Paul and Company Sail for Rome
When
it was decided we would sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other
prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius. We went on board
a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to various ports along the coast
of the province of Asia and put out to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a
Macedonian from Thessalonica. The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius,
treating Paul kindly, allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide
him with what he needed. From there we put out to sea and sailed under the lee
of Cyprus because the winds were against us. After we had sailed across the
open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we put in at Myra in Lycia. There the
centurion found a ship from Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard
it. We sailed slowly for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus.
Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, we sailed under the lee
of Crete off Salmone. With difficulty we sailed along the coast of Crete and
came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea.
Caught in a Violent Storm
Since
considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because the fast
was already over, Paul advised them, “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end
in disaster and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our
lives.” But the centurion was more convinced by the captain and the ship’s
owner than by what Paul said. Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the
winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there.
They
hoped that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing southwest
and northwest, and spend the winter there. When a gentle south wind sprang up,
they thought they could carry out their purpose, so they weighed anchor and sailed
close along the coast of Crete. Not long after this, a hurricane-force wind
called the northeaster blew down from the island. When the ship was caught in
it and could not head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.
As we ran under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able with
difficulty to get the ship’s boat under control. After the crew had hoisted it
aboard, they used supports to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run
aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor, thus letting themselves be
driven along. The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm,
they began throwing the cargo overboard, and on the third day they threw the
ship’s gear overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared
for many days and a violent storm continued to batter us, we finally abandoned all hope of being saved.
Since
many of them had no desire to eat, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you
should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete, thus avoiding
this damage and loss. And now I advise you to keep up your courage, for there
will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. For last
night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me and said,
‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar, and God has graciously
granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you.’
Therefore
keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be just as I
have been told. But we must run aground on some island.”
When
the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven across the Adriatic
Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. They
took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep; when they had
sailed a little farther they took soundings again and found it was fifteen
fathoms deep. Because they were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky
coast, they threw out four anchors from the stern and wished for day to appear.
Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the
ship’s boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors
from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then
the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it drift away.
As
day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is
the fourteenth day you have been in suspense and have gone without food; you
have eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is
important for your survival. For not one of you will lose a hair from his
head.”
After
he said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all,
broke it, and began to eat. So all of them were encouraged and took food
themselves. (We were in all two hundred seventy-six persons on the ship.) When
they had eaten enough to be satisfied, they lightened the ship by throwing the
wheat into the sea.
Paul is Shipwrecked
When
day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach,
where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. So they slipped the
anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage that
bound the steering oars together. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind
and steered toward the beach. But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents and
ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern
was being broken up by the force of the waves. Now the soldiers’ plan was to
kill the prisoners so that none of them would escape by swimming away. But the
centurion, wanting to save Paul’s life, prevented them from carrying out their
plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest were to follow, some on planks
and some on pieces of the ship. And in this way all were brought safely to
land.
They
also bestowed many honors, and when we were preparing to sail, they gave us all
the supplies we needed.
Paul Finally Reaches Rome
After
three months we put out to sea in an Alexandrian ship that had wintered at the
island and had the “Heavenly Twins” as its figurehead. We put in at Syracuse
and stayed there three days. From there we cast off and arrived at Rhegium, and
after one day a south wind sprang up and on the second day we came to Puteoli.
There we found some brothers and were invited to stay with them seven days. And
in this way we came to Rome. The brothers from there, when they heard about us,
came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. When he saw
them, Paul thanked God and took courage. When we entered Rome, Paul was allowed
to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.
Paul Addresses the Jewish Community in Rome
After
three days Paul called the local Jewish leaders together. When they had
assembled, he said to them, “Brothers, although I had done nothing against our
people or the customs of our ancestors, from Jerusalem I was handed over as a
prisoner to the Romans. When they had heard my case, they wanted to release me,
because there was no basis for a death sentence against me. But when the Jews
objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar–not that I had some charge to bring
against my own people. So for this reason I have asked to see you and speak
with you, for I am bound with this chain because of the hope of Israel.”
They
replied, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor have any of the
brothers come from there and reported or said anything bad about you. But we
would like to hear from you what you think, for regarding this sect we know
that people everywhere speak against it.”
They
set a day to meet with him, and they came to him where he was staying in even
greater numbers. From morning until evening he explained things to them,
testifying about the kingdom
of God
“The Holy Spirit spoke rightly to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah
when he said,‘Go to this people and say,
“You
will keep on hearing, but will never understand,
and
you will keep on looking, but will never perceive.
For
the heart of this people has become dull,
and
their ears are hard of hearing,
and
they have closed their eyes,
so
that they would not see with their eyes
and
hear with their ears
and
understand with their heart
and
turn, and I would heal them.”
“Therefore
be advised that this salvation from God has been sent to the Gentiles; they
will listen!”
Paul
lived there two whole years in his own rented quarters and welcomed all who
came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus
Christ with complete boldness and without restriction. (NET)
This reading is taken from 30 Scripture
Readings with the Great Men of the Bible. The complete book can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZK5H3C/ref=nosim?tag=hudsonbcom-20&linkCode=sb1&camp=212353&creative=380549
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