Agrippa Not Quite Persuaded

²⁴ As he was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed in a loud voice, “You’re out of your mind,^(A) Paul! Too much study is driving you mad.”

²⁵ But Paul replied, “I’m not out of my mind, most excellent Festus. On the contrary, I’m speaking words of truth and good judgment.^{(B) 26} For the king knows about these matters, and I can speak boldly to him. For I am convinced that none of these things has escaped his notice, since this was not done in a corner. ²⁷ King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.”

²⁸ Agrippa said to Paul, “Are you going to persuade me to become a Christian so easily?” ^[a]

²⁹ “I wish before God,” replied Paul, “that whether easily or with difficulty,^[b] not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am—except for these chains.”^(C)

³⁰ The king, the governor, Bernice, and those sitting with them got up, ³¹ and when they had left they talked with each other and said, “This man is not doing anything to deserve death or imprisonment.”^(D)

³² Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”^(E)

Sailing for Rome

27 When it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Imperial Regiment.^{[a](A) 2} When we had boarded a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, intending to sail to ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.^{(B) 3} The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care.^{(C) 4} When we had put out to sea from there, we sailed along the northern coast^[b] of Cyprus because the winds were against us. ⁵ After sailing through the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.^{(D) 6} There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. ⁷ Sailing slowly for many days, with difficulty we arrived off Cnidus. Since the wind did not allow us to approach it, we sailed along the south side of Crete off Salmone. ⁸ With still more difficulty we sailed along the coast and came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea.

Paul’s Advice Ignored

⁹ By now much time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous. Since the Day of Atonement^[c](E) was already over, Paul gave his advice ¹⁰ and told them, “Men, I can see that this voyage is headed toward disaster and heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship but also of our lives.” ¹¹ But the centurion paid attention to the captain and the owner of the ship rather than to what Paul said.^{(F) 12} Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to set sail from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor on Crete^(G) facing the southwest and northwest, and to winter there.