the Fourth Week of Advent
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Etheridge Translation
Acts 27
1 And Festos commanded concerning him that he should be sent unto Caesar in Italia. And he delivered Paulos, and other prisoners with him, to a certain man, a centurion of the band of Sebaste, whose name was Julios.2 And when he would proceed, we went down to a ship which was from Adramantos the city, to go to the region of Asia. And Aristarkos, a Makedonoya who was of Thessalunike the city,3 entered the ship with us. And the day after we came to Tsaidon. And the centurion behaved with kindness towards Paulos, and permitted him to go to his friends and be refreshed.4 And from thence we voyaged; and because the winds were contrary we made a circuit unto Cypros. [fn] 5 And we went through the sea of Cilicia and of Pamphulia, and came to Mura, a city of Lukia.6 And the centurion found there a ship from Aleksandria which was going to Italia, and he placed us in her.7 And because she sailed heavily, (after) many days we had scarce come over against Knidos the island, and as the wind did not permit us to go directly, we went round by Kreta against Salmona the city;8 and hardly voyaging we passing around it came to the place which is called the Fair Havens. AND it was nigh to the city named Lasia.9 And we were there much time, until the day when the day [fn] of the fast of the Jihudoyee had also passed, and there had become danger for one to voyage by sea. And Paulos counselled them 10 and said, Men, I perceive that with distress and much loss we are to voyage, not only to the burden of the ship, but also to our own lives.11 But the centurion hearkened to the governor and to the lord of the ship rather than to the counsel of Paulos.
12 And because that haven was not convenient to winter in, many of us desired to proceed thence, and if possible to come and winter in a certain harbour in Kreta, called Phoniks, and which looked to the south.13 And when the wind of the south blew, and we thought we could come as we desired, we sailed round Kreta.14 And after a little there came forth against us a blowing of the tempest which is called Tuphonikos Euroklidon;15 and the ship was carried away, and could not stand against the wind, and we gave her into its hand.16 And when we had passed a certain isle that is called Cyra; we could scarcely take up the boat.17 And when we had uplifted her, we girded and strengthened the ship. And because we feared lest we should fall into the precipitancy [fn] of the sea, we brought down the sails, and so went forward.i 18 And while there rose against us the hard tempest, the next day we threw the goods into the sea.19 And the third day the things of the ship itself we cast forth. And when the storm had held more days,20 and neither the sun was seen, nor the moon, nor stars, the hope that we should be saved at all was cut off.
21 And while no man had taken any food, then stood Paulos among them, and said, Men, if you had been persuaded by me, you would not have voyaged from Kreta, and we should have been exempted from loss, and from this distress.22 Yet now I counsel you to be without anxiety; for not one of you will perish, but the ship only.23 For in this night there appeared to me the angel of Aloha, (of) him whose I am, and whom I serve.24 And he said to me, Fear not, Paulos, for thou art to stand before Caesar; and, behold, Aloha hath given thee the gift of all who voyage with thee.25 Therefore, men, take courage; for I believe Aloha, that so it shall be as he hath told me.26 Nevertheless, upon a certain island we have to be cast.27 AND after fourteen days (in) which we had wandered and been beaten in the sea of Hadrios, in the dividing of the night, the mariners thought that we drew nigh to land.28 And they cast the lead, and found twenty cubits; and again a little they proceeded, and found fifteen cubits.29 And fearing lest we should be found in a place in which were rocks, they cast forth from the hinder part of the ship four anchors, and prayed that it would become day.30 But the mariners sought to escape from the ship, and lowered from her the boat into the sea, on the pretext that they would go in her, and bind the ship to the land.31 And when Paulos saw, he said to the centurion and to the soldiers, If these in the ship remain not, you cannot be saved.32 Then cut the soldiers the cable of the boat from the ship, and let her drive.33 But Paulos himself, until it was morning, persuaded all of them to take food, saying to them, To-day it is fourteen days (in which) from danger you have tasted nothing.34 Wherefore I beseech you receive meat for the establishment of your lives; for a hair of the head of one of you will not perish.35 And when these he had said, he took bread, and praised Aloha before them all, and he broke and began to eat.36 And they were all comforted, and received food.37 But we were in the ship two hundred and seventy and six souls.38 And when they were satisfied with food, they lightened the ship, and took up the wheat and sent it into the sea.39 And when it was day, the sailors knew not what land it was; but they saw along the coast a certain inlet of the sea, (into) which they purposed if possible to drive the ship.40 And they cut the anchors [fn] from the ship, and left them in the sea, and they loosed the bands of the oars, and raised a small sail to the wind which blew, and went forward to the face of the land. 41 And the ship struck on a high place between two depths of the sea, and infixed [fn] herself in it; and her forepart stood upon it, and was immovable, but her afterpart was loosed from the violence of the waves. 42 And the soldiers would have killed the prisoners, lest they should cast forth to swim, and escape from them;43 and the centurion restrained them from this, because he was willing to save Paulos. And those who could cast forth to swim he commanded to be the first to swim, and to pass to the land.44 And the rest, on boards, and on other timbers of the ship, passed; and thus all of them escaped to land.