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ACTS 21
the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to
Jerusalem, if possible, in time for the Festival
of Pentecost. 17 But when we landed at Miletus,
he sent a message to the elders of the church at
Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.
18 When they arrived he declared, “You know
that from the day I set foot in the province of
Asia until now 19 I have done the Lord’s work
humbly and with many tears. I have endured
the trials that came to me from the plots of the
Jews. 20 I never shrank back from telling you
what you needed to hear, either publicly or in
your homes. 21 I have had one message for Jews
and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting
from sin and turning to God, and of having faith
in our Lord Jesus.
22 “And now I am bound by the Spirit* to go to
Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city
that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24 But my life is
worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing
the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the
work of telling others the Good News about the
wonderful grace of God.
25 “And now I know that none of you to whom
I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me
again. 26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my
fault,* 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all
that God wants you to know.
28 “So guard yourselves and God’s people.
Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church,
purchased with his own blood*—over which
the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.*
29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves,
will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30 Even some men from your own
group will rise up and distort the truth in order
to draw a following. 31 Watch out! Remember the
three years I was with you—my constant watch
and care over you night and day, and my many
tears for you.
• Humility
ACT S 2 0 :1 9
God’s work requires much humility from
us. Even the educated, successful Paul
didn’t rely on his own power and wisdom
but worked with a greater view in sight—
a view of God’s great, holy work and
Paul’s inadequacy to complete it on his
own. Paul knew that doing God’s work
was a great privilege, not a favor he was
doing for God. Although such work is
wonderful, we can do it well only when
we humble ourselves.
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32 “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and
give you an inheritance with all those he has set
apart for himself.
33 “I have never coveted anyone’s silver or
gold or fine clothes. 34 You know that these
hands of mine have worked to supply my own
needs and even the needs of those who were
with me. 35 And I have been a constant example
of how you can help those in need by working
hard. You should remember the words of the
Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to
receive.’”
36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt
and prayed with them. 37 They all cried as they
embraced and kissed him good-bye. 38 They
were sad most of all because he had said that
they would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to the ship.
Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem
After saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, we sailed straight to the island of
Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and then
went to Patara. 2 There we boarded a ship sailing
for Phoenicia. 3 We sighted the island of Cyprus,
passed it on our left, and landed at the harbor
of Tyre, in Syria, where the ship was to unload
its cargo.
4 We went ashore, found the local believers,*
and stayed with them a week. These believers
prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul
should not go on to Jerusalem. 5 When we returned to the ship at the end of the week, the
entire congregation, including women* and
children, left the city and came down to the
shore with us. There we knelt, prayed, 6 and said
our farewells. Then we went aboard, and they
returned home.
7 The next stop after leaving Tyre was Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters* and stayed for one day. 8 The next day we
went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home
of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men
who had been chosen to distribute food. 9 He
had four unmarried daughters who had the gift
of prophecy.
10 Several days later a man named Agabus,
who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from
Judea. 11 He came over, took Paul’s belt, and
bound his own feet and hands with it. Then
he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall
the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish
leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the
Gentiles.’” 12 When we heard this, we and the
local believers all begged Paul not to go on to
Jerusalem.
21
20:22 Or by my spirit, or by an inner compulsion; Greek reads
by the spirit. 20:26 Greek I am innocent of the blood of
all. 20:28a Or with the blood of his own [Son]. 20:28b Or
overseers, or bishops. 21:4 Greek disciples; also in 21:16.
21:5 Or wives. 21:7 Greek brothers; also in 21:17.