Paul goes to the city of Rome
1Governor Festus decided that it was time for Paul and us to sail to the land of Italy. The soldiers went to get Paul and some other prisoners and they gave them to Julius. Julius was the officer of a group of Caesar's soldiers. 2We got into a boat that came from the town of Adramyttium. We wanted to go to places in the province of Asia and we started to sail. There was a man with us. His name was Aristarchus, and he was from the town of Thessalonica in the province of Macedonia. 3The next day the boat came to the town of Sidon. Julius was very good to Paul. He said Paul could go to his friends in Sidon so that they could help him. 4The next day we sailed from Sidon and we sailed near the Island of Cyprus. The wind blew strongly against the front of our boat, so we sailed near Cyprus on the side where the wind was not so strong. 5Then we sailed near the lands of Cilicia and Pamphylia and then to the town of Myra in the land of Lycia. 6In Myra the officer, Julius, found a boat that came from the city of Alexandria and was going to Italy and he told us to get into that boat. 7We sailed very slowly for a very long time to go near the town of Cnidus, because it was difficult to sail. The wind blew strongly against us. We sailed down the side of the Island of Crete. The wind was not so strong there and we passed the cape of Salmone. 8We sailed past Salmone and then it became very difficult to sail. Later we came to Fair Havens. It was near the town of Lasea. 9We had been sailing for a long time and we had lost a lot of time. It was almost winter and it was dangerous to sail on the sea. Then Paul talked to the officer and his men. He said: 10‘Friends, we must not sail further now. It is very dangerous and I believe that if we sail now, we will lose the boat and our things on the boat and a lot of people will die.’
11But Julius, the officer, did not listen to Paul. He listened to the captain and the owner of the boat. 12The harbour at the town of Fair Havens was not a safe place for a boat to stay in winter time, so most of the people on the boat said we must go on and sail to the town of Phoenix. Phoenix was on the Island of Crete and it had a safe harbour where we could stay that winter, because the harbour was open to the sea from the south-western and from the north-western sides.
The storm at sea
13The wind started to blow from the south. It was not a strong wind. The seamen thought that they could do what they had planned and sail to the harbour at Phoenix. So they lifted the anchor of the boat and started to sail. We sailed near the Island of Crete. 14It was not very long before a very strong wind started to blow from Crete. It was a north-eastern wind. 15We tried to turn the boat to sail into the wind, but we could not turn it, because the wind was too strong. Then we let the wind blow the boat where it wanted to. 16We went past the south end of the small Island of Cauda. There the wind did not blow so strongly. It was difficult, but we kept the life-boat safe. 17The seamen lifted up the life-boat and they tied it into the boat. Then they tied ropes under and around the boat to make the boat stronger. They were afraid that the wind would blow the boat onto the sandbanks of Syrtis and then the boat would break. They took down the sails of the boat and they let the wind blow the boat where the wind wanted to. 18The storm was very strong. The next day the seamen started to throw everything that was on the boat into the sea. 19On the 3rd day they threw the boat's sails and ropes and poles into the sea. 20For many days, we did not see the sun or the stars. The storm just kept on and on. We thought that we would die. We did not think that anyone could save us or that we would keep on living. 21The men had not eaten any food for a long time. Then Paul stood in front of the men and he talked to them. He said: ‘Friends, I told you that we must not sail away from Crete. Why didn't you listen to me? If you had listened to me, we would not have had these big problems and you would not have lost all your things. 22But now I want to encourage you. You must be strong. Not one of you will die, but the boat will break and go down.
23I belong to God and I worship Him. Last night an angel of God came to me. 24The angel said to me: “Paul, you must not be afraid. You must go and stand in court before Caesar in Rome. God will be good to you and save you and also all the people with you on the boat. He will be good to them because He wants to be good to you.”
25Friends, don't worry, and don't be discouraged. I believe in God. I believe He will save us as the angel told me. 26But the boat will break on one of the islands.’
27It was 14 days after the storm had started and the boat had floated on the Adriatic Sea. It was near the middle of the night when the seamen said that the boat was near land. 28They measured how deep the water was. It was 20 fathoms deep. Later they measured again and then the water was 15 fathoms deep. 29The seamen were afraid that the boat would break on the rocks. So they tied 4 anchors to ropes and they threw the anchors into the sea at the back of the boat. Then they prayed for the daylight to come. 30Some of the seamen wanted to get away from the boat. They said they wanted to throw out anchors at the front of the boat, but they took the life-boat and they wanted to put it into the sea and try to get away from the boat. 31Then Paul said to the officer and soldiers: ‘Those seamen must stay on the boat. If they do not stay on the boat, then God will not save you.’
32Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the life-boat and the life-boat fell into the sea. 33Just before the sun came up, Paul encouraged everyone and he said they must eat some food. He said: ‘You were afraid of what would happen and you have not eaten for 14 days. 34Now I ask you: Please eat some food because it will help you to keep on living. You must know that God will protect you. Not one of you will lose a hair from your head.’
35After Paul had said this, he took bread and he prayed in front of them all and he thanked God. Then he broke the bread and he started to eat. 36Paul encouraged them all and they also started to eat. 37There were 276 people on the boat. 38After everyone had eaten enough, they took the wheat that was on the boat and they threw it into the sea to make the boat lighter.
The boat breaks on the sand
39In the morning they saw land, but they did not know what land it was. They saw a beach where there were no rocks and they wanted to sail the boat onto the beach. 40They cut the ropes of the anchors and let them fall into the sea. They also loosened the ropes from the rowing-oars. Then they lifted the sail at the front of the boat to let the wind take the boat forward and they tried to steer the boat to the beach 41There was a place where the water was not very deep. The boat sailed onto the sand and it stayed there. The front of the boat stayed on the sand. It did not move. The waves were very strong and they broke the back of the boat. 42Then the soldiers decided to kill the prisoners on the boat. They did not want them to swim to the land and run away. 43But Julius, the officer, wanted to save Paul and he stopped the soldiers and they did not kill the prisoners. Then the officer told anyone who could swim to jump into the sea and to swim to the land. 44He told the other people to hold onto pieces of wood or parts of the boat and to go to the land.
And this is how all the people were saved and got onto the land.
