Acts
27
- When it was decided that we would sail for
Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named
Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.
- We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about
to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out
to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.
- The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius,
in kindness to Paul, allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide
for his needs.
- From there we put out to sea again and passed
to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.
- When we had sailed across the open sea off
the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.
- There the centurion found an Alexandrian
ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.
- We made slow headway for many days and had
difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our
course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.
- We moved along the coast with difficulty
and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
- Much time had been lost, and sailing had
already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned
them,
- "Men, I can see that our voyage is going
to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives
also."
- But the centurion, instead of listening to
what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.
- Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter
in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and
winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.
- When a gentle south wind began to blow, they
thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed
along the shore of Crete.
- Before very long, a wind of hurricane force,
called the "northeaster," swept down from the island.
- The ship was caught by the storm and could
not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along.
- As we passed to the lee of a small island
called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure.
- When the men had hoisted it aboard, they
passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they
would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and
let the ship be driven along.
- We took such a violent battering from the
storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.
- On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle
overboard with their own hands.
- When neither sun nor stars appeared for many
days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being
saved.
- After the men had gone a long time without
food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken
my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this
damage and loss.
- But now I urge you to keep up your courage,
because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.
- Last night an angel of the God whose I am
and whom I serve stood beside me
- and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must
stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all
who sail with you.'
- So keep up your courage, men, for I have
faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.
- Nevertheless, we must run aground on some
island."
- On the fourteenth night we were still being
driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they
were approaching land.
- They took soundings and found that the water
was a hundred and twenty feet deep. A short time later they took soundings
again and found it was ninety feet deep.
- Fearing that we would be dashed against the
rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.
- In an attempt to escape from the ship, the
sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to
lower some anchors from the bow.
- Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers,
"Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved."
- So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the
lifeboat and let it fall away.
- Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat.
"For the last fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant
suspense and have gone without food--you haven't eaten anything.
- Now I urge you to take some food. You need
it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head."
- After he said this, he took some bread and
gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.
- They were all encouraged and ate some food
themselves.
- Altogether there were 276 of us on board.
- When they had eaten as much as they wanted,
they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
- When daylight came, they did not recognize
the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run
the ship aground if they could.
- Cutting loose the anchors, they left them
in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then
they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.
- But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground.
The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces
by the pounding of the surf.
- The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners
to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.
- But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's
life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could
swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
- The rest were to get there on planks or on
pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land in safety.
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