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.
