rsv Acts:27-28 SEEK
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And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy ,
they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort ,
named Julius .
*
And embarking in a ship of Adramyt '
tium ,
which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia ,
we put to sea ,
accompanied by Aristar '
chus ,
a Macedo '
nian from Thessaloni '
ca .
*
The next day we put in at Sidon ;
and Julius treated Paul kindly ,
and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for .
*
And putting to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus ,
because the winds were against us .
*
And when we had sailed across the sea which is off Cili '
cia and Pamphyl '
ia ,
we came to Myra in Ly '
cia .
*
There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy ,
and put us on board .
*
We sailed slowly for a number of days ,
and arrived with difficulty off Cni '
dus ,
and as the wind did not allow us to go on ,
we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmo '
ne .
*
Coasting along it with difficulty ,
we came to a place called Fair Havens ,
near which was the city of Lase '
a .
*
As much time had been lost ,
and the voyage was already dangerous because the fast had already gone by ,
Paul advised them ,
*
saying , "
Sirs ,
I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss ,
not only of the cargo and the ship ,
but also of our lives ."
*
But the centurion paid more attention to the captain and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said .
*
And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in ,
the majority advised to put to sea from there ,
on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix ,
a harbor of Crete ,
looking northeast and southeast ,
and winter there .
*
And when the south wind blew gently ,
supposing that they had obtained their purpose ,
they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete ,
close inshore .
*
But soon a tempestuous wind ,
called the northeaster ,
struck down from the land ;
*
and when the ship was caught and could not face the wind ,
we gave way to it and were driven .
*
And running under the lee of a small island called Cauda ,
we managed with difficulty to secure the boat ;
*
after hoisting it up ,
they took measures to undergird the ship ;
then ,
fearing that they should run on the Syr '
tis ,
they lowered the gear ,
and so were driven .
*
As we were violently storm-tossed ,
they began next day to throw the cargo overboard ;
*
and the third day they cast out with their own hands the tackle of the ship .
*
And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many a day ,
and no small tempest lay on us ,
all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned .
*
As they had been long without food ,
Paul then came forward among them and said , "
Men ,
you should have listened to me ,
and should not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss .
*
I now bid you take heart ;
for there will be no loss of life among you ,
but only of the ship .
*
For this very night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship ,
*
and he said , `
Do not be afraid ,
Paul ;
you must stand before Caesar ;
and lo ,
God has granted you all those who sail with you .'
*
So take heart ,
men ,
for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told .
*
But we shall have to run on some island ."
*
When the fourteenth night had come ,
as we were drifting across the sea of A '
dria ,
about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land .
*
So they sounded and found twenty fathoms ;
a little farther on they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms .
*
And fearing that we might run on the rocks ,
they let out four anchors from the stern ,
and prayed for day to come .
*
And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship ,
and had lowered the boat into the sea ,
under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow ,
*
Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers , "
Unless these men stay in the ship ,
you cannot be saved ."
*
Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat ,
and let it go .
*
As day was about to dawn ,
Paul urged them all to take some food ,
saying , "
Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food ,
having taken nothing .
*
Therefore I urge you to take some food ;
it will give you strength ,
since not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you ."
*
And when he had said this ,
he took bread ,
and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat .
*
Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves .
* (
We were in all two hundred and seventy-six persons in the ship .)
*
And when they had eaten enough ,
they lightened the ship ,
throwing out the wheat into the sea .
*
Now when it was day ,
they did not recognize the land ,
but they noticed a bay with a beach ,
on which they planned if possible to bring the ship ashore .
*
So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea ,
at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders ;
then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach .
*
But striking a shoal they ran the vessel aground ;
the bow stuck and remained immovable ,
and the stern was broken up by the surf .
*
The soldiers '
plan was to kill the prisoners ,
lest any should swim away and escape ;
*
but the centurion ,
wishing to save Paul ,
kept them from carrying out their purpose .
He ordered those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for the land ,
*
and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship .
And so it was that all escaped to land .
*
After we had escaped ,
we then learned that the island was called Malta .
*
And the natives showed us unusual kindness ,
for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all ,
because it had begun to rain and was cold .
*
Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire ,
when a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand .
*
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand ,
they said to one another , "
No doubt this man is a murderer .
Though he has escaped from the sea ,
justice has not allowed him to live ."
*
He ,
however ,
shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm .
*
They waited ,
expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead ;
but when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him ,
they changed their minds and said that he was a god .
*
Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island ,
named Publius ,
who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days .
*
It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery ;
and Paul visited him and prayed ,
and putting his hands on him healed him .
*
And when this had taken place ,
the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured .
*
They presented many gifts to us ;
and when we sailed ,
they put on board whatever we needed .
*
After three months we set sail in a ship which had wintered in the island ,
a ship of Alexandria ,
with the Twin Brothers as figurehead .
*
Putting in at Syracuse ,
we stayed there for three days .
*
And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhe '
gium ;
and after one day a south wind sprang up ,
and on the second day we came to Pute '
oli .
*
There we found brethren ,
and were invited to stay with them for seven days .
And so we came to Rome .
*
And the brethren there ,
when they heard of us ,
came as far as the Forum of Ap '
pius and Three Taverns to meet us .
On seeing them Paul thanked God and took courage .
*
And when we came into Rome ,
Paul was allowed to stay by himself ,
with the soldier that guarded him .
*
After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews ;
and when they had gathered ,
he said to them , "
Brethren ,
though I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers ,
yet I was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans .
*
When they had examined me ,
they wished to set me at liberty ,
because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case .
*
But when the Jews objected ,
I was compelled to appeal to Caesar--though I had no charge to bring against my nation .
*
For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you ,
since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain ."
*
And they said to him , "
We have received no letters from Judea about you ,
and none of the brethren coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you .
*
But we desire to hear from you what your views are ;
for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against ."
*
When they had appointed a day for him ,
they came to him at his lodging in great numbers .
And he expounded the matter to them from morning till evening ,
testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets .
*
And some were convinced by what he said ,
while others disbelieved .
*
So ,
as they disagreed among themselves ,
they departed ,
after Paul had made one statement : "
The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet :
* `
Go to this people ,
and say ,
You shall indeed hear but never understand ,
and you shall indeed see but never perceive .
*
For this people '
s heart has grown dull ,
and their ears are heavy of hearing ,
and their eyes they have closed ;
lest they should perceive with their eyes ,
and hear with their ears ,
and understand with their heart ,
and turn for me to heal them .'
*
Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles ;
they will listen ."
*
And he lived there two whole years at his own expense ,
and welcomed all who came to him ,
*
preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and unhindered .