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The Message Bible MSG
1 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.
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As soon as arrangements were complete for our sailing to Italy, Paul and a few other prisoners were placed under the supervision of a centurion named Julius, a member of an elite guard.
2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.
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We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was bound for Ephesus and ports west. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with us.
3 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.
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The next day we put in at Sidon. Julius treated Paul most decently - let him get off the ship and enjoy the hospitality of his friends there.
4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.
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Out to sea again, we sailed north under the protection of the northeast shore of Cyprus because winds out of the west were against us,
5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia.
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and then along the coast westward to the port of Myra.
6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board.
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There the centurion found an Egyptian ship headed for Italy and transferred us on board.
7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone.
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We ran into bad weather and found it impossible to stay on course. After much difficulty, we finally made it to the southern coast of the island of Crete
8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
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and docked at Good Harbor (appropriate name!).
9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,
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By this time we had lost a lot of time. We had passed the autumn equinox, so it would be stormy weather from now on through the winter, too dangerous for sailing. Paul warned,
10 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."
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"I see only disaster ahead for cargo and ship - to say nothing of our lives! - if we put out to sea now."
11 But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.
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The centurion set Paul's warning aside and let the ship captain and the shipowner talk him into trying for the next harbor.
12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
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But it was not the best harbor for staying the winter. Phoenix, a few miles further on, was more suitable.
13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore.
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When a gentle southerly breeze came up, they weighed anchor, thinking it would be smooth sailing.
14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land.
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But they were no sooner out to sea than a gale-force wind, the infamous nor'easter, struck.
15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.
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They lost all control of the ship. It was a cork in the storm.
16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat.
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We came under the lee of the small island named Clauda, and managed to get a lifeboat ready and reef the sails.
17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along.
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But rocky shoals prevented us from getting close. We only managed to avoid them by throwing out drift anchors.
18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo.
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Next day, out on the high seas again and badly damaged now by the storm, we dumped the cargo overboard.
19 And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.
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The third day the sailors lightened the ship further by throwing off all the tackle and provisions.
20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
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It had been many days since we had seen either sun or stars. Wind and waves were battering us unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue.
21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss.
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With our appetite for both food and life long gone, Paul took his place in our midst and said, "Friends, you really should have listened to me back in Crete. We could have avoided all this trouble and trial.
22 Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
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But there's no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there'll not be a single drowning among us, although I can't say as much for the ship - the ship itself is doomed.
23 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship,
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"Last night God's angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve,
24 and he said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.'
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saying to me, 'Don't give up, Paul. You're going to stand before Caesar yet - and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.'
25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.
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So, dear friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what he told me.
26 But we must run aground on some island."
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But we're going to shipwreck on some island or other."
27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land.
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On the fourteenth night, adrift somewhere on the Adriatic Sea, at about midnight the sailors sensed that we were approaching land.
28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.
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Sounding, they measured a depth of one hundred twenty feet, and shortly after that ninety feet.
29 And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.
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Afraid that we were about to run aground, they threw out four anchors and prayed for daylight.
30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow,
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Some of the sailors tried to jump ship. They let down the lifeboat, pretending they were going to set out more anchors from the bow.
31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved."
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Paul saw through their guise and told the centurion and his soldiers, "If these sailors don't stay with the ship, we're all going down."
32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go.
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So the soldiers cut the lines to the lifeboat and let it drift off.
33 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.
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With dawn about to break, Paul called everyone together and proposed breakfast: "This is the fourteenth day we've gone without food. None of us has felt like eating!
34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you."
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But I urge you to eat something now. You'll need strength for the rescue ahead. You're going to come out of this without even a scratch!"
35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.
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He broke the bread, gave thanks to God, passed it around,
36 Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves.
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and they all ate heartily -
37 (We were in all 276persons in the ship.)
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two hundred seventy-six of us, all told!
38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
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With the meal finished and everyone full, the ship was further lightened by dumping the grain overboard.
39 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 run the ship ashore.
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At daybreak, no one recognized the land - but then they did notice a bay with a nice beach. They decided to try to run the ship up on the beach.
40 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.
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They cut the anchors, loosed the tiller, raised the sail, and ran before the wind toward the beach.
41 But striking a reef,they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf.
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But we didn't make it. Still far from shore, we hit a reef and the ship began to break up.
42 The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape.
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The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming,
43 But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land,
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but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it,
44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.
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and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.