Acts 27

Paul Sails for Rome

1 It was decided that we would sail for Italy. An officer named Julius, who served in the emperor’s army, guarded Paul and some other prisoners.2 We got on a ship that was from the city of Adramyttium and was about to sail to different ports in Asia. Aristarchus, a man from the city of Thessalonica in Macedonia, went with us.3 The next day we came to Sidon. Julius was very good to Paul and gave him freedom to go visit his friends, who took care of his needs.4 We left Sidon and sailed close to the island of Cyprus, because the wind was blowing against us.5 We went across the sea by Cilicia and Pamphylia and landed at the city of Myra, in Lycia.6 There the officer found a ship from Alexandria that was going to Italy, so he put us on it.

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We sailed slowly for many days. We had a hard time reaching Cnidus because the wind was blowing against us, and we could not go any farther. So we sailed by the south side of the island of Crete near Salmone.8 Sailing past it was hard. Then we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.

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We had lost much time, and it was now dangerous to sail, because it was already after the Day of Cleansing. So Paul warned them,10 “Men, I can see there will be a lot of trouble on this trip. The ship, the cargo, and even our lives may be lost.”11 But the captain and the owner of the ship did not agree with Paul, and the officer believed what the captain and owner of the ship said.12 Since that harbor was not a good place for the ship to stay for the winter, most of the men decided that the ship should leave. They hoped we could go to Phoenix and stay there for the winter. Phoenix, a city on the island of Crete, had a harbor which faced southwest and northwest.

The Storm

13 When a good wind began to blow from the south, the men on the ship thought, “This is the wind we wanted, and now we have it.” So they pulled up the anchor, and we sailed very close to the island of Crete.14 But then a very strong wind named the “northeaster” came from the island.15 The ship was caught in it and could not sail against it. So we stopped trying and let the wind carry us.16 When we went below a small island named Cauda, we were barely able to bring in the lifeboat.17 After the men took the lifeboat in, they tied ropes around the ship to hold it together. The men were afraid that the ship would hit the sandbanks of Syrtis, so they lowered the sail and let the wind carry the ship.18 The next day the storm was blowing us so hard that the men threw out some of the cargo.19 A day later with their own hands they threw out the ship’s equipment.20 When we could not see the sun or the stars for many days, and the storm was very bad, we lost all hope of being saved.

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After the men had gone without food for a long time, Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me. You should not have sailed from Crete. Then you would not have all this trouble and loss.22 But now I tell you to cheer up because none of you will die. Only the ship will be lost.23 Last night an angel came to me from the God I belong to and worship.24 The angel said, ‘Paul, do not be afraid. You must stand before Caesar. And God has promised you that he will save the lives of everyone sailing with you.’25 So men, have courage. I trust in God that everything will happen as his angel told me.26 But we will crash on an island.”

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On the fourteenth night we were still being carried around in the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors thought we were close to land,28 so they lowered a rope with a weight on the end of it into the water. They found that the water was one hundred twenty feet deep. They went a little farther and lowered the rope again. It was ninety feet deep.29 The sailors were afraid that we would hit the rocks, so they threw four anchors into the water and prayed for daylight to come.30 Some of the sailors wanted to leave the ship, and they lowered the lifeboat, pretending they were throwing more anchors from the front of the ship.31 But Paul told the officer and the other soldiers, “If these men do not stay in the ship, your lives cannot be saved.”32 So the soldiers cut the ropes and let the lifeboat fall into the water.

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Just before dawn Paul began persuading all the people to eat something. He said, “For the past fourteen days you have been waiting and watching and not eating.34 Now I beg you to eat something. You need it to stay alive. None of you will lose even one hair off your heads.”35 After he said this, Paul took some bread and thanked God for it before all of them. He broke off a piece and began eating.36 They all felt better and started eating, too.37 There were two hundred seventy-six people on the ship.38 When they had eaten all they wanted, they began making the ship lighter by throwing the grain into the sea.

The Ship Is Destroyed

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When daylight came, the sailors saw land. They did not know what land it was, but they saw a bay with a beach and wanted to sail the ship to the beach if they could.40 So they cut the ropes to the anchors and left the anchors in the sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that were holding the rudders. Then they raised the front sail into the wind and sailed toward the beach.41 But the ship hit a sandbank. The front of the ship stuck there and could not move, but the back of the ship began to break up from the big waves.

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The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim away and escape.43 But Julius, the officer, wanted to let Paul live and did not allow the soldiers to kill the prisoners. Instead he ordered everyone who could swim to jump into the water first and swim to land.44 The rest were to follow using wooden boards or pieces of the ship. And this is how all the people made it safely to land.

Acts 28

Paul on the Island of Malta

1 When we were safe on land, we learned that the island was called Malta.2 The people who lived there were very good to us. Because it was raining and very cold, they made a fire and welcomed all of us.3 Paul gathered a pile of sticks and was putting them on the fire when a poisonous snake came out because of the heat and bit him on the hand.4 The people living on the island saw the snake hanging from Paul’s hand and said to each other, “This man must be a murderer! He did not die in the sea, but Justice does not want him to live.”5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and was not hurt.6 The people thought that Paul would swell up or fall down dead. They waited and watched him for a long time, but nothing bad happened to him. So they changed their minds and said, “He is a god!”

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There were some fields around there owned by Publius, an important man on the island. He welcomed us into his home and was very good to us for three days.8 Publius’ father was sick with a fever and dysentery. Paul went to him, prayed, and put his hands on the man and healed him.9 After this, all the other sick people on the island came to Paul, and he healed them, too.

Paul Goes to Rome

10-11 The people on the island gave us many honors. When we were ready to leave, three months later, they gave us the things we needed.We got on a ship from Alexandria that had stayed on the island during the winter. On the front of the ship was the sign of the twin gods.12 We stopped at Syracuse for three days.13 From there we sailed to Rhegium. The next day a wind began to blow from the south, and a day later we came to Puteoli.14 We found some believers there who asked us to stay with them for a week. Finally, we came to Rome.15 The believers in Rome heard that we were there and came out as far as the Market of Appius and the Three Inns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.

Paul in Rome

16 When we arrived at Rome, Paul was allowed to live alone, with the soldier who guarded him.17 Three days later Paul sent for the leaders there. When they came together, he said, “Brothers, I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. But I was arrested in Jerusalem and given to the Romans.18 After they asked me many questions, they could find no reason why I should be killed. They wanted to let me go free,19 but the evil people there argued against that. So I had to ask to come to Rome to have my trial before Caesar. But I have no charge to bring against my own people.20 That is why I wanted to see you and talk with you. I am bound with this chain because I believe in the hope of Israel.”

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They answered Paul, “We have received no letters from Judea about you. None of our Jewish brothers who have come from there brought news or told us anything bad about you.22 But we want to hear your ideas, because we know that people everywhere are speaking against this religious group.”

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Paul and the people chose a day for a meeting and on that day many more of the Jews met with Paul at the place he was staying. He spoke to them all day long. Using the law of Moses and the prophets’ writings, he explained the kingdom of God, and he tried to persuade them to believe these things about Jesus.24 Some believed what Paul said, but others did not.25 So they argued and began leaving after Paul said one more thing to them: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

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‘Go to this people and say:
You will listen and listen, but you will not understand.
You will look and look, but you will not learn,

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because these people have become stubborn.
They don’t hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise, they might really understand
what they see with their eyes
and hear with their ears.
They might really understand in their minds
and come back to me and be healed.’

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“I want you to know that God has also sent his salvation to all nations, and they will listen!” [29 After Paul said this, the Jews left. They were arguing very much with each other.]

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Paul stayed two full years in his own rented house and welcomed all people who came to visit him.31 He boldly preached about the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, and no one stopped him.

Romans 1

1 From Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus. God called me to be an apostle and chose me to tell the Good News.

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God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets, as it is written in the Holy Scriptures.3-4 The Good News is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. As a man, he was born from the family of David. But through the Spirit of holiness he was declared to be God’s Son with great power by rising from the dead.5 Through Christ, God gave me the special work of an apostle, which was to lead people of all nations to believe and obey. I do this work for him.6 And you who are in Rome are also called to belong to Jesus Christ.

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To all of you in Rome whom God loves and has called to be his holy people:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

A Prayer of Thanks

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First I want to say that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because people everywhere in the world are talking about your faith.9 God, whom I serve with my whole heart by telling the Good News about his Son, knows that I always mention you10 every time I pray. I pray that I will be allowed to come to you, and this will happen if God wants it.11 I want very much to see you, to give you some spiritual gift to make you strong.12 I mean that I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you.13 Brothers and sisters, I want you to know that I planned many times to come to you, but this has not been possible. I wanted to come so that I could help you grow spiritually as I have helped the other non-Jewish people.14 I have a duty to all people—Greeks and those who are not Greeks, the wise and the foolish.15 That is why I want so much to preach the Good News to you in Rome.16 I am not ashamed of the Good News, because it is the power God uses to save everyone who believes—to save the Jews first, and then to save non-Jews.17 The Good News shows how God makes people right with himself—that it begins and ends with faith. As the Scripture says, “But those who are right with God will live by faith.”

All People Have Done Wrong

18 God’s anger is shown from heaven against all the evil and wrong things people do. By their own evil lives they hide the truth.19 God shows his anger because some knowledge of him has been made clear to them. Yes, God has shown himself to them.20 There are things about him that people cannot see—his eternal power and all the things that make him God. But since the beginning of the world those things have been easy to understand by what God has made. So people have no excuse for the bad things they do.21 They knew God, but they did not give glory to God or thank him. Their thinking became useless. Their foolish minds were filled with darkness.22 They said they were wise, but they became fools.23 They traded the glory of God who lives forever for the worship of idols made to look like earthly people, birds, animals, and snakes.

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Because they did these things, God left them and let them go their sinful way, wanting only to do evil. As a result, they became full of sexual sin, using their bodies wrongly with each other.25 They traded the truth of God for a lie. They worshiped and served what had been created instead of the God who created those things, who should be praised forever. Amen.

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Because people did those things, God left them and let them do the shameful things they wanted to do. Women stopped having natural sex and started having sex with other women.27 In the same way, men stopped having natural sex and began wanting each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and in their bodies they received the punishment for those wrongs.

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People did not think it was important to have a true knowledge of God. So God left them and allowed them to have their own worthless thinking and to do things they should not do.29 They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, selfishness, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst about each other. They gossip30 and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude and conceited and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They do not obey their parents.31 They are foolish, they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or mercy to others.32 They know God’s law says that those who live like this should die. But they themselves not only continue to do these evil things, they applaud others who do them.