12. And that harbor was not a good place for the ship to stay for the winter. So most of the men decided that the ship should leave. The men hoped we could go to Phoenix. The ship could stay there for the winter. (Phoenix was a city on the island of Crete. It had a harbor which faced southwest and northwest.)
13. Then 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. We sailed very close to the island of Crete.
14. But then a very strong wind named the “Northeaster” came from the island.
15. This wind took the ship and carried it away. The ship could not sail against it. So we stopped trying and let the wind blow us.
16. We went below a small island named Cauda. Then we were able to bring in the lifeboat, but it was very hard to do.
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 they threw out the ship’s equipment.
20. For many days we could not see the sun or the stars. The storm was very bad. We lost all hope of staying alive—we thought we would die.
21. The men had gone without food for a long time. Then one day Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, I told you not to leave Crete. You should have listened to me. Then you would not have all this trouble and loss.
22. But now I tell you to cheer up. None of you will die! But the ship will be lost.
23. Last night an angel from God came to me. This is the God I worship. I am his.