prEritAH 27
1 jalapathEnAsmAkam itOliyAdEzaM prati yAtrAyAM nizcitAyAM satyAM tE yUliyanAmnO mahArAjasya saMghAtAntargatasya sEnApatEH samIpE paulaM tadanyAn katinayajanAMzca samArpayan|
Now when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they handed over Paul and a few other prisoners into the custody of Julius, a Captain of the Augustan battalion;
2 vayam AdrAmuttIyaM pOtamEkam Aruhya AziyAdEzasya taTasamIpEna yAtuM matiM kRtvA laggaram utthApya pOtam amOcayAma; mAkidaniyAdEzasthathiSalanIkInivAsyAristArkhanAmA kazcid janO'smAbhiH sArddham AsIt|
and going on board a ship of Adramyttium which was about to sail to the ports of the province of Asia, we put to sea; Aristarchus, the Macedonian, from Thessalonica, forming one of our party.
3 parasmin divasE 'smAbhiH sIdOnnagarE pOtE lAgitE tatra yUliyaH sEnApatiH paulaM prati saujanyaM pradarthya sAntvanArthaM bandhubAndhavAn upayAtum anujajnjau|
The next day we put in at Sidon. There Julius treated Paul with thoughtful kindness and allowed him to visit his friends and profit by their generous care.
4 tasmAt pOtE mOcitE sati sammukhavAyOH sambhavAd vayaM kuprOpadvIpasya tIrasamIpEna gatavantaH|
Putting to sea again, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us;
5 kilikiyAyAH pAmphUliyAyAzca samudrasya pAraM gatvA lUkiyAdEzAntargataM murAnagaram upAtiSThAma|
and, sailing the whole length of the sea that lies off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.
6 tatsthAnAd itAliyAdEzaM gacchati yaH sikandariyAnagarasya pOtastaM tatra prApya zatasEnApatistaM pOtam asmAn ArOhayat|
There Julius found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy, and put us on board of her.
7 tataH paraM bahUni dinAni zanaiH zanaiH rgatvA knIdapArzvOpasthtiH pUrvvaM pratikUlEna pavanEna vayaM salmOnyAH sammukham upasthAya krItyupadvIpasya tIrasamIpEna gatavantaH|
It took several days of slow sailing for us to come with difficulty off Cnidus; from which point, as the wind did not allow us to get on in the direct course, we ran under the lee of Crete by Salmone.
8 kaSTEna tamuttIryya lAsEyAnagarasyAdhaH sundaranAmakaM khAtam upAtiSThAma|
Then, coasting along with difficulty, we reached a place called 'Fair Havens,' near the town of Lasea.
9 itthaM bahutithaH kAlO yApita upavAsadinanjcAtItaM, tatkAraNAt nauvartmani bhayagkarE sati paulO vinayEna kathitavAn,
Our voyage thus far had occupied a considerable time, and the navigation being now unsafe and the Fast also already over, Paul warned them.
10 hE mahEcchA ahaM nizcayaM jAnAmi yAtrAyAmasyAm asmAkaM klEzA bahUnAmapacayAzca bhaviSyanti, tE kEvalaM pOtasAmagryOriti nahi, kintvasmAkaM prANAnAmapi|
"Sirs," he said, "I perceive that before long the voyage will be attended with danger and heavy loss, not only to the cargo and the ship but to our own lives also."
11 tadA zatasEnApatiH paulOktavAkyatOpi karNadhArasya pOtavaNijazca vAkyaM bahumaMsta|
But Julius let himself be persuaded by the pilot and by the owner rather than by Paul's arguments;
12 tat khAtaM zItakAlE vAsArhasthAnaM na tasmAd avAcIpratIcOrdizOH krItyAH phainIkiyakhAtaM yAtuM yadi zaknuvantastarhi tatra zItakAlaM yApayituM prAyENa sarvvE mantrayAmAsuH|
and as the harbour was inconvenient for wintering in, the majority were in favour of putting out to sea, to try whether they could get to Phoenix--a harbour on the coast of Crete facing north-east and south-east--to winter there.
13 tataH paraM dakSiNavAyu rmandaM vahatIti vilOkya nijAbhiprAyasya siddhEH suyOgO bhavatIti buddhvA pOtaM mOcayitvA krItyupadvIpasya tIrasamIpEna calitavantaH|
And a light breeze from the south sprang up, so that they supposed they were now sure of their purpose. So weighing anchor they ran along the coast of Crete, hugging the shore.
14 kintvalpakSaNAt paramEva urakludOnnAmA pratikUlaH pracaNPO vAyu rvahan pOtE'lagIt
But it was not long before a furious north-east wind, coming down from the mountains, burst upon us and carried the ship out of her course.
15 tasyAbhimukhaM gantum pOtasyAzaktatvAd vayaM vAyunA svayaM nItAH|
She was unable to make headway against the gale; so we gave up and let her drive.
16 anantaraM klaudInAmna upadvIpasya kUlasamIpEna pOtaM gamayitvA bahunA kaSTEna kSudranAvam arakSAma|
Then we ran under the lee of a little island called Cauda, where we managed with great difficulty to secure the boat;
17 tE tAmAruhya rajjcA pOtasyAdhObhAgam abadhnan tadanantaraM cEt pOtO saikatE lagatIti bhayAd vAtavasanAnyamOcayan tataH pOtO vAyunA cAlitaH|
and, after hoisting it on board, they used frapping-cables to undergird the ship, and, as they were afraid of being driven on the Syrtis quicksands, they lowered the gear and lay to.
18 kintu kramazO vAyOH prabalatvAt pOtO dOlAyamAnO'bhavat parasmin divasE pOtasthAni katipayAni dravyANi tOyE nikSiptAni|
But, as the storm was still violent, the next day they began to lighten the ship;
19 tRtIyadivasE vayaM svahastaiH pOtasajjanadravyANi nikSiptavantaH|
and, on the third day, with their own hands they threw the ship's spare gear overboard.
20 tatO bahudinAni yAvat sUryyanakSatrAdIni samAcchannAni tatO 'tIva vAtyAgamAd asmAkaM prANarakSAyAH kApi pratyAzA nAtiSThat|
Then, when for several days neither sun nor stars were seen and the terrific gale still harassed us, the last ray of hope was now vanishing.
21 bahudinESu lOkairanAhArENa yApitESu sarvvESAM sAkSat paulastiSThan akathayat, hE mahEcchAH krItyupadvIpAt pOtaM na mOcayitum ahaM pUrvvaM yad avadaM tadgrahaNaM yuSmAkam ucitam AsIt tathA kRtE yuSmAkam ESA vipad ESO'pacayazca nAghaTiSyEtAm|
When for a long time they had taken but little food, Paul, standing up among them, said, "Sirs, you ought to have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete. You would then have escaped this suffering and loss.
22 kintu sAmprataM yuSmAn vinIya bravImyahaM, yUyaM na kSubhyata yuSmAkam EkasyApi prANinO hAni rna bhaviSyati, kEvalasya pOtasya hAni rbhaviSyati|
But now take courage, for there will be no destruction of life among you, but of the ship only.
23 yatO yasyEzvarasya lOkO'haM yanjcAhaM paricarAmi tadIya EkO dUtO hyO rAtrau mamAntikE tiSThan kathitavAn,
For there stood by my side, last night, an angel of the God to whom I belong, and whom also I worship,
24 hE paula mA bhaiSIH kaisarasya sammukhE tvayOpasthAtavyaM; tavaitAn sagginO lOkAn IzvarastubhyaM dattavAn|
and he said, "'Dismiss all fear, Paul, for you must stand before Caesar; and God has granted you the lives of all who are sailing with you.'
25 ataEva hE mahEcchA yUyaM sthiramanasO bhavata mahyaM yA kathAkathi sAvazyaM ghaTiSyatE mamaitAdRzI vizvAsa IzvarE vidyatE,
"Therefore, Sirs, take courage; for I believe God, and am convinced that things will happen exactly as I have been told.
26 kintu kasyacid upadvIpasyOpari patitavyam asmAbhiH|
But we are to be stranded on a certain island."
27 tataH param AdriyAsamudrE pOtastathaiva dOlAyamAnaH san itastatO gacchan caturdazadivasasya rAtrE rdvitIyapraharasamayE kasyacit sthalasya samIpamupatiSThatIti pOtIyalOkA anvamanyanta|
It was now the fourteenth night, and we were drifting through the Sea of Adria, when, about midnight, the sailors suspected that land was close at hand.
28 tatastE jalaM parimAya tatra viMzati rvyAmA jalAnIti jnjAtavantaH| kinjciddUraM gatvA punarapi jalaM parimitavantaH| tatra panjcadaza vyAmA jalAni dRSTvA
So they hove the lead and found twenty fathoms of water; and after a short time they hove again and found fifteen fathoms.
29 cEt pASANE lagatIti bhayAt pOtasya pazcAdbhAgatazcaturO laggarAn nikSipya divAkaram apEkSya sarvvE sthitavantaH|
Then for fear of possibly running on rocks, they threw out four anchors from the stern and waited impatiently for daylight.
30 kintu pOtIyalOkAH pOtAgrabhAgE laggaranikSEpaM chalaM kRtvA jaladhau kSudranAvam avarOhya palAyitum acESTanta|
The sailors, however, wanted to make their escape from the ship, and had lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow.
31 tataH paulaH sEnApatayE sainyagaNAya ca kathitavAn, EtE yadi pOtamadhyE na tiSThanti tarhi yuSmAkaM rakSaNaM na zakyaM|
But Paul, addressing Julius and the soldiers, said, "Your lives will be sacrificed, unless these men remain on board."
32 tadA sEnAgaNO rajjUn chitvA nAvaM jalE patitum adadAt|
Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship's boat and let her fall off.
33 prabhAtasamayE paulaH sarvvAn janAn bhOjanArthaM prArthya vyAharat, adya caturdazadinAni yAvad yUyam apEkSamAnA anAhArAH kAlam ayApayata kimapi nAbhuMgdhaM|
And continually, up till daybreak, Paul kept urging all on board to take some food. "This is the fourteenth day," he said, "that you have been anxiously waiting for the storm to cease, and have fasted, eating little or nothing.
34 atO vinayE'haM bhakSyaM bhujyatAM tatO yuSmAkaM maggalaM bhaviSyati, yuSmAkaM kasyacijjanasya zirasaH kEzaikOpi na naMkSyati|
I therefore strongly advise you to take some food. This is essential for your safety. For not a hair will perish from the head of any one of you."
35 iti vyAhRtya paulaM pUpaM gRhItvEzvaraM dhanyaM bhASamANastaM bhaMktvA bhOktum ArabdhavAn|
Having said this he took some bread, and, after giving thanks to God for it before them all, he broke it in pieces and began to eat it.
36 anantaraM sarvvE ca susthirAH santaH khAdyAni parpyagRhlan|
This raised the spirits of all, and they too took food.
37 asmAkaM pOtE SaTsaptatyadhikazatadvayalOkA Asan|
There were 276 of us, crew and passengers, all told.
38 sarvvESu lOkESu yathESTaM bhuktavatsu pOtasthan gOdhUmAn jaladhau nikSipya taiH pOtasya bhArO laghUkRtaH|
After eating a hearty meal they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat overboard.
39 dinE jAtE'pi sa kO dEza iti tadA na paryyacIyata; kintu tatra samataTam EkaM khAtaM dRSTvA yadi zaknumastarhi vayaM tasyAbhyantaraM pOtaM gamayAma iti matiM kRtvA tE laggarAn chittvA jaladhau tyaktavantaH|
When daylight came, they tried in vain to recognise the coast. But an inlet with a sandy beach attracted their attention, and now their object was, if possible, to run the ship aground in this inlet.
40 tathA karNabandhanaM mOcayitvA pradhAnaM vAtavasanam uttOlya tIrasamIpaM gatavantaH|
So they cut away the anchors and left them in the sea, unloosing at the same time the bands which secured the paddle-rudders. Then, hoisting the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach.
41 kintu dvayOH samudrayOH saggamasthAnE saikatOpari pOtE nikSiptE 'grabhAgE bAdhitE pazcAdbhAgE prabalataraggO'lagat tEna pOtO bhagnaH|
But coming to a place where two seas met, they stranded the ship, and her bow sticking fast remained immovable, while the stern began to go to pieces under the heavy hammering of the sea.
42 tasmAd bandayazcEd bAhubhistarantaH palAyantE ityAzagkayA sEnAgaNastAn hantum amantrayat;
Now the soldiers recommended that the prisoners should be killed, for fear some one of them might swim ashore and effect his escape.
43 kintu zatasEnApatiH paulaM rakSituM prayatnaM kRtvA tAn taccESTAyA nivartya ityAdiSTavAn, yE bAhutaraNaM jAnanti tE'grE prOllampya samudrE patitvA bAhubhistIrttvA kUlaM yAntu|
But their Captain, bent on securing Paul's safety, kept them from their purpose and gave orders that those who could swim should first jump overboard and get to land;
44 aparam avaziSTA janAH kASThaM pOtIyaM dravyaM vA yEna yat prApyatE tadavalambya yAntu; itthaM sarvvE bhUmiM prApya prANai rjIvitAH|
and that the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. In this way they all got safely to land.
