Farewell at Miletus

¹⁷From Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. ¹⁸When they arrived, he said to them, "You know how I lived among you the entire time, from the first day I set foot in Asia. ¹⁹I served the Lord with all humility, with many tears, and through the trials that came upon me because of the plots of the Jews. ²⁰I held back nothing that was beneficial to you, but taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ²²And now, look — I am going to Jerusalem, bound in the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit testifies to me that chains and afflictions await me. ²⁴But none of these things move me, nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my course with joy and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus — to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. ²⁵And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom of God, will ever see my face again. ²⁶Therefore I declare 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 counsel of God. ²⁸Take heed to yourselves and to the entire flock over 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. ³⁰Even from among your own number, men will rise up speaking twisted things to draw away disciples after themselves. ³¹Therefore stay alert, and remember that for three years I did not stop warning each one of you night and day with tears. ³²And now, brothers, I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³I have coveted no one's silver, gold, or clothing. ³⁴You yourselves know that these hands provided for my own needs and for those who were with me. ³⁵In all things I showed you that by laboring like this you must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" ³⁶When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. ³⁷They all wept deeply, fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him, ³⁸grieving most of all over his words that they would see his face no more. Then they accompanied him to the ship.