And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan Cohort.
And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the places on the coast of the province of Asia, we put to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.
And the next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care.
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 that is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard.
And when we had sailed slowly many days, and with difficulty had arrived at Cnidus, and as the wind was not allowing us to go further, we sailed under the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.
And sailing along the coast with difficulty, we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, which was near the city of Lasea.
And when much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,
and said to them, “Men, 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 was more persuaded by the captain and by the owner of the ship, than by those things that were spoken by Paul.
And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the greater part advised to put to sea from there, if by any means they were able to reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete looking northeast and southeast, and winter there.
The Storm at Sea
And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore.
But after not much time a violent wind, called a “northeaster,” rushed down from it,
and when the ship was caught, and was not able to face the wind, we gave way to it, and were driven.
And running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able, with difficulty, to secure the ship’s boat.
And after they had hoisted that up, they used supporting ropes to undergird the ship, and fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor, and in this manner were driven along.
And because we were being violently tossed by the storm, the next day they began to throw the freight overboard,
and the third day they threw out the tackle of the ship with their own hands.
And when neither sun nor stars had shone on us for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we would be saved was being taken away.
And when they had been a long time without food, Paul stood up in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not set sail from Crete. You would have avoided this damage and loss.
And now I exhort you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
For an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood by me this night
saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul, you must stand before Caesar. And see!, God has graciously given to you all those who sail with you.’
Therefore, men, keep up your courage, for I believe God that it will be exactly as I have been told.
But we must run aground on some island.”
But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were drifting across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some land.
And they took soundings, and found it to be 20 fathoms. And having sailed a little further, they sounded again and found it to be 15 fathoms.
And being afraid that we might run aground on a rocky place, they threw four anchors from the stern and prayed for the day.
And as the sailors were seeking to flee out of the ship, and had lowered the boat into the sea, pretending as if they intended to lay out anchors from the bow,
Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you are not able to be saved.”
Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
And as the day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been anxiously waiting and have continued without food, having taken nothing.
Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is for your safety. For not one of you will lose a hair from your head.”
And when he had said this and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of them all. And he broke it and began to eat.
Then they were all encouraged and took food themselves.
(And we were, in all, 276 souls in the ship).
And when they had eaten enough, they made the ship lighter by throwing the grain into the sea.
The Shipwreck
And when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay with a beach, and they planned to drive the ship onto it if they could.
And casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosing the ropes that tied the rudders and hoisting up the foresail to the wind, they headed toward the beach.
But having struck a place where the two seas meet, they ran the vessel aground, and the bow stuck and remained unmovable, but the stern began to break up by the force of the waves.
And the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out and escape.
But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, stopped them from their plan, and commanded that those who were able to swim should throw themselves overboard first, and get to the land,
and the rest should follow, some on planks, and some on other things from the ship. And so it came to pass that they all got safely to the land.