Acts 20:1-25

Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging ¹  them and saying farewell, ²  he left to go to Macedonia. ³  20:2 After he had gone through those regions ⁴  and spoken many words of encouragement ⁵  to the believers there, ⁶  he came to Greece, ⁷  20:3 where he stayed ⁸  for three months. Because the Jews had made ⁹  a plot ¹⁰  against him as he was intending ¹¹  to sail ¹²  for Syria, he decided ¹³  to return through Macedonia. ¹⁴  20:4 Paul ¹⁵  was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, ¹⁶  Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, ¹⁷  Gaius ¹⁸  from Derbe, ¹⁹  and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ²⁰  20:5 These had gone on ahead ²¹  and were waiting for us in Troas. ²²  20:6 We ²³  sailed away from Philippi ²⁴  after the days of Unleavened Bread, ²⁵  and within five days ²⁶  we came to the others ²⁷  in Troas, ²⁸  where we stayed for seven days. 20:7 On the first day ²⁹  of the week, when we met ³⁰  to break bread, Paul began to speak ³¹  to the people, and because he intended ³²  to leave the next day, he extended ³³  his message until midnight. 20:8 (Now there were many lamps ³⁴  in the upstairs room where we were meeting.) ³⁵  20:9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, ³⁶  was sinking ³⁷  into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak ³⁸  for a long time. Fast asleep, ³⁹  he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 20:10 But Paul went down, ⁴⁰  threw himself ⁴¹  on the young man, ⁴²  put his arms around him, ⁴³  and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!” ⁴⁴  20:11 Then Paul ⁴⁵  went back upstairs, ⁴⁶  and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them ⁴⁷  a long time, until dawn. Then he left. 20:12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly ⁴⁸  comforted.

The Voyage to Miletus

20:13 We went on ahead ⁴⁹  to the ship and put out to sea ⁵⁰  for Assos, ⁵¹  intending ⁵²  to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way. ⁵³  He ⁵⁴  himself was intending ⁵⁵  to go there by land. ⁵⁶  20:14 When he met us in Assos, ⁵⁷  we took him aboard ⁵⁸  and went to Mitylene. ⁵⁹  20:15 We set sail ⁶⁰  from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios. ⁶¹  The next day we approached ⁶²  Samos, ⁶³  and the day after that we arrived at Miletus. ⁶⁴  20:16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus ⁶⁵  so as not to spend time ⁶⁶  in the province of Asia, ⁶⁷  for he was hurrying ⁶⁸  to arrive in Jerusalem, ⁶⁹  if possible, ⁷⁰  by the day of Pentecost. 20:17 From Miletus ⁷¹  he sent a message ⁷²  to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him. ⁷³ 

20:18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived ⁷⁴  the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot ⁷⁵  in the province of Asia, ⁷⁶  20:19 serving the Lord with all humility ⁷⁷  and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots ⁷⁸  of the Jews. 20:20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming ⁷⁹  to you anything that would be helpful, ⁸⁰  and from teaching you publicly ⁸¹  and from house to house, 20:21 testifying ⁸²  to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. ⁸³  20:22 And now, ⁸⁴  compelled ⁸⁵  by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem ⁸⁶  without knowing what will happen to me there, ⁸⁷  20:23 except ⁸⁸  that the Holy Spirit warns ⁸⁹  me in town after town ⁹⁰  that ⁹¹  imprisonment ⁹²  and persecutions ⁹³  are waiting for me. 20:24 But I do not consider my life ⁹⁴  worth anything ⁹⁵  to myself, so that ⁹⁶  I may finish my task ⁹⁷  and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news ⁹⁸  of God’s grace.

20:25 “And now ⁹⁹  I know that none ¹⁰⁰  of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom ¹⁰¹  will see me ¹⁰²  again.

[20:1]  ¹ tn Or “exhorting.”

[20:1]  ² tn Or “and taking leave of them.”

[20:1]  ³ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:2]  ⁴ tn BDAG 633 s.v. μέρος 1.b.γ gives the meanings “the parts (of a geographical area), region, district,” but the use of “district” in this context probably implies too much specificity.

[20:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “and encouraging them with many words.” The participle παρακαλέσας (parakalesa", “encouraging”) has been translated by the phrase “spoken…words of encouragement” because the formal equivalent is awkward in contemporary English.

[20:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “[to] them”; the referent (the believers there) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:2]  ⁷ tn In popular usage the term translated “Greece” here could also refer to the Roman province officially known as Achaia (BDAG 318 s.v. ῾Ελλάς).

[20:3]  ⁸ tn BDAG 841 s.v. ποιέω 5.c, “w. an acc. of time spend, stay.”

[20:3]  ⁹ tn The participle βενομένης (benomenh") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle. L&N 30.71 has “ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν ᾿Ιουδαίων ‘because the Jews had made a plot against him’ Ac 20:3.”

[20:3]  ¹⁰ sn This plot is one of several noted by Luke (Acts 9:20; 20:19; 23:30).

[20:3]  ¹¹ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:3]  ¹² tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4 gives “put out to sea” here (as a nautical technical term). However, since the English expression “put out to sea” could be understood to mean Paul was already aboard the ship (which is not clear from the context), the simpler expression “sail” is used at this point in the translation.

[20:3]  ¹³ tn BDAG 199 s.v. γίνομαι 7 has “ἐγένετο γνώμης he decided Ac 20:3.”

[20:3]  ¹⁴ sn Macedonia was the Roman province of Macedonia in Greece.

[20:4]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:4]  ¹⁶ sn Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea; Greek Beroia) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.

[20:4]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “of the Thessalonians.”

[20:4]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “and Gaius,” but this καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.

[20:4]  ¹⁹ sn Derbe was a city in Lycaonia about 30 mi (50 km) southeast of Lystra.

[20:4]  ²⁰ tn Grk “the Asians Tychicus and Trophimus.” In the NT “Asia” always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[20:5]  ²¹ tn Grk “These, having gone on ahead, were waiting.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:5]  ²² sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor.

[20:6]  ²³ sn This marks the beginning of another “we” section in Acts. These have been traditionally understood to mean that Luke was in the company of Paul for this part of the journey.

[20:6]  ²⁴ map For location see JP1 C1; JP2 C1; JP3 C1; JP4 C1.

[20:6]  ²⁵ sn The days of Unleavened Bread refer to the week following Passover. Originally an agricultural festival commemorating the beginning of harvest, it was celebrated for seven days beginning on the fifteenth day of the month Nisan (March-April). It was later combined with Passover (Exod 12:1-20; Ezek 45:21-24; Matt 26:17; Luke 22:1).

[20:6]  ²⁶ tn BDAG 160 s.v. ἄχρι 1.a.α has “ἄ. ἡμερῶν πέντε within five days Ac 20:6.”

[20:6]  ²⁷ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the others mentioned in v. 4) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:6]  ²⁸ sn Troas was a port city (and surrounding region) on the northwest coast of Asia Minor. From Philippi to Troas was about 125 mi (200 km).

[20:7]  ²⁹ sn On the first day. This is the first mention of a Sunday gathering (1 Cor 16:2).

[20:7]  ³⁰ tn Or “assembled.”

[20:7]  ³¹ tn The verb διαλέγομαι (dialegomai) is frequently used of Paul addressing Jews in the synagogue. As G. Schrenk (TDNT 2:94-95) points out, “What is at issue is the address which any qualified member of a synagogue might give.” Other examples of this may be found in the NT in Matt 4:23 and Mark 1:21. In the context of a Christian gathering, it is preferable to translate διελέγετο (dielegeto) simply as “speak” here. The imperfect verb διελέγετο has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[20:7]  ³² tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:7]  ³³ tn Or “prolonged.”

[20:8]  ³⁴ tn More commonly λαμπάς (lampa") means “torch,” but here according to BDAG 585 s.v. λαμπάς 2, “lamp…w. a wick and space for oil.”

[20:8]  ³⁵ sn This is best taken as a parenthetical note by the author.

[20:9]  ³⁶ tn This window was probably a simple opening in the wall (see also BDAG 462 s.v. θυρίς).

[20:9]  ³⁷ tn Grk “sinking into a deep sleep.” BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “ὕπνῳ βαθεῖ sink into a deep sleep…Ac 20:9a.” The participle καταφερόμενος (kataferomeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:9]  ³⁸ tn The participle διαλεγομένου (dialegomenou) has been taken temporally.

[20:9]  ³⁹ tn BDAG 529 s.v. καταφέρω 3 has “κατενεχθεὶς ἀπὸ τοῦ ὔπνου overwhelmed by sleep vs. 9b,” but this expression is less common in contemporary English than phrases like “fast asleep” or “sound asleep.”

[20:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “going down.” The participle καταβάς (katabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:10]  ⁴¹ tn BDAG 377 s.v. ἐπιπίπτω 1.b has “ἐπέπεσεν αὐτῷ he threw himself upon him Ac 20:10.”

[20:10]  ⁴² tn Grk “on him”; the referent (the young man) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:10]  ⁴³ tn BDAG 959 s.v. συμπεριλαμβάνω has “to throw one’s arms around, embrace w. acc. to be supplied Ac 20:10.” However, “embraced the young man” might be taken (out of context) to have erotic implications, while “threw his arms around him” would be somewhat redundant since “threw” has been used in the previous phrase.

[20:10]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “for his life is in him” (an idiom).

[20:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:11]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “going back upstairs.” The participle ἀναβάς (anabas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:11]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “talking with them.” The participle ὁμιλήσας (Jomilhsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:12]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “were not to a moderate degree” (an idiom). L&N 78.11 states: “μετρίως: a moderate degree of some activity or state – ‘moderately, to a moderate extent.’ ἤγαγον δὲ τὸν παῖδα ζῶντα, καὶ παρεκλήθησαν οὐ μετρίωθς ‘they took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted’ Ac 20:12. In Ac 20:12 the phrase οὐ μετρίως, literally ‘not to a moderate degree,’ is equivalent to a strong positive statement, namely, ‘greatly’ or ‘to a great extent.’”

[20:13]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “going on ahead.” The participle προελθόντες (proelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:13]  ⁵⁰ tn BDAG 62 s.v. ἀνάγω 4, “as a nautical t.t. (ἀ. τὴν ναῦν put a ship to sea), mid. or pass. ἀνάγεσθαι to begin to go by boat, put out to sea.”

[20:13]  ⁵¹ sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:13]  ⁵² tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:13]  ⁵³ tn Or “for he told us to do this.” Grk “for having arranged it this way, he.” The participle διατεταγμένος (diatetagmeno") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. BDAG 237 s.v. διατάσσω 1 has “οὕτως διατεταγμένος ἦν he had arranged it so Ac 20:13.” L&N 15.224 has “‘he told us to do this.”

[20:13]  ⁵⁴ tn A new sentence was begun here in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence; in Greek this is part of the preceding sentence beginning “We went on ahead.”

[20:13]  ⁵⁵ tn BDAG 628 s.v. μέλλω 1.c.γ has “denoting an intended action: intend, propose, have in mind…Ac 17:31; 20:3, 7, 13ab; 23:15; 26:2; 27:30.”

[20:13]  ⁵⁶ tn Or “there on foot.”

[20:14]  ⁵⁷ sn Assos was a city of Mysia about 24 mi (40 km) southeast of Troas.

[20:14]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “taking him aboard, we.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:14]  ⁵⁹ sn Mitylene was the most important city on the island of Lesbos in the Aegean Sea. It was about 44 mi (70 km) from Assos.

[20:15]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “setting sail from there.” The participle ἀποπλεύσαντες (apopleusante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[20:15]  ⁶¹ tn Or “offshore from Chios.”

[20:15]  ⁶² tn Or “crossed over to,” “arrived at.” L&N 54.12 has “παραβάλλω: (a technical, nautical term) to sail up to or near – ‘to approach, to arrive at, to sail to.’ παρεβάλομεν εἰς Σάμον ‘we approached Samos’ or ‘we arrived at Samos’ Ac 20:15.”

[20:15]  ⁶³ sn Samos is an island in the Aegean Sea off the western coast of Asia Minor.

[20:15]  ⁶⁴ sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 40 mi (70 km) south of Ephesus. From Mitylene to Miletus was about 125 mi (200 km).

[20:16]  ⁶⁵ map For location see JP1 D2; JP2 D2; JP3 D2; JP4 D2.

[20:16]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “so that he might not have to spend time.” L&N 67.79 has “ὅπως μὴ γένηται αὐτῷ χρονοτριβῆσαι ἐν τῇ ᾿Ασίᾳ ‘so as not to spend any time in the province of Asia’ Ac 20:16.”

[20:16]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[20:16]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “was eager.”

[20:16]  ⁶⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[20:16]  ⁷⁰ tn Grk “if it could be to him” (an idiom).

[20:17]  ⁷¹ sn Miletus was a seaport on the western coast of Asia Minor about 45 mi (72 km) south of Ephesus.

[20:17]  ⁷² tn The words “a message” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[20:17]  ⁷³ tn The words “to him” are not in the Greek text but are implied. L&N 33.311 has for the verb μετακαλέομαι (metakaleomai) “to summon someone, with considerable insistence and authority – ‘to summon, to tell to come.’”

[20:18]  ⁷⁴ tn Grk “You yourselves know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time.” This could be understood to mean “how I stayed with you the whole time,” but the following verses make it clear that Paul’s lifestyle while with the Ephesians is in view here. Thus the translation “how I lived the whole time I was with you” makes this clear.

[20:18]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “I arrived.” BDAG 367 s.v. ἐπιβαίνω 2, “set foot in…εἰς τ. ᾿Ασίαν set foot in Asia Ac 20:18.” However, L&N 15.83 removes the idiom: “you know that since the first day that I came to Asia.”

[20:18]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “Asia”; see the note on this word in v. 16.

[20:19]  ⁷⁷ sn On humility see 2 Cor 10:1; 11:7; 1 Thess 2:6; Col 3:12; Eph 4:2; Phil 2:3-11.

[20:19]  ⁷⁸ sn These plots are mentioned in Acts 9:24; 20:13.

[20:20]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “declaring.”

[20:20]  ⁸⁰ tn Or “profitable.” BDAG 960 s.v. συμφέρω 2.b.α has “τὰ συμφέροντα what advances your best interests or what is good for you Ac 20:20,” but the broader meaning (s.v. 2, “to be advantageous, help, confer a benefit, be profitable/useful”) is equally possible in this context.

[20:20]  ⁸¹ tn Or “openly.”

[20:21]  ⁸² tn BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 1 has “testify of, bear witness to (orig. under oath)…of repentance to Judeans and Hellenes Ac 20:21.”

[20:21]  ⁸³ tc Several mss, including some of the more important ones (Ì⁷⁴ א Α C [D] E 33 36 323 945 1175 1241 1505 1739 pm and a number of versions), read Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) at the end of this verse. This word is lacking in B H L P Ψ 614 pm. Although the inclusion is supported by many earlier and better mss, internal evidence is on the side of the omission: In Acts, both “Lord Jesus” and “Lord Jesus Christ” occur, though between 16:31 and the end of the book “Lord Jesus Christ” appears only in 28:31, perhaps as a kind of climactic assertion. Thus, the shorter reading is to be preferred.

[20:22]  ⁸⁴ tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:22]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “bound.”

[20:22]  ⁸⁶ sn This journey to Jerusalem suggests a parallel between Paul and Jesus, since the “Jerusalem journey” motif figures so prominently in Luke’s Gospel (9:51-19:44).

[20:22]  ⁸⁷ tn BDAG 965 s.v. συναντάω 2 has τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ συναντήσοντα ἐμοὶ μὴ εἰδώς without knowing what will happen to me there Ac 20:22.”

[20:23]  ⁸⁸ tn BDAG 826 s.v. πλήν 1.d has “πλὴν ὅτι except that…Ac 20:23.”

[20:23]  ⁸⁹ tn The verb διαμαρτύρομαι (diamarturomai) can mean “warn” (BDAG 233 s.v. διαμαρτύρομαι 2 has “solemnly urge, exhort, warn…w. dat. of pers. addressed”), and this meaning better fits the context here, although BDAG categorizes Acts 20:23 under the meaning “testify of, bear witness to” (s.v. 1).

[20:23]  ⁹⁰ tn The Greek text here reads κατὰ πόλιν (kata polin).

[20:23]  ⁹¹ tn Grk “saying that,” but the participle λέγον (legon) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[20:23]  ⁹² tn Grk “bonds.”

[20:23]  ⁹³ tn Or “troubles,” “suffering.” See Acts 19:21; 21:4, 11.

[20:24]  ⁹⁴ tn Grk “soul.”

[20:24]  ⁹⁵ tn Or “I do not consider my life worth a single word.” According to BDAG 599 s.v. λόγος 1.a.α, “In the textually uncertain pass. Ac 20:24 the text as it stands in N., οὐδενὸς λόγου (v.l. λόγον) ποιοῦμαι τὴν ψυχὴν τιμίαν, may well mean: I do not consider my life worth a single word (cp. λόγου ἄξιον [ἄξιος 1a] and our ‘worth mention’).”

[20:24]  ⁹⁶ tn BDAG 1106 s.v. ὡς 9 describes this use as “a final particle, expressing intention/purpose, with a view to, in order to.”

[20:24]  ⁹⁷ tn Grk “course.” See L&N 42.26, “(a figurative extension of meaning of δρόμος ‘race’) a task or function involving continuity, serious, effort, and possibly obligation – ‘task, mission’…Ac 20:24.” On this Pauline theme see also Phil 1:19-26; Col 1:24; 2 Tim 4:6-7.

[20:24]  ⁹⁸ tn Or “to the gospel.”

[20:25]  ⁹⁹ tn Grk “And now, behold.” Here ἰδού (idou) has not been translated.

[20:25]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Grk “all of you…will not see.” Greek handles its negation somewhat differently from English, and the translation follows English grammatical conventions.

[20:25]  ¹⁰¹ sn Note how Paul’s usage of the expression proclaiming the kingdom is associated with (and intertwined with) his testifying to the good news of God’s grace in v. 24. For Paul the two concepts were interrelated.

[20:25]  ¹⁰² tn Grk “will see my face” (an idiom for seeing someone in person).