When the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven through the Adriatic, about midnight the sailors surmised that land was getting near. Sounding they found twenty fathoms, and after a little they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms. Then fearing that they might run into rocky places, they cast out four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. The sailors were intent on escaping from the ship and lowered the small boat into the sea under the pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, but Paul said to the Centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved." Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the small boat and let her fall off. Until day began to dawn, Paul kept urging all to take food. He said, "To-day is the fourteenth day that you have been on the watch fasting, not taking anything. Therefore, I beg you, take some food. For this is for your safety. Not a hair of the head of any one of you is going to perish." Saying this he took a loaf and gave thanks to God before all and broke it and began to eat. Then all cheered up and themselves took food. We in the ship were in all two hundred and seventysix souls. After eating heartily, they lightened the ship, throwing over the wheat into the sea.

When day came they did not recognize the land, but they observed a bay with a beach. Into this they planned to run the ship if they could. So abandoning the anchors they left them in the sea; at the same time loosening the bands of the steering oars and raising the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. But falling into a place where there were cross-currents they ran the ship aground. The bow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was breaking up under the violence of the sea.

The soldiers' advice was to kill the prisoners for fear that some one of them might swim out and escape. But the Centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them back from their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to shore, and the rest to follow, some on boards and some on things from the ship. And so all got safe to land.

XXVIII

WHEN we were safe ashore, we found that the island was called Melita. The foreign people showed us uncommon kindness. For they kindled a fire and welcomed us all because of the rain that was falling and the cold. Paul had collected a bundle of sticks and laid it on the fire, when a snake came out of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the foreigners saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "Certainly this man is a murderer, whom, although he has escaped the sea, Justice does not permit to live." He however shook off the creature into the fire and felt no harm. They kept watching to see him swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after watching a long time and seeing nothing amiss happen to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

In the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the Governor of the island, whose name was Publius. He welcomed us and for three days hospitably entertained us. It happened that the father of Publius was lying ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and prayed and laid his hands on him and healed him. After this happened, the rest in the island who had infirmities came also and were healed. They bestowed many honors on us and when we sailed they put on board supplies for our needs.

After three months we sailed in a ship that had wintered in the island. She was from Alexandria and her figure-head was the Twin Brothers. Landing at Syracuse we remained there three days. From there we came around and got to Rhegium. After one day there, a south wind sprang up and we came on the second day to Puteoli. Here we found brethren and were begged by them to stay seven days. And so we came to Rome.

From there the brethren, when they got news of us, came to meet us as far as the Market of Appius and the Three Taverns. On seeing them Paul thanked God and took courage. When we reached Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier who guarded him.

After three days he invited the leading men among the Jews, and when they had assembled, he said to them, "Brethren,

although I had done nothing against our people or our ancestral customs, I was delivered up as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. They, after investigating my case, wished to set me free because I had done nothing deserving of death. But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Cæsar, not that I have any charge to bring against my own nation. For this reason I have invited you to see me and talk with me; because it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I have this chain around me."

They said to him, "We on our part have received no letters about you from Judæa nor has any one of the brethren come and reported or spoken anything evil of you. We think it well to hear from you what your views are; for as to this sect we know that it is everywhere spoken against."

They appointed a day for him and many came to him at his lodging. He explained to them, testifying to the kingdom of God, trying to persuade them concerning Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from early morning until evening. Some were persuaded by what he said and some did not believe. They dispersed, disagreeing with one another, after Paul had said one word, "Well said the Holy Spirit through Isaiah, the prophet, to your fathers, 'Go to this people and say, You will hear plainly but you will not understand, and you will see plainly but you will not perceive. For the heart of this people has grown fat and with their ears they are hard of hearing and their eyes they have shut, so that they may never see with their eyes nor hear with their ears nor understand with their heart and repent, so that I may heal them.' Therefore be it known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. They will listen."

Paul remained two whole years in his own rented lodging and received all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all freedom of speech, unhindered.

PAUL'S LETTER TO THE ROMANS

I

PAUL, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart to bear the good news of God, which he foretold through his prophets in Holy Scripture, concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord (who became one of the descendants of David according to the flesh, and was with power proved to be the Son of God according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead); through whom we obtained grace and apostleship to promote obedience of faith for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, among whom are you, called by Jesus Christ; to all who are in Rome, beloved by God, called to be holy:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

First of all I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is spoken of through all the world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the good news of his Son, is my witness how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers asking if I may somehow at some time by the will of God find the way open to come to you. For I long to see you that I may impart to you some spiritual gift of grace in order that you may be strengthened, that is, that I may be encouraged with you and by you through our mutual faith, yours and mine. I am not willing that you should be ignorant, brethren, that often I have purposed to come to you (though until now I have been hindered), in order that I might have some fruit among you as among the other Gentiles. I am a debtor to Greeks and to Barbarians, to wise men and to unthinking men; so, for my part, I am eager to tell the good news also to you in Rome.

For I am not ashamed of the good news. It is the power of God for salvation to every one who believes, to the Jew first

and also to the Greek. For a righteousness of God is revealed in it from faith to faith, as it is written, "He who is righteous by faith shall live."

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all impiety and wickedness of men who hold the truth but practice unrighteousness. Because what may be known of God is manifest within them, for God has manifested it to them. For God's invisible qualities - his everlasting power and deity are, since the creation of the world, clearly seen, being known from what he has made. So they are without any excuse. For although they knew God they did not glorify him as God and did not give him thanks, but fell into futile speculations and their stupid hearts were darkened. Boasting of being wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into images of mortal man, and of birds and beasts and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them over, in the lusts of their hearts, to uncleanness, to dishonor their bodies mutually. They changed the truth of God into a lie, and reverenced and paid worship to the creature rather than to the Creator who is blessed forever, Amen! Therefore God gave them over to disgraceful passions. For their females changed the natural use for one contrary to nature, and their males, leaving the natural use of the female, burned in their lust for one another, males with males practicing indecency and receiving in themselves the deserved penalty of their error.

And as they did not think fit to keep God in their knowledge, God gave them over to an abandoned mind, to do the things that are shameful, filled with all injustice, wickedness, greed, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, fraud, malignant craftiness, whisperers, slanderers, hateful to God, insolent, arrogant, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without common sense, without faithfulness, without family affection, without pity. They know the just judgment of God that those who practice such things are worthy of death, yet they not only do them themselves, but are pleased with those who practice them.