Acts 20

Paul went to the countries called Macedonia and Greece

1Everyone in the mob went home, then Paul asked all the Christians to meet with him. He said to them, “I’m going to Macedonia country now. You have to always keep on believing in Jesus, and always be strong for him. I’m going now. Goodbye.”

Then Paul left and went to Macedonia country. 2He visited all the Christians in the towns and cities in Macedonia, and he told them a lot of things to help them be strong for Jesus.

Then he kept going and went to Akaya country. Another name for that country is Greece. 3Paul stayed in Greece for 3 months. Then he got ready to go back to Syria on a ship. But he heard that some Jewish men were going to try to kill him, so he changed his mind and didn’t go on that ship. Instead, he went by road through Macedonia country again. 4-5Paul had some friends that were going with him, but at that time they didn’t go with him by road. They got on that ship and went to the town called Troas and waited for Paul there. Those men were,

– Sopater. He grew up in the town called Beria, and his father’s name was Pirus.

– Aristarkus and Secundus, 2 men from Thessalonica.

– Guyus, from Derbi.

– Timothy, from Galatia country.

– Tikicus and Trofimus, 2 men from Asia country.

Those men waited for Paul in Troas.

Luke, the man writing this story, went with Paul to Troas

6I went with Paul by road to the town called Philippi, and we stayed there. Then the time came for the Jewish people to have their flat damper ceremony, and after that, we got on a ship and sailed for 5 days. Then we got to the town called Troas, and we met the other men that were waiting for us there. We stayed in Troas for 7 days.

7On the Sunday, the Christians at Troas got together after the sun went down, to eat food together to remember that Jesus died for them. And we met together with them. Paul started talking to the Christians, and he kept on talking for a long time, right up until the middle of the night. You see, he was going to leave Troas the next day. 8We were meeting in an upstairs room. It was 3 floors high. There were a lot of oil lamps burning in that room, and the smoke made some people get sleepy. 9There was a young man sitting there at an open window. His name was Yutikus. Paul kept on talking for a long time, and Yutikus got very sleepy. Then he went properly to sleep, and he fell out of that window, all the way down 3 floors, to the ground. Some people went down to pick him up, but he was dead. 10Paul went down too, and he lay down and put his arms around the young man, and he pressed himself against him. Then he said, “Don’t worry, he is alive.” And that was true. That young man came alive again.

11Then Paul and the other people there went back upstairs again, and we all ate food together to remember that Jesus died for us. Then Paul talked with the Christians until the sun started to come up. Then he left them and went to the ship. 12Then everyone went home, and they took the young man home too. He was alive again, so everyone was happy.

Paul left Troas and went to Miletus

13Then we went back to the ship, but Paul didn’t get on the ship with us. He wanted to go by road to the town called Assos. The rest of us got on the ship and sailed to Assos. 14We met Paul there, and he got on the ship with us, then we all sailed to the town called Mitilini. 15The next day, we kept going, and we sailed to a place near Kios Island. And the next day, we sailed past Ephesus to Samos Island. The next day, we left Samos Island and sailed to the town called Miletus, and we stopped there. 16You see, Paul was in a hurry to go to Jerusalem, so he didn’t want to stop at Ephesus and stay with the people there in Asia. It was nearly time for the Jewish ceremony called Pentecost, and Paul wanted to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost time.

Paul talked to the Christian leaders of Ephesus

17So after the ship arrived at Miletus, Paul sent a message to Ephesus to get the church leaders to come and talk with him at the ship.

18After they got there, Paul talked to them. He said, “Each one of you knows the good way that I lived, all the time that I was here with you in Asia country, from the first day that I was here until the day that I left. 19You know the way I worked for our leader Jesus. I didn’t try to make myself important, and sometimes I cried when people went wrong. And you know that some of the Jewish people here tried to hurt me. 20And you know that I told you all of God’s message, everything that will help you. I didn’t keep anything secret. I taught you God’s message in places where everyone heard me, and I taught you in your homes too. 21I talked to everyone. I talked to Jewish people and to people that are not Jews. I told all of them, ‘You have to turn to God and stop doing bad things, and believe in our leader Jesus.’ ”

Paul told some Christians, “You will not see me again”

22Paul kept on talking to them. He said, “And now I want to tell you this. God’s spirit clearly showed me that I have to go to Jerusalem, so I’m going there. I don’t know what will happen to me at Jerusalem. 23But I do know that in each town I went to, up until now, the Holy Spirit told me that the people in Jerusalem will hurt me and put me in prison. 24But I will keep going to Jerusalem anyway. I want to finish the work that our leader Jesus told me to do. I have to tell people the good news, that God is good to us, and that he saves us. I really don’t care about myself, I don’t even care if they kill me, so long as I can tell them that good news.

25In the past I told you all how to join God’s family, and I taught you about Jesus, but I can’t do that any more. I know that none of you will see me again. 26So I want you all to understand that if any of you don’t end up in God’s family, you can’t blame me. 27I told you all everything that God wants to do for you. 28Now you leaders have to make sure you keep on following Jesus properly, and you have to help God’s people to follow him properly too. The Holy Spirit picked you to be their leaders, so look after them properly. Remember, God bought his people with the blood of his own son.

29-30I know that after I go away from here, other people will come to you, and they will teach you lies. They will try to trick all of God’s people. They will be like cheeky dingoes that kill sheep. Even in your own group of Christians, some men will get up and say things to trick other Christians. They will change the true story and tell it wrong, so they can get people to follow them. 31So watch out. Make sure each one of you keeps on believing the true story about Jesus. Remember, I was here with you for 3 years, and in all that time, I always told you not to believe a different message. And when I thought that you were going wrong, I even cried about you.”

Paul asked God to look after the Christian leaders

32Paul kept on talking. He said, “Now I’m asking God to keep you safe, and to keep you believing the true message that God is very good to you and will save you. If you keep on believing that message, you will grow strong for God, and you will know that you are in God’s family, and God will give you the good life that he is keeping for his own people.

33-34Listen, you mob know me. You saw the way that I lived when I was with you. I showed you the right way for a Christian to live. I never wanted to get anyone’s money or good clothes. I always worked to get the money that I needed, and to get money for my friends too. 35I did everything in a way that showed you that we all have to work hard to get enough money, not just for ourselves, but to give some to people that don’t have the things they need. We have to remember that our leader, Jesus, said, ‘If people give things to you, that can make you a bit happy. But if you give things to other people, you will be properly happy.’ ”

The leaders said goodbye to Paul, and they were very sad

36Paul finished talking, then he got down on his knees with all of those Christian leaders, to show respect to God, and he prayed with them. 37They all cried a lot, and they hugged Paul and kissed him. 38You see, they heard Paul say that they wouldn’t see him again, and that made them very sad.

Then they all went with him to the ship.

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Acts 20: PEV

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