The Storm at Sea

¹Once the decision was made for us to sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. ²We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was headed along the coast of Asia, and we set sail. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, came with us. ³The next day we docked at Sidon. Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to visit his friends so they could take care of his needs. ⁴From there we put out to sea and sailed on the sheltered side of Cyprus because the winds were against us. ⁵After crossing the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we arrived at Myra in Lycia. ⁶There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy and transferred us onto it. ⁷We made slow progress for many days and had difficulty reaching a point near Cnidus. Since the wind wouldn't let us continue on course, we sailed along the sheltered side of Crete, passing Salmone. ⁸We barely managed to get past it and arrived at a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea. ⁹A great deal of time had been lost, and sailing had become dangerous because the Fast had already passed. So Paul warned them, ¹⁰"Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will bring harm and heavy loss — not only to the cargo and the ship, but also to our lives." ¹¹But the centurion trusted the ship's pilot and its owner more than what Paul said. ¹²Since the harbor wasn't suitable for spending the winter, the majority decided to sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix — a harbor in Crete that faces both southwest and northwest — and spend the winter there. ¹³When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had what they needed. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close along the coast of Crete. ¹⁴But before long, a violent wind called the Northeaster swept down from the island. ¹⁵The ship was caught by the storm and couldn't head into the wind, so we gave up and let it be driven along. ¹⁶As we passed on the sheltered side of a small island called Clauda, we struggled to secure the lifeboat. ¹⁷After hoisting it aboard, the crew used ropes to reinforce the hull of the ship. Afraid of being driven onto the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship drift. ¹⁸The storm battered us so violently that the next day the crew began throwing cargo overboard. ¹⁹On the third day, we threw the ship's equipment overboard with our own hands. ²⁰For many days neither the sun nor the stars were visible, and the fierce storm continued to rage. Eventually we gave up all hope of surviving. ²¹After everyone had gone a long time without eating, Paul stood up among them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me and not sailed from Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. ²²But now I urge you to take courage, because not a single one of you will die — only the ship will be lost. ²³Last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood beside me ²⁴and said, 'Don't be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar. And look — God has graciously granted you the lives of everyone sailing with you.' ²⁵So take courage, men! I trust God that everything will happen exactly as he told me. ²⁶However, we must run aground on some island."