Acts 27

The Voyage to Rome Begins

1 And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment.2 So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.3 And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care.4 When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.5 And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board.7 When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone.8 Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.

Pauls Warning Ignored

9 Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,10 saying, Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.12 And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there.

In the Tempest

13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete.14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon.15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive.16 And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty.17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands, they struck sail and so were driven.18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship.19 On the third day we threw the ships tackle overboard with our own hands.20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.21 But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.22 And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.23 For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve,24 saying, Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.25 Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.26 However, we must run aground on a certain island.27 Now when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land.28 And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be fifteen fathoms.29 Then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come.30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they had let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow,31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff and let it fall off.33 And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing.34 Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.35 And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat.36 Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves.37 And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship.38 So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.

Shipwrecked on Malta

39 When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible.40 And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore.41 But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.42 And the soldiers plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape.43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land,44 and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.

ACTS 27

Paul Is Taken to Rome

1 When it was time for us to sail to Rome, Captain Julius from the Emperor's special troops was put in charge of Paul and the other prisoners.

2 We went aboard a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to some ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus from Thessalonica in Macedonia sailed on the ship with us.
3 The next day we came to shore at Sidon. Captain Julius was very kind to Paul. He even let him visit his friends, so they could give him whatever he needed. 4 When we left Sidon, the winds were blowing against us, and we sailed close to the island of Cyprus to be safe from the wind. 5 Then we sailed south of Cilicia and Pamphylia until we came to the port of Myra in Lycia.

6 There the army captain found a ship from Alexandria that was going to Italy. So he ordered us to board that ship.
7 We sailed along slowly for several days and had a hard time reaching Cnidus. The wind would not let us go any farther in that direction, so we sailed past Cape Salmone, where the island of Crete would protect us from the wind.

8 We went slowly along the coast and finally reached a place called Fair Havens, not far from the town of Lasea.
9 By now we had already lost a lot of time, and sailing was no longer safe. In fact, even the Great Day of Forgivenesst was past. 10 Then Paul spoke to the crew of the ship, “Men, listen to me! If we sail now, our ship and its cargo will be badly damaged, and many lives will be lost.”

11 But Julius listened to the captain of the ship and its owner, rather than to Paul.

12 The harbor at Fair Havens wasn't a good place to spend the winter. Because of this, almost everyone agreed that we should at least try to sail along the coast of Crete as far as Phoenix. It had a harbor that opened toward the southwest and northwest, t and we could spend the winter there.

The Storm at Sea

15 The wind struck the ship, and we could not sail against it. So we let the wind carry the ship.
16 We went along the island of Cauda on the side that was protected from the wind. We had a hard time holding the lifeboat in place,

17 but finally we got it where it belonged. Then the sailors wrapped ropes around the ship to hold it together. They lowered the sail and let the ship drift along, because they were afraid it might hit the sandbanks in the gulf of Syrtis.
18 The storm was so fierce that the next day they threw some of the ship's cargo overboard. 19 Then on the third day, with their bare hands they threw overboard some of the ship's gear.

20 For several days we could not see either the sun or the stars. A strong wind kept blowing, and we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

21 Since none of us had eaten anything for a long time, Paul stood up and told the men:
You should have listened to me! If you had stayed on in Crete, you would not have had this damage and loss.

22 But now I beg you to cheer up, because you will be safe. Only the ship will be lost.
23 I belong to God, and I worship him. Last night he sent an angel 24 to tell me, “Paul, don't be afraid! You will stand trial before the Emperor. And because of you, God will save the lives of everyone on the ship.” 25 Cheer up! I am sure that God will do exactly what he promised.

26 But we will first be shipwrecked on some island.
27 For 14 days and nights we had been blown around over the Mediterranean Sea. But about midnight the sailors realized we were getting near land. 28 They measured and found that the water was about 40 meters deep. A little later they measured again and found it was only about 30 meters .

29 The sailors were afraid that we might hit some rocks, and they let down four anchors from the back of the ship. Then they prayed for daylight.
30 The sailors wanted to escape from the ship. So they lowered the lifeboat into the water, pretending that they were letting down some anchors from the front of the ship. 31 But Paul said to Captain Julius and the soldiers, “If the sailors don't stay on the ship, you won't have any chance to save your lives.”

32 The soldiers then cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall into the sea.
33 Just before daylight Paul begged the people to eat something. He told them, “For 14 days you have been so worried that you haven't eaten a thing.

34 I beg you to eat something. Your lives depend on it. Do this and not one of you will be hurt.”
35 After Paul had said this, he took a piece of bread and gave thanks to God. Then in front of everyone, he broke the bread and ate some. 36 They all felt encouraged, and each of them ate something. 37 There were 276 people on the ship,

38 and after everyone had eaten, they threw the cargo of wheat into the sea to make the ship lighter.

The Shipwreck

41 But it ran aground on a sandbank. The front of the ship stuck firmly in the sand, and the rear was being smashed by the force of the waves.
42 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners to keep them from swimming away and escaping. 43 But Captain Julius wanted to save Paul's life, and he did not let the soldiers do what they had planned. Instead, he ordered everyone who could swim to jump into the water and head for shore. 44 Then he told the others to hold on to planks of wood or parts of the ship. At last, everyone safely reached shore.