Acts:26-27

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* Then Agrippa said unto Paul , Thou art permitted to speak for thyself . Then Paul stretched forth the hand , and answered for himself : * I think myself happy , king Agrippa , because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews : * Especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews : wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently . * My manner of life from my youth , which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem , know all the Jews ; * Which knew me from the beginning , if they would testify , that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee . * And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers : * Unto which promise our twelve tribes , instantly serving God day and night , hope to come . For which hope 's sake , king Agrippa , I am accused of the Jews . * Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you , that God should raise the dead ? * I verily thought with myself , that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth . * Which thing I also did in Jerusalem : and many of the saints did I shut up in prison , having received authority from the chief priests ; and when they were put to death , I gave my voice against them . * And I punished them oft in every synagogue , and compelled them to blaspheme ; and being exceedingly mad against them , I persecuted them even unto strange cities . * Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests , * At midday , O king , I saw in the way a light from heaven , above the brightness of the sun , shining round about me and them which journeyed with me . * And when we were all fallen to the earth , I heard a voice speaking unto me , and saying in the Hebrew tongue , Saul , Saul , why persecutest thou me ? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks . * And I said , Who art thou , Lord ? And he said , I am Jesus whom thou persecutest . * But rise , and stand upon thy feet : for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose , to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen , and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee ; * Delivering thee from the people , and from the Gentiles , unto whom now I send thee , * To open their eyes , and to turn them from darkness to light , and from the power of Satan unto God , that they may receive forgiveness of sins , and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me . * Whereupon , O king Agrippa , I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision : * But shewed first unto them of Damascus , and at Jerusalem , and throughout all the coasts of Judaea , and then to the Gentiles , that they should repent and turn to God , and do works meet for repentance . * For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple , and went about to kill me . * Having therefore obtained help of God , I continue unto this day , witnessing both to small and great , saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come : * That Christ should suffer , and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead , and should shew light unto the people , and to the Gentiles . * And as he thus spake for himself , Festus said with a loud voice , Paul , thou art beside thyself ; much learning doth make thee mad . * But he said , I am not mad , most noble Festus ; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness . * For the king knoweth of these things , before whom also I speak freely : for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him ; for this thing was not done in a corner . * King Agrippa , believest thou the prophets ? I know that thou believest . * Then Agrippa said unto Paul , Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian . * And Paul said , I would to God , that not only thou , but also all that hear me this day , were both almost , and altogether such as I am , except these bonds . * And when he had thus spoken , the king rose up , and the governor , and Bernice , and they that sat with them : * And when they were gone aside , they talked between themselves , saying , This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds . * Then said Agrippa unto Festus , This man might have been set at liberty , if he had not appealed unto Caesar . * And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy , they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius , a centurion of Augustus ' band . * And entering into a ship of Adramyttium , we launched , meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia ; one Aristarchus , a Macedonian of Thessalonica , being with us . * And the next day we touched at Sidon . And Julius courteously entreated Paul , and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself . * And when we had launched from thence , we sailed under Cyprus , because the winds were contrary . * And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia , we came to Myra , a city of Lycia . * And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy ; and he put us therein . * And when we had sailed slowly many days , and scarce were come over against Cnidus , the wind not suffering us , we sailed under Crete , over against Salmone ; * And , hardly passing it , came unto a place which is called The fair havens ; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea . * Now when much time was spent , and when sailing was now dangerous , because the fast was now already past , Paul admonished them , * And said unto them , Sirs , I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage , not only of the lading and ship , but also of our lives . * Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship , more than those things which were spoken by Paul . * And because the haven was not commodious to winter in , the more part advised to depart thence also , if by any means they might attain to Phenice , and there to winter ; which is an haven of Crete , and lieth toward the south west and north west . * And when the south wind blew softly , supposing that they had obtained their purpose , loosing thence , they sailed close by Crete . * But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind , called Euroclydon . * And when the ship was caught , and could not bear up into the wind , we let her drive . * And running under a certain island which is called Clauda , we had much work to come by the boat : * Which when they had taken up , they used helps , undergirding the ship ; and , fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands , strake sail , and so were driven . * And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest , the next day they lightened the ship ; * And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship . * And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared , and no small tempest lay on us , all hope that we should be saved was then taken away . * But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them , and said , Sirs , ye should have hearkened unto me , and not have loosed from Crete , and to have gained this harm and loss . * And now I exhort you to be of good cheer : for there shall be no loss of any man 's life among you , but of the ship . * For there stood by me this night the angel of God , whose I am , and whom I serve , * Saying , Fear not , Paul ; thou must be brought before Caesar : and , lo , God hath given thee all them that sail with thee . * Wherefore , sirs , be of good cheer : for I believe God , that it shall be even as it was told me . * Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island . * But when the fourteenth night was come , as we were driven up and down in Adria , about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country ; * And sounded , and found it twenty fathoms : and when they had gone a little further , they sounded again , and found it fifteen fathoms . * Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks , they cast four anchors out of the stern , and wished for the day . * And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship , when they had let down the boat into the sea , under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship , * Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers , Except these abide in the ship , ye cannot be saved . * Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat , and let her fall off . * And while the day was coming on , Paul besought them all to take meat , saying , This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting , having taken nothing . * Wherefore I pray you to take some meat : for this is for your health : for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you . * And when he had thus spoken , he took bread , and gave thanks to God in presence of them all : and when he had broken it , he began to eat . * Then were they all of good cheer , and they also took some meat . * And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls . * And when they had eaten enough , they lightened the ship , and cast out the wheat into the sea . * And when it was day , they knew not the land : but they discovered a certain creek with a shore , into the which they were minded , if it were possible , to thrust in the ship . * And when they had taken up the anchors , they committed themselves unto the sea , and loosed the rudder bands , and hoised up the mainsail to the wind , and made toward shore . * And falling into a place where two seas met , they ran the ship aground ; and the forepart stuck fast , and remained unmoveable , but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves . * And the soldiers ' counsel was to kill the prisoners , lest any of them should swim out , and escape . * But the centurion , willing to save Paul , kept them from their purpose ; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea , and get to land : * And the rest , some on boards , and some on broken pieces of the ship . And so it came to pass , that they escaped all safe to land . * And when they were escaped , then they knew that the island was called Melita .

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