But the commander wanted to save Paul’s life, so he kept the soldiers from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and swim to land.
Since it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a Roman commander named Julius. He belonged to the Imperial Guard and led 100 men.
He’d been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They depended on the king’s country to supply them with food, so they got together and asked for a meeting with him. They gained the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, and through him asked for peace.
“Woe to you, Chorazin!” he said. “Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that I did in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have turned away from their sins long ago. They would have put on mourning clothes and sat down in ashes.