Paul Is Sent to Rome

27 Now when it was determined that ^[a]we (including Luke) would sail for Italy, they turned Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the Augustan Regiment named Julius. ² And going aboard a ship from Adramyttian which was about to sail for the ports along the [west] coast [province] of Asia [Minor], we put out to sea; and Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, accompanied us. ³ The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, treating Paul with [thoughtful] consideration, allowed him to go to his friends there and be cared for and refreshed. ⁴ From there we put out to sea and sailed to the leeward (sheltered) side of Cyprus [for protection from weather] because the winds were against us. ⁵ When we had sailed across the sea along the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia [on the south coast of Asia Minor]. ⁶ There the centurion [Julius] found an Alexandrian ship [a grain ship of the Roman fleet] sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. ⁷ For a number of days we sailed slowly and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus; then, because the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the leeward (sheltered) side of Crete, off Salmone; ⁸ and hugging the shore with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea [on the south side of Crete].

⁹ Now much time had been lost, and ^[b]navigation was dangerous, because even [the time for] the fast (Day of Atonement) was already over, so Paul began to strongly warn them, ¹⁰ saying, “Men, I sense [after careful thought and observation] that this voyage will certainly be a disaster and with great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” ¹¹ However, the centurion [Julius, ranking officer on board] was persuaded by the pilot and the owner of the ship rather than by what Paul said. ¹² Because the harbor was not well situated for wintering, the majority [of the sailors] decided to put to sea from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

¹³ So when the south wind blew softly, thinking that they had obtained their goal, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, hugging the coast.

Shipwreck

¹⁴ But soon afterward a violent wind, called Euraquilo [a northeaster, a tempestuous windstorm like a typhoon], came rushing down from the island; ¹⁵ and when the ship was caught in it and could not head against the wind [to gain stability], we gave up and [letting her drift] were driven along. ¹⁶ We ran under the shelter of a small island [twenty-five miles south of Crete] called Clauda, and with great difficulty we were able to get the ship’s ^[c]skiff on the deck and secure it. ¹⁷ After hoisting the skiff [on board], they used ^[d]support lines [for frapping] to undergird and brace the ship’s hull; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis [off the north coast of Africa], they let down the ^[e]sea anchor and lowered the sails and were driven along [backwards with the bow into the wind]. ¹⁸ On the next day, as we were being violently tossed about by the storm [and taking on water], they began to jettison the cargo; ¹⁹ and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle (spare lines, blocks, miscellaneous equipment) overboard with their own hands [to further reduce the weight]. ²⁰ Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm kept raging about us, from then on all hope of our being saved was [growing worse and worse and] gradually abandoned.

²¹ After ^[f]they had gone a long time without food [because of seasickness and stress], Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice and should not have set sail from Crete, and brought on this damage and loss. ²² But even now I urge you to keep up your courage and be in good spirits, because there will be no loss of life among you, but only loss of the ship. ²³ For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, ²⁴ and said, ‘Stop being afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has given you [the lives of] all those who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵ So keep up your courage, men, for I believe God and have complete confidence in Him that it will turn out exactly as I have been told; ²⁶ but we must run [the ship] aground on some island.”

²⁷ The fourteenth night had come and we were drifting and being driven about in the ^[g]Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were approaching some land. ²⁸ So they took soundings [using a weighted line] and found [the depth to be] twenty fathoms (120 feet); and a little farther on they sounded again and found [the depth to be] fifteen fathoms (90 feet). ²⁹ Then fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern [to slow the ship] and kept wishing for daybreak to come. ³⁰ But as the sailors were trying to escape [secretly] from the ship and had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, ³¹ Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain on the ship, you cannot be saved.” ³² Then the soldiers cut away the ropes that held the skiff and let it fall and drift away.

³³ While they waited for the day to dawn, Paul encouraged them all [and told them] to have some food, saying, “This is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly on watch and going without food, having eaten nothing. ³⁴ So I urge you to eat some food, for this is for your survival; for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” ³⁵ Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all, and he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ Then all of them were encouraged and their spirits improved, and they also ate some food. ³⁷ All told there were two hundred and seventy-six of us aboard the ship. ³⁸ After they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the ^[h]wheat [from Egypt] overboard into the sea.

³⁹ When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, and they decided to run the ship ashore there if they could. ⁴⁰ So they cut the cables and severed the anchors and left them in the sea while at the same time ^[i]unlashing the ropes of the rudders; and after hoisting the foresail to the wind, they headed steadily for the beach. ⁴¹ But striking a ^[j]reef with waves breaking in on either side, they ran the ship aground. The prow (forward point) stuck fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up under the [violent] force of the waves. ⁴² The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would dive overboard and swim [to land] and escape; ⁴³ but the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from [carrying out] their plan. He commanded those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to the shore; ⁴⁴ and [he commanded] the rest to follow, some on [floating] planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it was that all of them were brought safely to land.

Safe at Malta

28 After we were safe [on land], we found out that the island was called ^[k]Malta. ² And the ^[l]natives showed us extraordinary kindness and hospitality; for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, since it had begun to rain and was cold. ³ But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a ^[m]viper crawled out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. ⁴ When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, Justice [the avenging goddess] has not permitted him to live.” ⁵ Then Paul [simply] shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. ⁶ But they stood watching and expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began saying that he was a god.

⁷ In the vicinity of that place there were estates belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed and entertained us hospitably for three days. ⁸ And it happened that the father of Publius was sick [in bed] with recurring attacks of fever and dysentery; and Paul went to him, and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. ⁹ After this occurred, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and being healed. ¹⁰ They also gave us many honors [gifts and courtesies expressing respect]; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all the things we needed.

Paul Arrives at Rome

¹¹ At the end of three months we set sail on a ship which had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian ship with the ^[n]Twin Brothers [Castor and Pollux] as its figurehead. ¹² We landed at Syracuse [on Sicily] and stayed there three days. ¹³ From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium [on Italy’s southern tip]; and a day later a south wind came up, and on the second day we arrived at ^[o]Puteoli. ¹⁴ There we found some believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. ¹⁵ And the brothers and sisters, having heard news about us, came from as far away as the ^[p]Forum of Appius and ^[q]Three Inns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and was encouraged.

¹⁶ When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself [in rented quarters] with the soldier who was guarding him.

¹⁷ Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews; and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Kinsmen, though I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our fathers, yet I was turned over as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. ¹⁸ After they had interrogated me, they were ready to release me because I was not guilty of any offense deserving death. ¹⁹ But when the Jews objected [to my release], I was forced to appeal to Caesar (Emperor Nero), not because I had any charge to make against my nation. ²⁰ For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel (the Messiah, the resurrection) that I am bound with this chain.” ²¹ They said to him, “We have not received [any] letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the [Jewish] brothers come here and reported or said anything bad about you. ²² But we would like to hear from you what your views are [that is, exactly what you believe]; for in regard to this sect (Christianity), we are fully aware that it is denounced everywhere.”

²³ When they had set a day for Paul, they came to his lodging in large numbers. And he carefully explained [Christianity] to them from morning until evening, solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, both from the Law of Moses and from the [writings of the] Prophets. ²⁴ Some were persuaded by what he said, but others would not believe. ²⁵ They disagreed among themselves and they began to leave after Paul had made one last statement: “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ²⁶ ‘Go to this people and say,

²⁸ Therefore let it be known to you that [this message of] the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they indeed will listen!”^{(B) 29 [r]}[And when he had said these things, the Jews left, arguing among themselves.]

³⁰ And Paul lived there for two full years [at his own expense] in his own rented lodging and welcomed all who came to him, ³¹ preaching and proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness and boldness, unhindered and unrestrained.