| Acts 27 Paul Sails for Rome 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 . 4 From 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 . 7 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 . 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 . [ a ] 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 . The Storm 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 . ” The Shipwreck 27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic[b ] 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[c ] deep . A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet[d ] 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 have n'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 . 39 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 . 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 . Acts 28 Ashore on Malta 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 . ” 5 But 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 . Arrival at Rome 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 . Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard 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 . '[a ] 28 “ Therefore I want you to know that God 's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles , and they will listen ! ” [ b ] 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 . |