Read the Bible

¹ When the time came to send Paul to Rome, he and some other prisoners were transferred to a centurion of the Imperial Regiment named, Julius. ² We got on a boat at Adramyttium and readied to sail for ports along the coast and in the Asia province. Then we were off. Aristarchus of Macedonia accompanied us.

³ We docked at Sidon the next day, and Julius was kind enough to let Paul go see some friends and let them tend to him while they were there. ⁴ Back out at sea again, we had a headwind that made the going rough. The captain took us north of Cyprus between the island and the coast of Asia. ⁵ We were way out at sea, but passed by where Cilicia and Pamphylia were. We finally landed at Myra, in the province of Lycia. ⁶ The commanding officer found a boat from Egypt that was headed to Rome, and we boarded that and set sail.

⁷ The winds were not favorable, and we made slow progress. After what seemed like forever, we made it close to Cnidus. But once again the winds were against us. The captain took us across to Crete and along the easier sailing coast, past the edge of Salmone. ⁸ Like a cow in a bog, we trudged our way along, finally landing at Fair Havens, near Lasea. ⁹ A lot of time had been lost and Paul spoke to the ship's captain about how dangerous the seas were. It had become late in the fall and treacherous.

¹⁰ Paul said, "Guys, listen! I truly believe if we continue on there will be nothing but loss and danger." ¹¹ But the officer in charge of Paul turned a deaf ear to him, and the ship's captain and the owner decided to head for Phoenix. ¹² It had a better port than Fair Havens. They would spend the winter in Phoenix.

¹³ A light wind came up and the crew pulled up the anchor quick. They sailed close to the shore and made good time. ¹⁴ But all of sudden, the weather turned on them like a mad momma cow. A storm close to a hurricane came across the land and blew us out to sea. ¹⁵ The ship couldn't be turned in such a strong wind and so the sailors just shucked the reins and let her run.

¹⁶ We got to one side of the small island of Cauda and pulled the lifeboat in we'd been dragging behind us. ¹⁷ The sailors also lashed the ship with ropes to give it more strength in the high seas. They were afraid of sandbars off the coast of Africa if the wind kept pushing us that way.

¹⁸ The storm continued on to the next day. That's when the crew started throwing cargo overboard. ¹⁹ The next day, they started throwing nonessential gear overboard as well. ²⁰ The storm continued until all were afraid this would be the end of everyone.

²¹ No one had eaten anything in a couple of days when Paul gathered everyone together. He said to everyone, "Y'all should have listened to me and not left Crete. If you'd listened, none of this would be happening. ²² But listen close and have hope. No one will die, but the ship will sink. ²³ An angel of the Lord appeared to me last night and stood beside my bunk. ²⁴ The angel said to me, 'Do not fear, Paul. You will stand before Caesar. And because of you, God is going to save everyone on the ship.' ²⁵ So take courage, men! God will do what he says he will do. ²⁶ But we will be shipwrecked on an island."

Shipwrecked

²⁷ It was the fourteenth consecutive day of stormy weather. We were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea, and at about midnight, the sailors knew we were close to land. ²⁸ They measured the water depth and is was about 120 feet deep. A short time later, it was thirty feet shallower. ²⁹ They dropped all four anchors to keep themselves from being dashed on the rocks below and everyone prayed for the day to come. ³⁰ Some of the sailors decided to make a run in the only lifeboat. ³¹ Paul told the centurion and the soldiers, "If they leave, you will die too." ³² The soldiers ran and cut the ropes before the sailors could climb down and make their getaway.

³³ Right before sunrise, Paul urged everyone to eat, saying, "No one has eaten, and we've been living on the edge of our seats. ³⁴ Eat something now. You'll need it to survive the coming days. But remember, no one is going to die." ³⁵ Paul then took some bread, broke it, gave thanks to God, and began to eat. ³⁶ This got everyone else to eating, and the mood brightened a little. ³⁷ There were 276 people who ate that early morning. ³⁸ When everyone had finished, they threw the rest of the grain into the sea to lighten the load on the ship.

³⁹ When daylight came, no one recognized the land around them. But they did see a sandy beach and decided to run the ship aground there. ⁴⁰ The anchors were cut loose and the rudder was untied. They raised the mainsail and made out like a bandit for the safety of the beach. ⁴¹ But before they could get there, the ship struck a sandbar and the waves started smashing the ship to pieces.

⁴² The soldiers were just going to kill all the prisoners to keep them from escaping, ⁴³ but the centurion kept them from killing Paul. The centurion ordered everyone to abandon ship and swim for the shore. ⁴⁴ Anyone who couldn't swim was handed pieces of the wood to hold onto. Everyone reached the shore safely.