Daily Text and Bible Reading: Thursday, November 28 [Press play below]

27.1 Now as it was decided for us to sail away to Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to an army officer named Julius, of the unit of Augustus.
27.2 Going aboard a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to ports along the coast of the province of Asia, we set sail; Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.
27.3 The next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul with kindness and permitted him to go to his friends and enjoy their care.
27.4 And putting out to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.
27.5 Then we navigated through the open sea along Cilicia and Pamphylia and put into port at Myra in Lycia.
27.6 There the army officer found a ship from Alexandria that was sailing for Italy, and he made us board it.
27.7 Then after sailing on slowly quite a number of days, we came to Cnidus with difficulty. Because the wind did not let us make headway, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone.
27.8 And sailing with difficulty along the coast, we came to a place called Fair Havens, which was near the city of Lasea.
27.9 A considerable time had passed and by now it was hazardous to navigate, because even the fast of Atonement Day was already over, so Paul made a recommendation
27.10 to them: “Men, I can see that this voyage is going to result in damage and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship but also of our lives.”
27.11 However, the army officer listened to the pilot and the shipowner rather than to what Paul was saying.
27.12 Since the harbor was unsuitable for wintering, the majority advised setting sail from there to see if they could somehow make it to spend the winter in Phoenix, a harbor of Crete that opens toward the northeast and toward the southeast.
27.13 When the south wind blew softly, they thought they had achieved their purpose, and they lifted anchor and began sailing along Crete close to the shore.
27.14 After a short time, however, a violent wind called Euroaquilo rushed down on it.
27.15 As the ship was violently seized and was not able to keep its head against the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.
27.16 Then we ran under the shelter of a small island called Cauda, and yet we were hardly able to get the skiff at the stern of the ship under control.
27.17 But after hoisting it aboard, they used supports to undergird the ship, and fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear and so were driven along.
27.18 Because we were being violently tossed by the storm, they began to lighten the ship the following day.
27.19 And on the third day, they threw away the tackling of the ship with their own hands.
27.20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent storm was battering us, all hope of our being saved finally began to fade.
27.21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up in their midst and said: “Men, you certainly should have taken my advice and not have put out to sea from Crete and as a result suffered this damage and loss.
27.22 Still, I now urge you to take courage, for not one of you will be lost, only the ship will.
27.23 This night an angel of the God to whom I belong and to whom I render sacred service stood by me
27.24 and said: ‘Have no fear, Paul. You must stand before Caesar, and look! God has granted to you all those sailing with you.’
27.25 So take courage, men, for I believe God that it will be exactly as I was told.
27.26 However, we must be cast ashore on some island.”
27.27 Now when the 14th night fell and we were being tossed about on the Sea of Adria, at midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were getting near to some land.
27.28 They sounded the depth and found it 20 fathoms, so they proceeded a short distance and again made a sounding and found it 15 fathoms.
27.29 And fearing that we might run aground on the rocks, they cast out four anchors from the stern and began wishing for it to become day.
27.30 But when the sailors began trying to escape from the ship and were lowering the skiff into the sea under the pretense of intending to let down anchors from the bow,
27.31 Paul said to the army officer and the soldiers: “Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be saved.”
27.32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.
27.33 Now close to daybreak, Paul encouraged them all to take some food, saying: “Today is the 14th day you have been waiting anxiously, and you have gone without taking any food at all.
27.34 So I encourage you to eat some food; this is in the interests of your safety, for not a hair of the head of any one of you will perish.”
27.35 After he said this, he took bread, gave thanks to God before them all, broke it, and started eating.
27.36 So they all took courage and began taking some food themselves.
27.37 In all we were 276 persons in the ship.
27.38 When they had eaten enough food to be satisfied, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat overboard into the sea.
27.39 When daylight came, they could not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a beach and were determined to beach the ship there if they could.
27.40 So they cut away the anchors and let them fall into the sea, at the same time loosening the lashings of the rudder oars; and after hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach.
27.41 When they struck a shoal washed on each side by the sea, they ran the ship aground and the bow got stuck and stayed immovable, but the stern began to be violently broken to pieces by the waves.
27.42 At this the soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so that no one might swim away and escape.
27.43 But the army officer was determined to bring Paul safely through and prevented them from carrying out their plan. He commanded those able to swim to jump into the sea and make it to land first,
27.44 and the rest were to follow, some on planks and some on pieces of the ship. So all were brought safely to land.
28.1 After we made it to safety, we learned that the island was called Malta.
28.2 And the foreign-speaking people showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and received all of us kindly because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold.
28.3 But when Paul collected a bundle of sticks and laid it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.
28.4 When the foreign-speaking people caught sight of the venomous creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another: “Surely this man is a murderer, and although he made it to safety from the sea, Justice did not permit him to keep on living.”
28.5 However, he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm.
28.6 But they were expecting him to swell up or suddenly to drop dead. After they waited for a long time and saw that nothing bad happened to him, they changed their mind and began saying he was a god.
28.7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the principal man of the island, whose name was Publius, and he welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days.
28.8 It so happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed sick with fever and dysentery, and Paul went in to him and prayed, laid his hands on him, and healed him.
28.9 After this occurred, the rest of the people on the island who were sick also began to come to him and be cured.
28.10 They also honored us with many gifts, and when we were setting sail, they loaded us up with whatever we needed.
28.11 Three months later we set sail in a ship with the figurehead “Sons of Zeus.” The ship was from Alexandria and had wintered in the island.
28.12 Putting into port at Syracuse, we remained there for three days;
28.13 from there we went along and arrived at Rhegium. A day later a south wind sprang up and we made it into Puteoli on the second day.
28.14 Here we found brothers and were urged to remain with them for seven days, and so we went toward Rome.
28.15 From there the brothers, when they heard the news about us, came as far as the Marketplace of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On catching sight of them, Paul thanked God and took courage.
28.16 When finally we entered Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself with the soldier guarding him.
28.17 However, three days later he called together the principal men of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them: “Men, brothers, although I had done nothing contrary to the people or the customs of our forefathers, I was handed over as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
28.18 And after making an examination, they wanted to release me, for there were no grounds for putting me to death.
28.19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, but not because I had any accusation to make against my nation.
28.20 So for this reason I asked to see and speak to you, for it is because of the hope of Israel that I have this chain around me.”
28.21 They said to him: “We have not received letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the brothers who came from there reported or spoken anything bad about you.
28.22 But we think it proper to hear from you what your thoughts are, for truly as regards this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.”
28.23 They now arranged for a day to meet with him, and they came in even greater numbers to him in his lodging place. And from morning to evening, he explained the matter to them by bearing thorough witness concerning the Kingdom of God, to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets.
28.24 Some began to believe the things he said; others would not believe.
28.25 So because they disagreed with one another, they began to leave, and Paul made this one comment: “The holy spirit aptly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your forefathers,
28.26 saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “You will indeed hear but by no means understand, and you will indeed look but by no means see.
28.27 For the heart of this people has grown unreceptive, and with their ears they have heard without response, and they have shut their eyes, so that they might never see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn back and I heal them.”’
28.28 So let it be known to you that this salvation from God has been sent out to the nations; they will certainly listen to it.”
28.29 ——
28.30 So he remained there for an entire two years in his own rented house, and he would kindly receive all those who came to him,
28.31 preaching the Kingdom of God to them and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with the greatest freeness of speech, without hindrance.