ƐYI 26

“Oyēeyī Kú Ɔ̄cɛ Dúúmā Kú Aá Í Gáā Yíífi Ŋ́”

GBƆƆ

Eko nɛ ugbeenyi nɛ Upɔlu yɛ anu a ca tu eŋkpɔ a, ó mafu ɔtu okpoce nɛhi mla ihɔtu lɛ ācɛ

Ŋma Ɔkpá Ku Úklɔ́ Kú Ācotɛ̄hɔ̄ 27:1–28:10

1, 2. Ɛdɔ iyawu oligbo nyá nɛ Upɔlu géē nyɔ piii ɛyi eŋkpɔ a, ɔdi kē lɔfu yɔ i junwalu lɛ ɔ ipu ɔtu a?

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3. Ɔdi nɛ Upɔlu lɛ ɔtu ku nu ya ekponu ō ya a, ɔdi nɛ alɔ kē gáā kɛla lɛyikwu ɔ ipu ikpɛyi ɛlā nyā a?

³ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

“Owu Nōo Yɔ̄ Ī Tá Ā [Gē] Lɛyíkwu Alɔ” (Úklɔ́ Kú Ācotɛ̄hɔ̄ 27:1-7a)

4. Ɛdɔ ugbeenyi nyá nɛ Upɔlu yɛ anu eko nɛ ó gbo iyawu ku nu a, anyɛ kéē wɛ acɛnyilɔ ɛpa nōo yɛ mla anu a?

⁴ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

SEA TRAVEL AND TRADE ROUTES

In the ancient world, ships were principally used to transport cargo, not to accommodate passengers. Travelers who wanted to make a voyage had to look for a merchant vessel that was about to sail in the desired direction, haggle over the price of passage, and then wait until the ship sailed.

Thousands of vessels crisscrossed the Mediterranean to transport foodstuffs and other merchandise. Many who secured passage on such ships would have to sleep on deck, perhaps under a tentlike shelter that they themselves erected at night and dismantled each morning. They would also have to take with them all that they needed for the journey, including food and bedding.

The duration of voyages depended entirely on the winds. Because of inclement weather during the winter, navigation was generally considered closed from mid-November to mid-March.

5. Anyɛ nɛ Upɔlu má Usidɔn a, ɔdi nɛ ɛnyā kē lɔfu ta alɔ abɔ ku alɔ gbɛla lɛyikwu ɔ a?

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6-8. Ɛga ɛyɛɛyɛyi ɔhá nyá nɛ Upɔlu nyɔ igbihi nɛ ó ŋma Usidɔn a, ɛga ɛyɛɛyɛyi nyá nɛ Upɔlu lɔfu lɛ ō tɔɔna a?

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⁷ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

⁸ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

THE CONTRARY WINDS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN

The wind and the season greatly affected where and when ancient merchant ships sailed the Mediterranean, or the Great Sea. On the sea’s eastern end, the wind usually blew from west to east during midyear. This made sailing eastward easier, as Paul experienced while returning from his third missionary tour. He and his companions were on a ship that left Miletus, passed Rhodes, and docked at Patara. It was almost a straight run from there to Tyre, on the coast of Phoenicia. Luke writes that they passed Cyprus on their left, meaning that they sailed to the south of Cyprus.—Acts 21:1-3.

What about sailing in the opposite direction, going westward? Ships might move westward along a similar route if the wind permitted. But sometimes that was virtually impossible. “In winter,” states The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “the atmosphere is much less stable and powerful cyclones move eastward across the Mediterranean bringing with them strong winds, sometimes of gale force, and often torrential rain or even snow.” Under such conditions, the hazards were great.

In almost any season, vessels close to shore could move northward up the coast of Palestine and continue westward by Pamphylia. On the latter stretch, breezes from the mainland and west-flowing currents could help ships. That was the case with the vessel on which prisoner Paul made the first leg of his trip to Rome. Yet, the winds could turn contrary. (Acts 27:4) The grain ship that figured prominently in Luke’s account may have sailed north from Egypt and then around into the protected waters between Cyprus and Asia Minor. From Myra, the captain intended to keep going westward—around the tip of Greece and up the west coast of Italy. (Acts 27:5, 6) However, the wind and the season held something else in store for that voyage!

“Owu Olɔfú Nɛ̄hi Ā Yɔ̄ Ī Tá Gɔbɔ̄ɔ̄bū” (Úklɔ́ Kú Ācotɛ̄hɔ̄ 27:7b-26)

9, 10. Unwalu nyá néē má abɔ é le ba lɛ Ukrɛti a?

⁹ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

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11. Ukɔ́ nyá nɛ Upɔlu tu ācɛ nōo yɔ ipu ugbeenyi mla ɔ a, amáŋ ɔdi néē kē miya ō ya a?

¹¹ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

12. Igbihi néē ŋma Ukrɛti a, unwalu nyá géē yɛ i ya da ugbeenyi a, ɔdi néē kē ya o ya ɛɛ ku ugbeenyi a kóō hii gā ipu unwalu a ŋ ma?

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13. Ɛgɛnyá nɛ oyeeyi lɛ lɛ Upɔlu ipu iyawu ku nu o bu ipu ugbeenyi a?

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14, 15. (a) Eko nɛ Upɔlu yɔ i kɛla lɛ ācɛ nōo yɔ ipu ugbeenyi mla ɔ a, ɔdiya ɛɛ nɛ ó lɛ okonu kwu ukɔ́ nɛ ó tu uwa eko aflɛyi a? (b) Ɔdi nɛ alɔ lɔfu nwu ŋma ɛlā ō tu ɔtu kwu ɔtu nɛ Upɔlu ka lɛ ācɛ a?

¹⁴ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

¹⁵ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

‘Ɛjɛ̄ɛ̄jī Alɔ Le Pɛ́ Wɛ̄ɛcɛ Ɛbɔ́’ (Úklɔ́ Kú Ācotɛ̄hɔ̄ 27:27-44)

“He . . . gave thanks to God before them all.”—Acts 27:35

16, 17. (a) Eko nyá nɛ Upɔlu gbɔɔkɔ a, ɔdi kē ya igbihi nɛ ó lɛ ɔkɔ gba a? (b) Ɛgɛnyá nɛ ɛlā nɛ Upɔlu ka gbɔbu a gáā ya jila a?

¹⁶ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

¹⁷ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

‘E Miyɛ Alɔ Lɔɔlɔhi Ɔwɛ Nōó Lɛ Ɛdɔ Ŋ’ (Úklɔ́ Kú Ācotɛ̄hɔ̄ 28:1-10)

18-20. Ɛgɛnyá nɛ ācɛ ku Umalta ‘miyɛ ācɛ a lɔɔlɔhi ɔwɛ nōó lɛ ɛdɔ ŋ’ ma, uklɔ idaago nyá nɛ Ɔwɔico kē bi Upɔlu ya a?

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¹⁹ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

²⁰ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

21. (a) Ocabɔ ōhī nyá le kpaakpa amāŋ lɛ yiili ɛgɛ nōó lɛ a nɛ alɔ má ipu ɔkpá ku Uluku a? (b) Uklɔ idaago nyá nɛ Upɔlu ya a, ɛgɛnyá nɛ ɛnyā kē lɛ abɔ kwu ācɛ ku Umalta a?

²¹ Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

22. (a) Ɛgɛnyá nɛ ɔcɛ ō jé ɔkpá nɛhi éyi cɛtra ɔkpá ku Uluku ku ɛgɛ nōó kɛla lɛyikwu iyawu nɛ ācɛ a nyɔ gā Urom o bu ipu ugbeenyi a? (b) Ɔdi nɛ alɔ géē kɛla lɛyikwu ɔ ipu ikpɛyi ɛlā ɔhá a?

²² Jé Ipu Uce Ku Oyibo

MALTA—WHERE?

Various islands have at times been suggested as the “Malta” where Paul was shipwrecked. One theory singled out an island near Corfu, off the western coast of Greece. Another suggestion is based on the word for “Malta” used in Acts. That Greek word is Me·liʹte. Therefore, some have pointed to Melite Illyrica, now known as Mljet, located off the coast of Croatia, in the Adriatic Sea.

Granted, Acts 27:27 does mention “the Sea of Adria,” but in Paul’s day “Adria” applied to an area larger than the present Adriatic Sea. It included the Ionian Sea and waters east of Sicily and west of Crete, thus encompassing the sea near modern-day Malta.

The ship on which Paul traveled was forced southward from Cnidus to below Crete. In view of the prevailing winds in that storm, it is hardly likely that the ship then turned and sailed as far northward as Mljet or an island near Corfu. So a more likely location for Malta would be farther to the west. That makes the island of Malta, south of Sicily, the probable location where the shipwreck occurred.

AƆKPA MLA ƆKPA NƐŊCƐ́