Atos 27

¹ AndPaul, with many other prisoners and through the midst of many deaths, is brought to Rome, but yet by God's own hand as it were, and set forth and commended to the world with many singular testimonies.when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto [one] named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band.

² And we entred into a ship of Adramyttium purposing to saile by the coastes of Asia, and launched foorth, and had Aristarchus of Macedonia, a Thessalonian, with vs.

³ And the next day we arriued at Sidon: and Iulius courteously entreated Paul, and gaue him libertie to go vnto his friends, that they might refresh him.

⁴ And from thence we launched, and sayled hard by Cyprus, because ye windes were contrarie.

⁵ Then sayled we ouer the sea by Cilicia, and Pamphilia, and came to Myra, a citie in Lycia.

⁶ And there the Centurion found a ship of Alexandria, sayling into Italie, and put vs therein.

⁷ And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over againstWhich was a high hill of Crete.Salmone;

⁸ And with much adoe sayled beyond it, and came vnto a certaine place called the Faire hauens, neere vnto the which was the citie Lasea.

⁹ God's providence does not take away the causes which God uses as means, but rather orders and disposes their right use, even when he reveals an extraordinary issue.Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because theThis refers to the Jews fast which they kept in the feast of expiation, as we read in (Lev_23:17), which fell in the seventh month which we call October, and is not good for navigating or sailing.fast was now already past, Paul admonished [them],

¹⁰ And sayde vnto them, Syrs, I see that this voiage will be with hurt & much damage, not of the lading and ship onely, but also of our liues.

¹¹ Men cast themselves willingly into an infinite amount of dangers, when they choose to follow their own wisdom, rather than God, when he speaks by the mouth of his servants.Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

¹² And because the hauen was not commodious to winter in, many tooke counsell to depart thence, if by any meanes they might attaine to Phenice, there to winter, which is an hauen of Candie, and lyeth toward the Southwest and by West, and Northwest and by West.

¹³ And when the Southerne winde blew softly, they supposing to atteine their purpose, loosed neerer, and sailed by Candie.

¹⁴ But not long after there arose againstBy Crete, from whose shore our ship was driven by that means.it a tempestuous wind, calledNortheast wind.Euroclydon.

¹⁵ And when the ship was caught, and could not resist the winde, we let her goe, and were caried away.

¹⁶ And we ran vnder a litle Yle named Clauda, and had much a doe to get the boat.

¹⁷ Which they tooke vp and vsed all helpe, vndergirding the ship, fearing least they should haue fallen into Syrtes, and they strake saile, and so were caried.

¹⁸ The result proves that none provide worse for themselves than those who commit themselves to be governed only by their own wisdom.And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next [day] they lightened the ship;

¹⁹ And the third day we cast out with our owne hands the tackling of the ship.

²⁰ And when neither sunne nor starres in many dayes appeared, and no small tempest lay vpon vs, all hope that we should be saued, was then taken away.

²¹ God spares the wicked for a time, for the sake of his elect and chosen.But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

²² But now I exhort you to be of good courage: for there shalbe no losse of any mans life among you, saue of the ship onely.

²³ For there stood by me this night the Angel of God, whose I am, and whome I serue,

²⁴ Saying, Feare not, Paul: for thou must be brought before Cesar: and lo, God hath giuen vnto thee freely all that sayle with thee.

²⁵ The promise is made effectual through faith.Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

²⁶ Howbeit, we must be cast into a certaine Iland.

²⁷ We attain and come to the promised and sure salvation through the midst of tempests and death itself.But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down inFor Ptolemy writes that the Adriatic Sea beats upon the east shore of Cecilia.Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemedOr, some country drew near to them.that they drew near to some country;

²⁸ And sounded, & found it twentie fathoms: and when they had gone a litle further, they sounded againe, and found fifteene fathoms.

²⁹ Then fearing least they should haue fallen into some rough places, they cast foure ancres out of the sterne, and wished that the day were come.

³⁰ No matter how foul the act, distrust and an evil conscience can always compel men to commit it.And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,

³¹ Although the performing of God's promises does not depend upon secondary causes, yet they make themselves unworthy of God's bountifulness who do not embrace those means which God offers them, either upon rashness or distrust.Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

³² Then the souldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let it fall away.

³³ When the world trembles, the faithful alone are not only at peace, but strengthen and encourage others by their example.And while the day was coming on, Paul besought [them] all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.

³⁴ Wherefore I pray you to take [some] meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not anThis is a proverb which the Hebrews use, by which is meant that they will be safe, and that not one of them will perish.hair fall from the head of any of you.

³⁵ And when he had thus spoken, hee tooke bread and gaue thankes to God, in presence of them all, and brake it, and began to eate.

³⁶ Then were they all of good courage, and they also tooke meate.

³⁷ Nowe we were in the ship in all two hundreth three score and sixteene soules.

³⁸ And whe they had eaten ynough, they lightened the ship, & cast out the wheat into the sea.

³⁹ Then are tempests most of all to be feared and looked for, when the port or haven is nearest.And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certainA creek is a sea within land, as the Adriatic Sea, and the Persian Sea.creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.

⁴⁰ So when they had taken vp the ankers, they committed the ship vnto the sea, and loosed the rudder bonds, and hoised vp the maine saile to the winde, and drewe to the shore.

⁴¹ And falling into a place whereSo is an isthmus called, because the Sea touches it on both sides.two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.

⁴² There is nowhere more unfaithfulness and unthankfulness in unbelievers.And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.

⁴³ God finds even amongst his enemies those whose help he uses to preserve his own.But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from [their] purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast [themselves] first [into the sea], and get to land:

⁴⁴ The goodness of God overcomes man's malice.And the rest, some on boards, and some on [broken pieces] of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.