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 tos ail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea, Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thesalonica was with us.
The next day we landed at Sidom, 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 opem 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 difficuty arriving off Cnidus, When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we wailed to the lee of Crete,opposite Salmone.
We moved along teh 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 tos hip 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 majpority decided that we should sail on, hopping to rach Phoenix and winter there, This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.
When a gentle sough wind began to blow, they thought they had obtrained what they wanted so they weighed anchor and sailed along teh shore of Crete.
Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster,"swept down from teh island.
The ship was caught by thes torm 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 Dauda, 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 tehs ea anchor and let the ship be driven along.
We took such a ciolent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard,
On teh third dahy they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.
When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and thes torm continued raging we fainally fave up all hope of being saved.
After the men had gone a long time without food Paul stood up before them and said; sail from Grete, 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, Fo 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,
Neveertheless, 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 semsed they were approaching land.
They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet deep, A snhort 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 nthe 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 tghe centurion and the soldiers,"Unless these mens tay with the ship, you cannot be saved,"
So gthe soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat abnd let it fall away.
Just before dawun 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, HYou 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 toe at.
They wefre all encoutaged 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 theg rain into the sea,
When dahylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bat with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.
Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at thes ame 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 punding of the surf.
The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swinning away and escaping.
But thec enturion 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.
Act 28
Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
The islanders showed us unusual kindness, They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
Paul gathered a pile of briushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper,d riven our by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
When the silanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other,"This man must be a murderer, for though he escaped from thes ea, Justice has not allowed him to live."
But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
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.
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 to hnospitably.
His fathr was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery, Paul went in to see him and, after
When this had happened , the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.
They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.
After three months we put out to sea in a shop that had wintered in the island, It was an Aklexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollix,
We put in at Syracuse ands tayed there three days,
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.
TRhere we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Tome.
The brothers there had heard that we were coming and they traveled as far as the Forum of Applus and the Three Taverns to meet us, At the sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged.
When we got to Rome Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
Three days later hec alled 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 answered in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans,
They examined me and wanted to release nme, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death,
Byt when the Jews objected, I was compelled fo appeal to Caesar- not that I had any charge to bring against my own people
For this reason I have asked to see you and talk I am bound with this chain,"
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 abything bad about you
But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect."
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 andd eclared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
Some were convin ced by what he said, but others would not believe.
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;
"Go to this people and say, "You will be ever seeing but never pereceiving."
For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they might see withtheir eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I woukld heal them.
"Therefore, I want you to know that God's Salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"
nothing
For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him,
Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.