Acts 27; Acts 28:1-31
1 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. 2 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. 3 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. 4From there we
put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were
against us. 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the
coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There
the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7We
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. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty
and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9 Much
time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it
was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, 10 "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." 11 But the centurion,
instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of
the owner of the ship. 12 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. 13 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. 14 Before very long, a wind of
hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the
island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head
into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As
we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to
make the lifeboat secure. 17 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. 18 We took such a
violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the
cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship's
tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor
stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up
all hope of being saved. 21 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. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your
courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be
destroyed. 23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and
whom I serve stood beside me 24 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.' 25 So keep up your courage,
men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. 26 Nevertheless,
we must run aground on some island." 27 On the fourteenth
night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight
the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 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.29 Fearing
that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the
stern and prayed for daylight. 30 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. 31 Then Paul said to
the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay with the ship, you
cannot be saved." 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that
held the lifeboat and let it fall away. 33 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. 34 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." 35 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. 36 They
were all encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether
there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much
as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the
sea. 39When 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. 40 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. 41 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. 42 The
soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming
away and escaping. 43 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. 44 The rest were
to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached
land in safety.
1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was
called Malta. 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They
built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul
gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out
by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders
saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man
must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed
him to live." 5But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and
suffered no ill effects. 6 The people expected him to swell up
or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual
happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. 7 There
was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the
island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us
hospitably. 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever
and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on
him and healed him. 9 When this had happened, the rest of the
sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us in
many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies
we needed. 11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship
that had wintered in the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead
of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse
and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and
arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following
day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers who
invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The
brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the
Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these men
Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome,
Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.17 Three
days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled,
Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our
people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and
handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me and wanted to
release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. 19 But
when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar--not that I had any
charge to bring against my own people. 20 For this reason I
have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel
that I am bound with this chain." 21 They replied,
"We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of
the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about
you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know
that people everywhere are talking against this sect." 23 They
arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the
place where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained and declared
to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law
of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 Some were convinced by what
he said, but others would not believe. 25 They disagreed among
themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement:
"The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through
Isaiah the prophet: 26 " 'Go to this people and say,
"You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing
but never perceiving." 27 For this people's heart has
become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their
eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' 28 "Therefore
I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they
will listen!" 30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in
his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 Boldly
and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord
Jesus Christ.
