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Acts 20:1-25

Acts 20:1-25 NCV

When the trouble stopped, Paul sent for the followers to come to him. After he encouraged them and then told them good-bye, he left and went to the country of Macedonia. He said many things to strengthen the followers in the different places on his way through Macedonia. Then he went to Greece, where he stayed for three months. He was ready to sail for Syria, but some evil people were planning something against him. So Paul decided to go back through Macedonia to Syria. The men who went with him were Sopater son of Pyrrhus, from the city of Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus, from the city of Thessalonica; Gaius, from Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus, two men from Asia. These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. We sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Five days later we met them in Troas, where we stayed for seven days. On the first day of the week, we all met together to break bread, and Paul spoke to the group. Because he was planning to leave the next day, he kept on talking until midnight. We were all together in a room upstairs, and there were many lamps in the room. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. As Paul continued talking, Eutychus was falling into a deep sleep. Finally, he went sound asleep and fell to the ground from the third floor. When they picked him up, he was dead. Paul went down to Eutychus, knelt down, and put his arms around him. He said, “Don’t worry. He is alive now.” Then Paul went upstairs again, broke bread, and ate. He spoke to them a long time, until it was early morning, and then he left. They took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted. We went on ahead of Paul and sailed for the city of Assos, where he wanted to join us on the ship. Paul planned it this way because he wanted to go to Assos by land. When he met us there, we took him aboard and went to Mitylene. We sailed from Mitylene and the next day came to a place near Kios. The following day we sailed to Samos, and the next day we reached Miletus. Paul had already decided not to stop at Ephesus, because he did not want to stay too long in Asia. He was hurrying to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, if that were possible. Now from Miletus Paul sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. When they came to him, he said, “You know about my life from the first day I came to Asia. You know the way I lived all the time I was with you. The evil people made plans against me, which troubled me very much. But you know I always served the Lord unselfishly, and I often cried. You know I preached to you and did not hold back anything that would help you. You know that I taught you in public and in your homes. I warned both Jews and Greeks to change their lives and turn to God and believe in our Lord Jesus. But now I must obey the Holy Spirit and go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what will happen to me there. I know only that in every city the Holy Spirit tells me that troubles and even jail wait for me. I don’t care about my own life. The most important thing is that I complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace. “And now, I know that none of you among whom I was preaching the kingdom of God will ever see me again.