Resource icon

BibleStudyIt Acts 27

  • Acts Chapter 27

Acts 27's Chapter Tabs
Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

Read Chapter

Your Private Notes

Proxy widget

Submit Art

Threads
0
Messages
0
Threads
0
Messages
0
None

Submit Notes

Threads
0
Messages
0
Threads
0
Messages
0
None

Soldiers take Paul to Rome

27 Some time after that, Festus decided that we should sail to Italy. So he commanded a soldier called Julius to guard Paul and some other prisoners. Julius was an officer in the Roman army. He had authority over 100 soldiers in a group called ‘The Emperor Augustus Group’. [ a ]

2 We went onto a ship that had come from Adramyttium. This ship was ready to leave. It would sail to the towns on the coast of Asia region. A man called Aristarchus also sailed with us. He came from a city in Macedonia called Thessalonica.

3 The next day after we left Caesarea, we arrived at Sidon. Julius was kind to Paul. He said, ‘Paul, you can go and visit your friends here. They can give you anything that you need.’ 4 Then we sailed out across the sea again. But the wind was blowing against our ship. So we sailed round the island called Cyprus. We sailed on the side of the island where the wind was not strong. 5 When we were near to Cilicia and Pamphylia, we sailed straight across the sea. Then we arrived at Myra, in the region called Lycia. 6 The Roman officer found another ship there. It had sailed from Alexandria and it would sail to Italy. So the officer put us on this ship. 7 We sailed slowly for several days. It was difficult to sail, but after some time we arrived near the town of Cnidus. Because of the strong wind, we could not continue to sail in that direction. So we sailed along the side of the island called Crete, where the wind was not strong. We sailed past the point of land called Salmone. 8 It was still difficult to sail, so we sailed near to the coast. Then we arrived at a place called ‘Safe Port’. This port was near to the town of Lasea.

9 We remained there for many days. By then it had become dangerous to continue the journey. It was already after the Day of Atonement. [ b ]

So Paul spoke to the army officer and to the sailors. 10 He said, ‘Friends, I understand that now our journey will be dangerous. The ship may break in pieces. You may lose the things that the ship is carrying. All of us may even die.’ 11 But the army officer did not believe what Paul said. Instead, he decided to do what the owner of the ship and the captain said. [ c ]

12 This port was not a good place for a ship to remain during the winter. Most of the men on the ship wanted to continue the journey. They wanted to sail as far as Phoenix, if they could get there. They could stay there for the winter. Phoenix was a port on the island called Crete. It was open to the sea both to the south-west and to the north-west. [ d ]

The ship is in a storm

13 The wind began to blow from the south, but it was not strong. So the sailors thought, ‘Now we can do what we wanted to do. We can sail to Phoenix.’ So they pulled up the ship's anchor and left the port. Then we sailed as near as we could to the coast of Crete.

14 But soon a very strong wind began to blow. This wind blew from the north-east and it blew strongly across the island. 15 The storm hit the ship very powerfully. It was not possible for the sailors to sail the ship straight into the wind. So they did not try to do that any more. Instead, they let the wind blow the ship along. 16 After that, we passed the south end of a small island called Cauda. Here we found a place where the wind did not blow so strongly. The sailors lifted the ship's small boat out of the water to make it safe. 17 They tied it on the ship with ropes. Then they tied some more ropes under the ship so that it would not break in pieces. The men were afraid of what might happen. There were some places along the coast of Libya where the water was not very deep. The ship might hit one of these places and then it might break. So they took the ship's largest sail down. Then they let the wind blow the ship along. 18 The strong storm continued to blow against the ship. The ship was carrying many things. So the next day, the sailors threw some of these things into the sea. 19 The day after that, they took hold of the sails and ropes and they threw them into the sea. 20 For many days, we did not see the sun or any stars. [ e ] The storm continued to blow strongly. So then we thought, ‘It is not possible for us to remain alive.’

21 The men on the ship had not eaten any food for a long time. So Paul stood in front of them and he said, ‘Men, you should have listened to me! We should not have sailed away from Crete. If we had not left there, the ship and everything on it would still be safe. 22 Now I ask you, please be brave. The storm will completely destroy the ship, but not one of you will die. 23 Last night one of God's angels spoke to me. I am a servant of God and I belong to him. He sent his angel to come to me. 24 The angel said, “Paul, do not be afraid. You must go to Rome and Caesar will judge you there. Because of you, God will be kind to all the people on the ship with you. None of them will die.” 25 Because of the angel's message, I say to you, “Be brave, my friends!” I trust God. I know that everything will happen in the way that the angel told me. 26 But the wind will blow the ship so that we hit an island.’

27 The storm had continued for 14 days and nights. The strong wind was blowing the ship across the Mediterranean Sea. About midnight, the sailors thought that we were near to the land. 28 So they used a rope to measure how deep the water was. They saw that the water was nearly 40 metres deep. A short time later they did this again. This time the water was only 30 metres deep. 29 The sailors were afraid that the ship would hit some rocks. So they dropped four anchors on ropes from the back of the ship into the sea.

After that, they prayed that dawn would come soon. 30 Some of the sailors tried to leave the ship. They put the small boat into the sea. They tried to go away secretly. They said, ‘We are going to the front of the ship to put some more anchors down into the sea.’ But that was not true. 31 Paul said to the army officer and to the soldiers, ‘These sailors must stay on the ship. If they do not stay, you will not be safe. You will die.’ 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the small boat to the ship. The small boat fell into the water and the wind blew it away.

33 Now it was almost dawn. Paul said to everyone, ‘Please eat some food. You have now waited for 14 days for the storm to stop. You did not know what would happen. You have not eaten anything during all that time. 34 You must eat some food now. Then you will be strong enough to stay alive. None of you will die. You will not even lose one hair from your head.’

35 After Paul said this, he took some bread in his hands. He stood in front of them all and he thanked God for the bread. Then he broke the bread into pieces and he began to eat it. 36 Everyone became less afraid and we all ate some food. 37 There were 276 people on the ship. 38 After everyone had eaten enough, the sailors threw bags of wheat off the ship into the sea. Then the ship was not so heavy. [ f ]

The sea completely destroys the ship

39 In the morning, the ship was near to some land, but the sailors did not recognize the place. They saw a place on the shore where there was a lot of sand. They wanted to drive the ship onto the sand. 40 So the sailors cut the ropes which had the anchors on them. They left the anchors there in the sea. They also removed the ropes which had tied the rudders. Then they raised the sail at the front of the ship. Now the wind could blow the ship straight towards the shore. 41 But there was a place in the sea where the water was not deep. The ship sailed onto the sand in this place and it stayed there. The front of the ship pushed into the sand and it could not move. The sea was very strong and it hit against the back of the ship. As a result, the back of the ship broke into pieces.

42 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners that they were guarding. They did not want these men to swim to the land and escape. 43 But the army officer wanted to save Paul. So he commanded the soldiers not to kill the men. Instead he said, ‘Everyone who can swim, jump into the water first. Then swim to the shore. 44 You other people must follow them. Hold on to pieces of wood, or pieces of the ship.’

In this way all of us got safely out of the sea and we arrived on the land.

Footnotes

  1. 27:1 Luke was with Paul on this journey.
  2. 27:9 If all this happened in the year AD 59, the Day of Atonement was on 5th October that year. It was dangerous to travel by ship after the beginning of October. The winds were very strong. The Day of Atonement was a special day when the Jews asked God to forgive them.
  3. 27:11 The owner was the man that the ship belonged to. The captain had authority on the ship to sail it and to tell the sailors what to do.
  4. 27:12 South-west means in a direction between south and west. North-west means in a direction between north and west.
  5. 27:20 At that time, sailors looked at the sun and the stars. Then they knew where they were.
  6. 27:38 Wheat is a plant. People use wheat to make bread. But this wheat was not food for the sailors. The ship was carrying the wheat to Rome.

Paul Sails for Rome

27 It was decided that we would sail for Italy. An army officer named Julius, who served in the emperor’s special army, was put in charge of guarding Paul and some other prisoners on the trip. 2 We got on a ship from the city of Adramyttium that was ready to sail to different places in Asia. Aristarchus, a man from Thessalonica in Macedonia, went with us.

3 The next day we came to the city of Sidon. Julius was very good to Paul and gave him freedom to go visit his friends there, who gave him whatever he needed. 4 We left that city and sailed close to the island of Cyprus because the wind was blowing against us. 5 We went across the sea by Cilicia and Pamphylia. Then we came to the city of Myra in Lycia. 6 There the army officer found a ship from the city of Alexandria that was going to Italy. So he put us on it.

7 We sailed slowly for many days. It was hard for us to reach the city of Cnidus because the wind was blowing against us. We could not go any farther that way, so we sailed by the south side of the island of Crete near Salmone. 8 We sailed along the coast, but the sailing was hard. Then we came to a place called Safe Harbors, near the city of Lasea.

9 We had lost much time, and it was now dangerous to sail, because it was already after the Jewish day of fasting. [ a ] So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that there will be a lot of trouble on this trip. The ship, everything in it, and even our lives may be lost!” 11 But the captain and the owner of the ship did not agree with Paul. So the army officer accepted what they said instead of believing Paul. 12 Also, that harbor was not a good place for the ship to stay for the winter, so most of the men decided that we should leave there. They hoped we could reach Phoenix, where the ship could stay for the winter. Phoenix was a city on the island of Crete. It had a harbor that faced southwest and northwest.

The Storm

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 called the “Northeaster” came from across the island. 15 This wind took the ship and carried it away. The ship could not sail against the wind, so we stopped trying and let the wind blow us.

16 We went below a small island named Cauda. With the island protecting us from the wind, we were able to bring in the lifeboat, but it was very hard to do. 17 After the men brought 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 against us so hard that the men threw some things out of the ship. [ b ] 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 did not eat 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 be happy. None of you will die, but the ship will be lost. 23 Last night an angel came to me from God—the God I worship and belong to. 24 The angel said, ‘Paul, don’t be afraid! You must stand before Caesar. And God has given you this promise: He will save the lives of all those sailing with you.’ 25 So men, there is nothing to worry about. I trust God, and I am sure everything will happen just as his angel told me. 26 But we will crash on an island.”

27 On the fourteenth night we were still being blown around in the Adriatic Sea. The sailors thought we were close to land. 28 They threw a rope into the water with a weight on the end of it. They found that the water was 120 feet [ c ] deep. They went a little farther and threw the rope in again. It was 90 feet [ d ] deep. 29 The sailors were afraid that we would hit the rocks, so they threw four anchors into the water. Then they prayed for daylight to come. 30 Some of the sailors wanted to leave the ship, and they lowered the lifeboat to the water. They wanted the other men to think that they were throwing more anchors from the front of the ship. 31 But Paul told the army officer and the other soldiers, “If these men do not stay in the ship, you will lose all hope of survival.” 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes and let the lifeboat fall into the water.

33 Just before dawn Paul began persuading all the people to eat something. He said, “For the past two weeks you have been waiting and watching. You have not eaten for 14 days. 34 Now I beg you to eat something. You need it to stay alive. None of you will lose even one hair off your heads.” 35 After he said this, Paul took some bread and thanked God for it before all of them. He broke off a piece and began eating. 36 All the men felt better and started eating too. 37 (There were 276 people on the ship.) 38 We ate all we wanted. Then we began making the ship lighter by throwing the grain into the sea.

The Ship Is Destroyed

39 When daylight came, the sailors saw land, but they did not know what land it was. They saw a bay with a beach and wanted to sail the ship to the beach if they could. 40 So they cut the ropes to the anchors and left the anchors in the sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that were holding the rudders. Then they raised the front sail into the wind and sailed toward the beach. 41 But the ship hit a sandbank. The front of the ship stuck there and could not move. Then the big waves began to break the back of the ship to pieces.

42 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so that none of the prisoners could swim away and escape. 43 But Julius the army officer wanted to let Paul live. So he did not allow the soldiers to kill the prisoners. He told the people who could swim to jump into the water and swim to land. 44 The others used wooden boards or pieces of the ship. And this is how all the people went safely to land.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 27:9 day of fasting The Day of Atonement, an important Jewish holy day in the fall of the year. This was the time of year that bad storms happened on the sea.
  2. Acts 27:18 threw some things … ship The men did this to make the ship lighter so that it would not sink easily.
  3. Acts 27:28 120 feet Literally, “20 fathoms,” about 40 meters.
  4. Acts 27:28 90 feet Literally, “15 fathoms,” about 30 meters.

27 And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band.

2 And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.

3 And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.

4 And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

5 And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.

6 And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.

7 And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;

8 And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.

9 Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,

10 And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

11 Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

12 And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.

13 And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

14 But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.

15 And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.

16 And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:

17 Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.

18 And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

19 And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

20 And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

21 But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship.

23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

26 Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.

27 But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;

28 And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.

29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.

30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,

31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.

33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.

34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.

35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.

38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.

39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.

40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.

41 And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.

42 And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.

43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:

44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.

Paul Is Sent to Rome

27 Now when it was decided that ( A ) we ( B ) would sail for ( C ) Italy, they proceeded to turn Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the Augustan [ a ] ( D ) cohort, named Julius. 2 And we boarded an Adramyttian ship that was about to sail to the regions along the coast of [ b ] ( E ) Asia, and put out to sea accompanied by ( F ) Aristarchus, a ( G ) Macedonian of ( H ) Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at ( I ) Sidon; and Julius ( J ) treated Paul with consideration and ( K ) allowed him to go to his friends and receive care. 4 From there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of ( L ) Cyprus, because ( M ) the winds were contrary. 5 When we had sailed through the sea along the coast of ( N ) Cilicia and ( O ) Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an ( P ) Alexandrian ship sailing for ( Q ) Italy, and he put us aboard it. 7 When we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, ( R ) since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of ( S ) Crete, off Salmone; 8 and with difficulty ( T ) sailing past it, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

9 When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even ( U ) the [ c ] fast was already over, Paul started admonishing them , 10 saying to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with ( V ) damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion was more persuaded by the ( W ) pilot and the [ d ] captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. 12 The harbor was not suitable for wintering, so the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of ( X ) Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there .

13 [ e ] When a moderate south wind came up, thinking that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began ( Y ) sailing along ( Z ) Crete, closer to shore .

Shipwreck

14 But before very long a violent wind, called [ f ] Euraquilo, ( AA ) rushed down from [ g ] the land; 15 and when the ship was caught in it and could not head up into the wind, we gave up and let ourselves be driven by the wind . 16 Running under the shelter of a small island called Cauda, we were able to get the ship’s [ h ] boat under control only with difficulty. 17 After they had hoisted it up, they used [ i ] supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might ( AB ) run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the [ j ] sea anchor and let themselves be driven along in this way. 18 The next day as we were being violently tossed by the storm, [ k ] they began to ( AC ) jettison the cargo; 19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us , from then on all hope of our being saved was slowly abandoned.

21 [ l ] When many had lost their appetites, Paul then stood among them and said, “ [ m ] ( AD ) Men, you should have followed my advice and not have set sail from ( AE ) Crete, and thereby spared yourselves this ( AF ) damage and loss. 22 And yet now I urge you to ( AG ) keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night ( AH ) an angel of the God to whom I belong, ( AI ) whom I also serve, ( AJ ) came to me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; ( AK ) you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has graciously granted you ( AL ) all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 Therefore, ( AM ) keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that [ n ] it will turn out exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must ( AN ) run aground on a certain ( AO ) island.”

27 But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to suspect that [ o ] they were approaching some land. 28 And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29 Fearing that we might ( AP ) run aground somewhere on the [ p ] rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and [ q ] prayed for daybreak. 30 But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down ( AQ ) the ship’s boat into the sea, on the pretense that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain on the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ( AR ) ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.

33 Until the day was about to dawn, Paul kept encouraging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken in nothing. 34 Therefore, I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your survival, for ( AS ) not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” 35 Having said this, he took bread and ( AT ) gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and he broke it and began to eat. 36 All ( AU ) of them [ r ] were encouraged and they themselves also took food. 37 We were 276 [ s ] ( AV ) people on the ship in all. 38 When they had eaten enough, they began lightening the ship by ( AW ) throwing the wheat out into the sea.

39 Now when day came, ( AX ) they [ t ] could not recognize the land; but they did notice a bay with a beach, and they resolved to run the ship onto it if they could. 40 And casting off ( AY ) the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and they hoisted the foresail to the wind and were heading for the beach. 41 But they struck a [ u ] reef where two seas met and ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck firmly and remained immovable, while the stern started to break up due to the force of the waves . 42 The soldiers’ plan was to ( AZ ) kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; 43 but the centurion, ( BA ) wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from accomplishing their intention, and commanded that those who could swim were to [ v ] jump overboard first and get to land, 44 and the rest were to follow , some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that ( BB ) they all were brought safely to land.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 27:1 Normally 600 men (the number varied)
  2. Acts 27:2 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
  3. Acts 27:9 I.e., Day of Atonement in September or October, which was a dangerous time of year for navigation
  4. Acts 27:11 Or owner
  5. Acts 27:13 Lit a south wind having gently blown
  6. Acts 27:14 I.e., a northeaster
  7. Acts 27:14 Lit it
  8. Acts 27:16 Or skiff : a small boat in tow for emergencies, transportation to and from shore, etc.
  9. Acts 27:17 Lit helps
  10. Acts 27:17 Lit implement , an object designed to stabilize a boat from the stern against the wind.
  11. Acts 27:18 Lit they were doing a throwing out
  12. Acts 27:21 Lit there being much lack of appetite
  13. Acts 27:21 Lit O men
  14. Acts 27:25 Lit it will be
  15. Acts 27:27 Lit some land was approaching them
  16. Acts 27:29 Lit rough places
  17. Acts 27:29 Or wished for
  18. Acts 27:36 Lit became cheerful
  19. Acts 27:37 Lit souls
  20. Acts 27:39 Lit were not recognizing
  21. Acts 27:41 Lit place
  22. Acts 27:43 Lit throw themselves

Paul Sails for Rome

27 When it was decided that we ( A ) would sail for Italy, ( B ) Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. ( C ) 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, ( D ) and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, ( E ) a Macedonian ( F ) from Thessalonica, ( G ) was with us.

3 The next day we landed at Sidon; ( H ) and Julius, in kindness to Paul, ( I ) allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs. ( J ) 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. ( K ) 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia ( L ) and Pamphylia, ( M ) we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship ( N ) sailing for Italy ( O ) and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, ( P ) we sailed to the lee of Crete, ( Q ) opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement. [ a ] ( R ) So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.” ( S ) 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, ( T ) facing both southwest and northwest.

The Storm

13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, ( U ) called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat ( V ) secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground ( W ) on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor [ b ] and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. ( X ) 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice ( Y ) not to sail from Crete; ( Z ) then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, ( AA ) because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel ( AB ) of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve ( AC ) stood beside me ( AD ) 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; ( AE ) and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ ( AF ) 25 So keep up your courage, ( AG ) men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. ( AH ) 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground ( AI ) on some island.” ( AJ )

The Shipwreck

27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic [ c ] Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet [ d ] deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet [ e ] deep. 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat ( AK ) down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.” ( AL ) 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.” ( AM ) 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it ( AN ) and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged ( AO ) and ate some food themselves. 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board. 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. ( AP )

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach, ( AQ ) where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors, ( AR ) they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf. ( AS )

42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life ( AT ) and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely. ( AU )

Footnotes

  1. Acts 27:9 That is, Yom Kippur
  2. Acts 27:17 Or the sails
  3. Acts 27:27 In ancient times the name referred to an area extending well south of Italy.
  4. Acts 27:28 Or about 37 meters
  5. Acts 27:28 Or about 27 meters
Next Chapter
Book Manager
BSI_Poster
View Chapter Tabs Leave Good Review

Share this page

Day/Night Mode: Day or Night Theme
Your Bookmarks: View your bookmarks.
Table of Contents: Button above scripture.
Private Notes: Add private notes per chapter.