Acts 20:17-38
Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that Iset foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials thathappened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to youanything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our LordJesus Christ. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, notknowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in everycity that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any valuenor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I receivedfrom the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I knowthat none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my faceagain. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did notshrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselvesand to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for thechurch of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departurefierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your ownselves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day toadmonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of hisgrace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those whoare sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that thesehands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I haveshown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember thewords of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.