
  20. Acts 20:28 Lit acquired
  21. Acts 20:28 Lit through
  22. Acts 20:37 Lit a considerable weeping of all occurred
  23. Acts 20:37 Lit threw themselves on Paul’s neck
  24. Acts 20:38 Lit suffering pain
  25. Acts 21:4 I.e., because of impressions made by the Spirit
  26. Acts 21:5 Lit we had completed the days
  27. Acts 21:18 Or Jacob
  28. Acts 21:20 Lit ten thousands
  29. Acts 21:21 I.e., observe or live by
  30. Acts 21:23 Lit this which we
  31. Acts 21:23 I.e., a sacred duty to fulfill
  32. Acts 21:24 Lit spend on them
  33. Acts 21:24 Lit head (a requirement of the vow)
  34. Acts 21:25 Lit the thing
  35. Acts 21:25 I.e., to retain the blood
  36. Acts 21:26 Or took along the men the next day, and after purifying himself
  37. Acts 21:27 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  38. Acts 21:30 Lit a running together of the people occurred
  39. Acts 21:31 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
  40. Acts 21:32 Lit them
  41. Acts 21:34 Lit certainty
  42. Acts 21:34 Lit he
  43. Acts 21:35 Lit crowd
  44. Acts 21:38 Lit days
  45. Acts 21:40 Lit occurred
  46. Acts 21:40 I.e., Jewish Aramaic
  47. Acts 22:1 Lit Men, brothers
  48. Acts 22:2 I.e., Jewish Aramaic
  49. Acts 22:3 Lit at the feet of
  50. Acts 22:3 Lit according to the strictness of the ancestral law
  51. Acts 22:5 Lit testifies for me
  52. Acts 22:5 Lit having been bound
  53. Acts 22:9 Or hear (with comprehension)
  54. Acts 22:11 Lit glory
  55. Acts 22:13 Or instantly; lit at the very hour
  56. Acts 22:14 Lit voice
  57. Acts 22:25 Or for the whip
  58. Acts 22:25 Interrogation by torture was a procedure used with slaves
  59. Acts 22:27 Lit him
  60. Acts 22:29 Lit bound him
  61. Acts 22:30 Or Sanhedrin
  62. Acts 23:1 Or Sanhedrin
  63. Acts 23:1 Lit Men, brothers
  64. Acts 23:1 Or conducted myself as a citizen
  65. Acts 23:6 Or Sanhedrin
  66. Acts 23:6 Lit Men, brothers
  67. Acts 23:12 Or mob
  68. Acts 23:12 I.e., an oath with a self-imposed curse
  69. Acts 23:14 See note 2 v 12
  70. Acts 23:15 Lit with
  71. Acts 23:15 Or Sanhedrin
  72. Acts 23:16 Or having been present with them, and he also entered
  73. Acts 23:20 Or Sanhedrin
  74. Acts 23:21 Lit be persuaded by them
  75. Acts 23:21 Lit men of them
  76. Acts 23:23 I.e., 9 p.m.
  77. Acts 23:23 Lit and
  78. Acts 23:23 Or slingers; or bowmen
  79. Acts 23:25 Or to this effect
  80. Acts 23:28 Or Sanhedrin
  81. Acts 23:29 Lit had no charge of
  82. Acts 23:29 Lit bonds
  83. Acts 23:30 Lit speak against him
  84. Acts 23:35 Lit him
  85. Acts 23:35 I.e., governor’s official residence

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