Paul Sails for Rome 1 UST Soon the governor decided it was time to send Paul by ship to Italy.{ I, Luke, traveled with him.} He put Paul and some other prisoners under the control of a military officer whose name was Julius. This man was part of a group of soldiers who reported directly to the emperor. BSB BSB: When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.
2 UST So Julius put us aboard a ship from the city of Adramyttium in the province of Asia. This ship was about to sail to various places along the coast of Asia. In this way we began our journey by sea. Aristarchus, a man from the city of Thessalonica in the province of Macedonia, went with us. BSB BSB: We boarded an Adramyttian ship about to sail for ports along the coast of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.
3 UST The next day we arrived at the city of Sidon. There Julius treated Paul generously. He gave him permission to go see his friends in Sidon so they could help him with whatever he needed. BSB BSB: The next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul with consideration, allowing him to visit his friends and receive their care.
4 UST Then the ship sailed away from Sidon. We went along the coast of Cyprus, which was sheltered from the wind, because the wind was against us. BSB BSB: After putting out from there, we sailed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.
5 UST After that, we crossed over the sea close to the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia. The ship arrived at the city of Myra in the province of Lycia. We got off the ship there. BSB BSB: And when we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia.
6 UST In Myra, Julius found a ship that had come from the city of Alexandria. It would soon sail to Italy. So he arranged for us to go aboard that ship and we left. BSB BSB: There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board.
7 UST { The winds were still against us, so} we sailed slowly for many days. It was difficult, but we finally reached the city of Cnidus. From there the wind was so strong that the ship could not sail straight westward. So we sailed along the coast of the island of Crete instead{, where the wind was not blowing strongly.} We sailed past Cape Salmone, an area of land sticking out into the water. BSB BSB: After sailing slowly for many days, we arrived off Cnidus. When the wind impeded us, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.
8 UST The wind was still strong, and it prevented the ship from moving ahead fast. So we moved slowly along the coast of Crete. We eventually arrived at a port whose name was Fair Havens. It was near the city of Lasea. BSB BSB: After we had moved along the coast with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
9 UST { Because the wind was blowing from the west,} the journey from Caesarea to Fair Havens had taken much more time than the captain and centurion had planned. It had become dangerous to sail because it was late in the year and the stormy season was approaching. So Paul said to the men on the ship, BSB BSB: By now much time had passed, and the voyage had already become dangerous because it was after the Fast. So Paul advised them,
10 UST and said to them,“Friends, God has shown me that if we continue sailing, we will suffer harm and lose many things. A great storm will destroy the ship and its cargo and kill all of us.” BSB BSB: “Men, I can see that our voyage will be filled with disaster and great loss, not only to ship and cargo, but to our own lives as well.”
11 UST But the Roman officer did not believe what Paul said. Instead, he believed the pilot and the captain when they told him the ship would be safe. BSB BSB: But contrary to Paul’s advice, the centurion was persuaded by the pilot and by the owner of the ship.
12 UST The harbor of Fair Havens did not protect the ships in it very well from winter storms. So most of the sailors recommended leaving Fair Havens. They hoped that they could reach Phoenix and spend the winter there. Phoenix is a city on the island of Crete with a good harbor. The harbor protects ships well from winds that blow from the southwest and northwest. BSB BSB: Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to sail on, hoping that somehow they could reach Phoenix to winter there. Phoenix was a harbor in Crete facing both southwest and northwest.
The Storm at Sea (Jonah 1:4–10)
13 UST Because only a gentle wind was blowing from the south, the ship’ s crew thought that they could reach Phoenix safely. So they lifted the ship’ s anchor up out of the sea and sailed the ship close to the coastline of the island of Crete. BSB BSB: When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had their opportunity. So they weighed anchor and sailed along, hugging the coast of Crete.
14 UST After a little while, however, a stormy wind blew down from the island. It was the kind of wind that the sailors called the Northeast Wind. BSB BSB: But it was not long before a cyclone called the Northeaster swept down across the island.
15 UST This stormy wind blew so strongly against the front of the ship that we could not sail into it. So the sailors decided to sail in the direction that the wind was blowing. It pushed us across the sea very quickly. BSB BSB: Unable to head into the wind, the ship was caught up. So we gave way and let ourselves be driven along.
16 UST However, the sailors were able to sail the ship on the side of a small island that was sheltered from the wind. The name of the island was Cauda. It was very difficult, but the sailors were finally able to gain control of the lifeboat. BSB BSB: Passing to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we barely managed to secure the lifeboat.
17 UST The sailors hoisted the lifeboat up onto the ship. Then they wound its ropes around the hull of the ship. They became concerned that they would get stuck in the soggy sand at Syrtis. So they took down the sails{ to go more slowly}. This meant they could not steer the ship, and it went wherever the wind blew it. BSB BSB: After hoisting it up, the crew used ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along.
18 UST But the wind and the waves continued to toss the ship about roughly. So on the next day, the sailors began to throw overboard the things that the ship was carrying. BSB BSB: We were tossed so violently that the next day the men began to jettison the cargo.
19 UST Then, on the third day of the storm, the sailors threw overboard most of the ship’ s sails, ropes, and poles. They did this deliberately{ in order to make the ship lighter}. BSB BSB: On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.
20 UST But the wind continued to blow very strongly against the ship. The sky was always full of dark clouds so that the sailors could not see the sun or the stars to navigate. After all this we lost hope that we would even survive. BSB BSB: When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the great storm continued to batter us, we abandoned all hope of being saved.
21 UST None of us on the ship had eaten for many days. Then one day, Paul stood up in front of us and said,“Friends, you should have listened to me when I said that we should not set sail from Crete. Then, we would not have suffered all this damage. BSB BSB: After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have averted this disaster and loss.
22 UST But now please do not be afraid, because none of us will die. The storm will destroy the ship but it will not destroy us. BSB BSB: But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because you will not experience any loss of life, but only of the ship.
23 UST I know this because last night an angel came and stood by me. The God who protects me and who told me to tell others about him sent this angel. BSB BSB: For just last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me
24 UST The angel said to me,‘Paul, do not be afraid. You will reach Rome safely and have the opportunity to testify to the emperor. I want you to know that God is being kind to you. He will make sure that everyone who is traveling with you will also survive.’ BSB BSB: and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’
25 UST So cheer up, my friends, because I believe that God will make this happen exactly as the angel told me. BSB BSB: So take courage, men, for I believe God that it will happen just as He told me.
26 UST However, the ship will crash on some island, and we will go ashore there.” BSB BSB: However, we must run aground on some island.”
The Shipwreck 27 UST Now on the fourteenth night after the storm began, the storm was still blowing the ship across the open sea. At about midnight, the sailors thought that the ship was getting close to land. BSB BSB: On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.
28 UST So the sailors lowered a rope with a weight on the end to measure how deep the water was. When they pulled the rope up again, they measured it and saw that the water was 40 meters deep. A little later, they measured again and found that the water was 30 meters deep. BSB BSB: They took soundings and found that the water was twenty fathoms deep. Going a little farther, they took another set of soundings that read fifteen fathoms.
29 UST { Because the water was getting shallower,} the sailors were afraid that the ship might crash onto some rocks. So they threw four anchors into the water from the end of the ship. Then they prayed that it would soon become light{ so that they could see where the ship was going}. BSB BSB: Fearing that we would run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak.
30 UST Some of the sailors were planning to escape from the ship. They did not want anyone to know what they planned to do. So they pretended that they needed to put the lifeboat in the water so they could use it to lower some anchors from the ship’ s front. BSB BSB: Meanwhile, the sailors attempted to escape from the ship. Pretending to lower anchors from the bow, they let the lifeboat down into the sea.
31 UST But Paul said to the Roman officer and the soldiers,“If the sailors do not stay in the ship, you will not survive.” BSB BSB: But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot be saved.”
32 UST So the soldiers cut the ropes and the lifeboat dropped into the sea. BSB BSB: So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and set it adrift.
33 UST Just before dawn, Paul encouraged everyone on the ship to eat something. He said,“For the past 14 days you have been waiting and watching and not eating anything. BSB BSB: Right up to daybreak, Paul kept urging them all to eat: “Today is your fourteenth day in constant suspense, without taking any food.
34 UST So now I urge you to eat some food, because you must do this to live. The storm will not kill any of you{, but if you do not eat, you will die}.” BSB BSB: So for your own preservation, I urge you to eat something, because not a single hair of your head will be lost.”
35 UST Then after Paul said that, while everyone was watching, he took some bread and thanked God for it. Then he broke the bread into pieces and began to eat some of it. BSB BSB: After he had said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.
36 UST Then they all cheered up and ate some food. BSB BSB: They were all encouraged and took some food themselves.
37 UST Altogether there were 276 of us on the ship. BSB BSB: In all, there were 276 of us on board.
38 UST When everyone had eaten enough, the sailors made the ship lighter by throwing the rest of the wheat into the water. BSB BSB: After the men had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
39 UST At dawn we could see land, but the sailors did not know what it was. However, they could see a bay that had a beach. They decided to try to run the ship up onto this wide area of sand at the water’ s edge. BSB BSB: When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they sighted a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.
40 UST So they cut the ropes that attached the anchors to the ship and let the anchors fall loose into the water. They also untied the ropes that held the rudders to the ship. They raised a sail to the top of the mast so that the wind would blow into it. Then they steered the ship toward the shore. BSB BSB: Cutting away the anchors, they left them in the sea as they loosened the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.
41 UST But the ship sailed into turbulent waters and ran onto a sandbank that was just under the waves. The front of the ship stuck there and could not move. Big waves beat against the back of the ship and it began to break apart. BSB BSB: But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was being broken up by the pounding of the waves.
42 UST The soldiers wanted to kill all the prisoners so that none of them could swim away and escape. BSB BSB: The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim to freedom.
43 UST But the Roman officer wanted to save Paul. So he stopped the soldiers from killing the prisoners. Instead, he commanded everyone who could swim to jump off the ship first into the water and swim to shore. BSB BSB: But the centurion, wanting to spare Paul’s life, thwarted their plan. He commanded those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
44 UST Then he told the ones who could not swim to hold onto something that would float and drift toward the shore. Some held onto wooden boards that the waves had broken loose from the ship. Some held onto articles from the ship that would float. We did what he said, and in that way all of us made it safely to the shore. BSB BSB: The rest were to follow on planks and various parts of the ship. In this way everyone was brought safely to land.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.