before whom also I speak freely.* For I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a 27 corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the 28 prophets? I know that thou believest. Then

Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou almost per29 suadest me to be a Christian. And Paul said, I would to God, that not only thou, but also all who hear me this day, were almost, and even wholly such as I am, expect these bonds.

30

And when he had thus spoken, the king rose up, and the governor, and Bernice, and they 31 who sat with them. And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man hath done nothing deserving death or imprisonment. Then Agrippa said unto Festus, This man might have been set at liberty, if he had not appealed unto Cæsar.

* Agrippa had been born and educated in Judea, and must have known much more of the prophecies respecting Christ and of the history of Jesus and his apostles, than Festus, who was a Roman, and lately come into the country.

† The miracles and preaching of Jesus were not confined to an obscure place, nor witnessed only by his disciples. The rulers of the Jews were also witnesses of his doctrines and his wonderful works. Jesus taught publicly, and in presence of great multitudes of people. The apostle might also have reference to his own character; his former opposition to the gospel, his conversion, &c. For these events were very notorious,

CHAP. XXVII.

AND when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners unto a centurion of Au2 gustus' band, named Julius. And entering into a ship of Adramyttium,* we set sail, intending to pass along the coasts of Asia, (one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica,† 3 being with us.) And the next day we touched at Sidon. Ánd Julius treated Paul very kindly, and allowed him to visit his friends 4 and to partake of their favors. And departing thence, we sailed within the island of Cyprus, 5 because the winds were contrary. And sailing along the coasts of Cilicia and Pamphylia, 6 we came to Myra, a port of Lycia. And there

the centurion put us on board a vessel of Al7 exandria, bound to Italy. And when we had sailed slowly many days, and had scarcely come over against Cnidus, the wind not suf fering us, we sailed under the island of Crete 8 over against Salmone: And passing it with difficulty, we came unto a place which is called the Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.

9

Now when much time had elapsed, and the sailing had become dangerous, (for the fast

A port in Mysia, the most western province of Asia Minor.

† Thessalonica was a city of Macedonia, in which Paul made many converts to the Christian faith; and to whom he addressed two epistles.

was now already past,)* Paul admonished 10 them. And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be attended with injury and much damage, not only of the lading and 11 ship, but also of our lives. But the centurion regarded rather the master and the pilot of the 12 ship, than the opinion of Paul. And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the greater part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might reach Phenice, to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lies toward the south-west, and north-west. 13 And when the south wind blew softly, sup.

posing they were secure of their object, they 14 set sail and passed close by Crete. But not

long after, there arose against it a tempestuous, 15 wind, called Euroclydon. And when the

ship was caught, and could not bear up into 16 the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Claudia, we were scarcely able to manage the boat: 17 And when they had taken it up, they made use of the rigging to bind the ship beneath; and fearing lest they should fall upon quicksands, they took in the sail, and were driven 18 by the wind. And being exceedingly tossed with the tempest, the next day they lightened 19 the ship; and on the third day we cast out

with our own hands the tackling of the ship. 20 And when neither sun nor stars for many days

*This fast was a holy day of the Jews, which happened in September, when the weather became tempestuous in that region,

21

appeared, and a great tempest lay on us, all hope of being saved was taken away.

But after long abstinence, Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have departed from Crete, and been subject to this harm and 22 loss. And now I exhort you to take courage; for there shall be no loss of life among you, 23 but of the ship. For there stood by me this

night an angel of God, whose I am, and whom 24 I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Cæsar and lo, God hath given thee all them who sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be encouraged: for I believe

God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 26 However, we must be cast upon a certain -27 island. But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic sea,* about midnight the mariners 28 supposed that they drew near to land:

And

and

sounded, and found it twenty fathoms when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms. 29 Then fearing, lest they should have fallen upon

rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, 30 and wished the day would come. And as the mariners were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under pretence that they would have cast 31 anchors from the fore part of the ship, Paul

* The Adriatic sea, so called by the ancients, is a large bay (or inlet) of the Mediterranean, lying between Italy and Greece. It is now called the Gulph of Venice.

said to the centurion, and to the soldiers,

Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be 32 saved. Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of 33 the boat, and let her fall off. And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take food, saying, This is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried, and continued fast34 ing, having taken nothing. Wherefore I pray you to take food; for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of 35 any of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all; and when he had broken 36 it, he began to eat. Then they were all en37 couraged, and took food. And we were in

all, in the ship, two hundred,, threescore and! 38 sixteen souls. And when they had eaten

enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out 39 the wheat into the sea. And when it was day, they knew not the land; but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into which they were determined, if it were possible, to thrust 40 the ship. And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed her unto the sea, and loosed the rudder-bands, and hoisted up the main-sail to the wind, and made toward 41 shore. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the fore-part stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder-part was broken with the vic42 lence of the waves. And the soldiers' advice was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them 43 should swim away and escape. But the centurion, desirous to save Paul, kept them from