Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

We were scheduled to sail for Italy, so they put us under the charge of a centurion named Julius, who commanded an imperial cohort. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium, planning to travel along the coast of Asia, with Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, among our group.

The next day we stopped at Sidon, and the centurion treated Paul kindly, giving him permission to visit his friends and refresh himself. We sailed away from there and headed under Cyprus because the winds were against us. We continued on, sailing over the sea bordering Cilicia and Pamphylia, until we arrived in Myra, a city in Lycia.

From there, the centurion found another ship of Alexandria bound for Italy and put us aboard. As we sailed slowly many days, we were making little progress because the wind wouldn't let us move any further. We had to sail under Crete, opposite Salmone, before turning northward toward Fair Havens, a place near the city of Lasea.

After much time passed and sailing became hazardous, Paul warned them that he foresaw the voyage would be fraught with peril and significant loss, not only for our cargo and ship but also for our lives. "Sirs," he said, "I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and significant loss, not only of the cargo and ship but also of our lives."

The centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship more than Paul's warning. Because Fair Havens wasn't a suitable place to spend the winter, the majority advised going to sea from there in an attempt to reach Phoenix and winter there, which is a port of Crete lying toward the southwest and northwest.

As soon as the south wind blew softly, they thought they had obtained their purpose and set sail from Fair Havens. But not long after, a tempestuous wind called Euroclydon arose against them. The ship was caught in it and couldn't bear up into the wind, so we let her drift under a certain island called Clauda.

We ran under the island's lee, struggling to catch the boat that had been lowered from the ship. When they'd taken up the tackle, they used cables to help reinforce the ship, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands. They lowered sail and were driven along by the storm.

The violent tossing of the storm continued, and the next day they began to lighten the ship. We cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship on the third day. For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and no small tempest lay on us. All hope that we would be saved was then taken away.

After long periods of delay, Paul stood before them and said, "You should have heeded my advice and not set sail from Crete, which has led to this loss. I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship."

Paul explained that an angel of God, belonging to the One he serves and is accountable to, had appeared to him during the night, saying, "Fear not, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you." He also said, "Sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me."

We were to be cast upon a certain island. After fourteen days at sea, we were driven back and forth in the Adriatic Sea about midnight when the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. They took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms deep; after going a little further, they sounded again and found it fifteen fathoms.

Fearing they would run aground on rocky ground, they let go four anchors from the stern and wished for daylight. As the sailors prepared to flee out of the ship and had lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they would lay out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship with us, you cannot be saved."

The soldiers cut away the boat's ropes and let it fall off. As daylight was coming on, Paul begged them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you wait and continue fasting, having taken nothing." He also said, "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."

When he had spoken, he took bread, gave thanks to God in their presence, and began to eat after breaking it. They were all filled with joy and also took some food. We were in all two hundred and sixteen souls on board the ship.

After eating their fill, they lightened the ship by discarding the wheat and casting it into the sea. As daylight came, they still didn't know where they were, but they spotted a creek with a beach and hoped to steer the ship into it if possible.

When they had lifted up the anchors, they entrusted themselves to the mercy of the sea and released the steering lines, hoisting the mainsail to catch the wind and making for the shore. Coming to a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; the bow struck and remained immovable, but the stern was broken up by the violence of the waves.

The soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out and escape. The centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded those who could swim to cast themselves first into the sea and get to land. The rest, some on boards and others on broken pieces of the ship, escaped safely to land.