³¹ “You must keep all of my commandments, for I am the Lord. ^32-33 You must not treat me as common and ordinary. Revere me and hallow me, for I, the Lord, made you holy to myself and rescued you from Egypt to be my own people! I am Jehovah!”

²³ except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. ²⁴ But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.

²⁵ “And now I know that none of you among whom I went about teaching the Kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ Let me say plainly that no man’s blood can be laid at my door, ²⁷ for I didn’t shrink from declaring all God’s message to you.

²⁸ “And now beware! Be sure that you feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his blood—for the Holy Spirit is holding you responsible as overseers. ²⁹ I know full well that after I leave you, false teachers, like vicious wolves, will appear among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰ Some of you yourselves will distort the truth in order to draw a following. ³¹ Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watchcare over you night and day and my many tears for you.

³² “And now I entrust you to God and his care and to his wonderful words that are able to build your faith and give you all the inheritance of those who are set apart for himself.

³³ “I have never been hungry for money or fine clothing— ³⁴ you know that these hands of mine worked to pay my own way and even to supply the needs of those who were with me. ³⁵ And I was a constant example to you in helping the poor; for I remembered the words of the Lord Jesus, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

³⁶ When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them, ³⁷ and they wept aloud as they embraced him in farewell, ³⁸ sorrowing most of all because he said that he would never see them again. Then they accompanied him down to the ship.