The Shipwreck

39 Now when it was day, (A)they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef,[a] (B)they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 (C)The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, (D)wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that (E)all were brought safely to land.

Paul on Malta

28 After we were brought safely through, (F)we then learned that (G)the island was called Malta. (H)The native people[b] showed us unusual (I)kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When (J)the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, (K)“No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, (L)Justice[c] has not allowed him to live.” He, however, (M)shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, (N)they changed their minds and (O)said that he was a god.

Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and (P)prayed, and (Q)putting his hands on him, healed him. And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly,[d] and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.

Paul Arrives at Rome

11 After three months we set sail in (R)a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods[e] as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found (S)brothers[f] and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 27:41 Or sandbank, or crosscurrent; Greek place between two seas
  2. Acts 28:2 Greek barbaroi (that is, non–Greek speakers); also verse 4
  3. Acts 28:4 Or justice
  4. Acts 28:10 Greek honored us with many honors
  5. Acts 28:11 That is, the Greek gods Castor and Pollux
  6. Acts 28:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 15, 21

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach,(A) where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors,(B) 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.(C)

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(D) 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 other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.(E)

Paul Ashore on Malta

28 Once safely on shore, we(F) found out that the island(G) 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 brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand,(H) they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”(I) But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.(J) 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.(K)

There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer,(L) placed his hands on him(M) and healed him.(N) When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10 They honored us(O) in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed.

Paul’s 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(P) 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 and sisters(Q) who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.