Voyage to Rome Begins
AND when it was decided that we should sail to Italy: they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan cohort.
2 And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we set sail; meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia, one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.
3 And the next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly, and gave him liberty to go to his friends, to take care of him.
4 And when we had launched from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.
5 And when we had sailed across the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we put into Myra, a city of Lycia.
6 ¶ And there, the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us into that ship.
7 And when we had sailed slowly many days, and with difficulty had come offshore Cnidus, the wind not allowing us to go further: we sailed under the shelter of Crete, offshore Salmone;
8 And, with difficulty sailing along side it: came to a place which is called ‘the fair havens’; nearby was the city of Lasea.
Paul’s Warning Ignored
9 ¶ Now when much time had passed, and sailing being now dangerous, because the festival of atonement had now already passed; Paul beseeched them,
10 And said to them: “Men, I perceive that this voyage will be with harm and much damage, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.”
11 Nevertheless the centurion believed the captain and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.
12 And because the haven could not be used to winter in, the more part counselled to depart there also; if by any means they might reach to Phoenix, and winter there; which is a haven of Crete, and faces toward the south west and north west.
In the Storm
13 ¶ Now when the south wind blew softly; supposing that they had obtained their purpose: withdrawing, they sailed close along side Crete.
14 But not long after, there swept down against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.
15 And when the ship was forced off course, and could not bear into the wind, we let her be driven along.
16 ¶ And run under a certain island, which is called Clauda, having much difficulty to bring the ship under control:
17 Which when they had lifted the sail; they used supports to undergird the ship with ropes; and, fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis sandbar: let down the sail, and so were driven along.
18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day we lightened the ship.
19 And the third day, we cast out with our own hands the tackle of the ship.
20 ¶ And when, for many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and no small tempest lay on us: all hope that we should be saved was given up.
21 But after a long absence of food, Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said: “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have set sail from Crete, and not caused this harm and loss.
22 And now I beseech you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, except of the ship.
23 For there stood by me this night an angel of God; whose I am, and whom I worship;
24 Saying: ‘Fear not Paul; you must be brought before Caesar: and, look, God has given you all those that sail with you.'”
25 ¶ “Therefore, men, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be, according to the manner told to me.
26 But we must be run aground upon a certain island.”
27 And when the fourteenth night had come; as we were driven back and forth in the Adriatic sea: about midnight the shipmen suspected that they drew near to some land;
28 And sounded: and found it twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again: and found it fifteen fathoms.
29 Then fearing, lest we should have fallen upon rocks: they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
30 ¶ Now the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship: and let down the boat into the sea; under pretence, as though they would have cast anchors out of the bow;
31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers: “Except these remain in the ship, you cannot be saved.”
32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
33 ¶ And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take a meal, saying: “This day is the fourteenth day that you have waited with anxiety, and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
34 Therefore I beseech you to take a meal; for this is for your deliverance: for not a hair, shall fall from the head of any of you.”
35 And when he had spoken this: he took bread, and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and when he had broken it: he began to eat.
36 Then they were all of good cheer, and they also took a meal.
37 And we were in all, in the ship, two hundred and seventy six souls.
38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the grain into the sea.
Shipwrecked on Malta
39 ¶ And when it was day, they recognised not the land; but discovered a certain bay with a shore: into which they decided, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves to the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail into the wind, and made toward the shore.
41 And falling into a place where two cross-currents met, they ran the ship aground; and the bow stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the stern was broken by the force of the waves.
42 ¶ And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul: kept them from their purpose; and commanded that those which could swim, should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they all escaped safe to land.