THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ACTS ~ Chapter 27
And when it was decided that we should sail to
Italy, they placed Paul, together with some other prisoners, in the care of a
captain named Julius, a member of the imperial regiment. We went on board a
ship from Adramyttium, which was about to sail along the coastal places of Asia
Minor. And as we set out to sea, we had with us Aristarchus, a Macedonian of
Thessalonica. The next day we made a stop at Sidon. There Julius, who was kind
to Paul, gave him leave to visit his friends and to refresh himself.
Then setting out again, we sailed along the south
coast of Cyprus so as to avoid the contrary winds. And then, having crossed the
sea along Cilicia and Pamphylia, we arrived at Myra in Lycia. There the captain
discovered an Alexandrian ship that was bound for Italy, and transferred us to
it. We sailed along slowly for several days and had difficulty reaching Cnidus.
As the wind would not let us go on, we sailed along the south of Crete, passing
Salome. And though hardly making any headway, we came to a place called Fair
Havens, near the town of Lasea.
Since much time has been lost, the fall festival
was already over and navigation had become dangerous. Paul therefore gave
warning. “Sirs,” he said, “it seems to me that this voyage will likely end in
disaster and great loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also of our lives.”
The captain, however, put his faith in the pilot and the owner of the ship rather
than in what Paul had said. Furthermore, the harbor was not fit to winter in,
so the great majority favored the idea of setting out to sea again, in hopes
that they might possibly reach port and winter in Phoenix, a harbor in Crete
facing northeast and southeast.
Then, when a gentle south wind started to blow,
they supposed that their plan was favorable, so they weighed anchor and set
sail, keeping close to the Cretan shore. But it was not long before a terrible
gale, known as a north-easter, burst down upon them. The ship was caught in the
grip of the wind and could not face it, hence we gave up and were driven before
it. As we passed under the shelter of a small island called Clauda, we managed
with great difficulty to make the ship’s boat safe. They hoisted it up and then
they bound ropes around the ship to brace it. But from fear that they would be
thrown upon the Syrtis quicksands, they lowered the sail and let the ship
drift.
The next day, as the ship was violently tossed
about by the tempest, they began to throw the cargo overboard. And on the 3rd
day with their own hands they threw overboard the ship’s tackle. For many days
we saw neither sun nor stars, and a great storm continues to bear down on us,
so finally we lost all hope of being saved.
And when they had not food to eat for a long time,
Paul stood among them and said, “Friends, truly you should have listened to me and
not set sail from Crete to undergo this disaster and loss. But now I want to
encourage you to be of good cheer, for there will not be any loss of life among
you, but only the loss of the ship. For last night there stood by my side an
angel from the God to whom I belong and whom I serve. The angel said, ‘Paul! Don’t be afraid! You
must appear before the emperor, and Elohei has given to you the lives of all
your fellow voyagers.’ Therefore, cheer up men! I believe in Elohei, and that it
will turn out exactly as it was told to me. We shall, however. Be shipwrecked
on some island.”
On the 14th night of the storm, as we
were drifting about in the Adriatic Sea, the sailors about midnight began to
suspect that land was near. By taking soundings they found the depth to be 120
feet. When they had gone a little further, they sounded again and found 90
feet. Then, fearing that we might be dashed against the rocky shore, they
dropped 4 anchors from the stern and waited for dawn to come soon. The sailors
were planning to abandon the ship. So, under pretense that they were going to
drop anchors from the prow, they lowered the boat into the sea. Then Paul said
to the captain and the soldiers, “These men must stay in the ship or you cannot
be saved!” Then the sailors cut away the ropes of the boat and let it go.
Just before the break of day, Paul urged them all
to eat some food. “Today is the 14th day,” he said, “that you have
not had time to eat because of your being on watch. I beg you, therefore, to take
something to eat. You need it for your own safety. For not one of you will lose
even a hair of his head.” Having said this, he too some bread, gave thanks to
Elohim before the all, broke the bread and began to eat. All of them, then,
much encouraged, helped themselves to food. There were, all told, 276 of us on
the ship. When they had satisfied their hunger, they threw the supply of grain
into the sea in order to lighten the ship.
When daylight came they could not recognize the
land, but they spied a bay with a bench and resolved to run the ship ashore
there if possible. So they cat away the anchors and left them in the sea. Then
they loosened the ropes on the rudders, hoisted the foresail to the wind and
made for the shore. But they struck a shoal, made by 2 opposing sea currents,
and the ship ran aground. The prow of the ship stuck fast and was immovable,
but the stern broke up under the violent pounding of the waves. The soldiers
had in mind to kill the prisoners, fearing that they would swim ashore and
escape. But the captain wanted to save Paul and prevented them from carrying
out their intentions. He ordered all who could swim to jump overboard and
strike out for the shore. And as for the rest, some should use boards, and
others should grab anything they could find on the ship. And in this way it
came about that they all got safely to land.
