Acts 27
27
Paul Sails for Rome
1It 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. 2We boarded a ship from Adramyttium. It was about to sail for ports along the coast of Asia Minor. We headed out to sea. Aristarchus was with us. He was a Macedonian from Thessalonica.
3The next day we landed at Sidon. There Julius was kind to Paul. He let Paul visit his friends so they could give him what he needed. 4From there we headed out to sea again. We passed the calmer side of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5We sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia. Then we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6There the commander found a ship from Alexandria sailing for Italy. He put us on board. 7We moved along slowly for many days. We had trouble getting to Cnidus. The wind did not let us stay on course. So we passed the calmer side of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8It was not easy to sail along the coast. Then we came to a place called Fair Havens. It was near the town of Lasea.
9A lot of time had passed. Sailing had already become dangerous. By now it was after the Day of Atonement, a day of fasting. So Paul gave them a warning. 10“Men,” he said, “I can see that our trip is going to be dangerous. The ship and everything in it will be lost. Our own lives will be in danger also.” 11But the commander didn’t listen to what Paul said. Instead, he followed the advice of the pilot and the ship’s owner. 12The harbor wasn’t a good place for ships to stay during winter. So most of the people decided we should sail on. They hoped we would reach Phoenix. They wanted to spend the winter there. Phoenix was a harbor in Crete. It faced both southwest and northwest.
The Storm
13A gentle south wind began to blow. The ship’s crew thought they saw their chance to leave safely. So they pulled up the anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14Before very long, a wind blew down from the island. It had the force of a hurricane. It was called the Northeaster. 15The ship was caught by the storm. We could not keep it sailing into the wind. So we gave up and were driven along by the wind. 16We passed the calmer side of a small island called Cauda. We almost lost the lifeboat that was tied to the side of the ship. 17So the men lifted the lifeboat on board. Then they tied ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. They were afraid it would get stuck on the sandbars of Syrtis. So they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18We took a very bad beating from the storm. The next day the crew began to throw the ship’s contents overboard. 19On the third day, they even threw the ship’s tools and supplies overboard with their own hands. 20The sun and stars didn’t appear for many days. The storm was terrible. So we gave up all hope of being saved.
21The men had not eaten for a long time. Paul stood up in front of them. “Men,” he said, “you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have avoided this harm and loss. 22Now I beg you to be brave. Not one of you will die. Only the ship will be destroyed. 23I belong to God and serve him. Last night his angel stood beside me. 24The angel said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must go on trial in front of Caesar. God has shown his grace by sparing the lives of all those sailing with you.’ 25Men, continue to be brave. I have faith in God. It will happen just as he told me. 26But we must run the ship onto the beach of some island.”
The Ship Is Destroyed
27On the 14th night the wind was still pushing us across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors had a feeling that they were approaching land. 28They measured how deep the water was. They found that it was 120 feet deep. A short time later they measured the water again. This time it was 90 feet deep. 29They were afraid we would crash against the rocks. So they dropped four anchors from the back of the ship. They prayed that daylight would come. 30The sailors wanted to escape from the ship. So they let the lifeboat down into the sea. They pretended they were going to lower some anchors from the front of the ship. 31But Paul spoke to the commander and the soldiers. “These men must stay with the ship,” he said. “If they don’t, you can’t be saved.” 32So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat. They let it drift away.
33Just before dawn Paul tried to get them all to eat. “For the last 14 days,” he said, “you have wondered what would happen. You have gone without food. You haven’t eaten anything. 34Now I am asking you to eat some food. You need it to live. Not one of you will lose a single hair from your head.” 35After Paul said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God. He did this where they all could see him. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36All of them were filled with hope. So they ate some food. 37There were 276 of us on board. 38They ate as much as they wanted. They needed to make the ship lighter. So they threw the rest of the grain into the sea.
39When daylight came, they saw a bay with a sandy beach. They didn’t recognize the place. But they decided to run the ship onto the beach if they could. 40So they cut the anchors loose and left them in the sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that held the rudders. They lifted the sail at the front of the ship to the wind. Then they headed for the beach. 41But the ship hit a sandbar. So the front of it got stuck and wouldn’t move. The back of the ship was broken to pieces by the pounding of the waves.
42The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners. They wanted to keep them from swimming away and escaping. 43But 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 jump overboard first and swim to land. 44The rest were supposed to get there on boards or other pieces of the ship. That is how everyone reached land safely.
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Acts 27
27
Paul Sails to Italy
1When it was decided that we # 27:1 It is likely that Luke rejoined Paul here and sailed with him to Rome. were to sail for Italy, Festus handed over Paul and a number of other prisoners to the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a member of the imperial guard. 2We went on board a ship from the port of Adramyttium # 27:2 Adramyttium (modern-day Edrimit, Turkey) was a seaport in the Roman colony of Mysia. Adramyttium means “I will abide in death.” that was planning to stop at various ports along the coast of southwestern Turkey. # 27:2 Or “the coast of the province of Asia” (Minor). We put out to sea and were accompanied by Aristarchus # 27:2 Aristarchus means “the best leader.” from Thessalonica in Macedonia.
3The next day we docked at Sidon, # 27:3 A Phoenician city now in modern-day Lebanon. and Julius, being considerate of Paul, allowed him to disembark and be refreshed by his friends living there. 4From there we put out to sea, but because the winds # 27:4 The Aramaic can be translated “the spirits were against us.” were against us, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus. # 27:4 That is, east and north of the island. 5After sailing across the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we docked at the port of Myra in Lycia. 6While we were there, the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board.
7We made little headway for several days, and with difficulty we made it to Knidus. # 27:7 Or “Cnidus,” an ancient port city on the Gulf of Gökova on the coast of Turkey. The strong winds kept us from holding our course, so from there we sailed along the lee of Crete, # 27:7 The Aramaic is “we circled Crete.” opposite Cape Salome. 8Hugging the coast, we struggled on to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9We remained there a long time, until we passed the day of the Jewish fast. # 27:9 This was possibly the Day of Atonement, when every Jew fasts.
Paul advised the frightened sailors that they should not put out to sea in such dangerous weather, # 27:9 As translated from the Aramaic. This was the season the Romans called mare clausum, the closed sea, when the Mediterranean was not navigable. saying, 10“Men, I can see that our voyage would be disastrous for us and bring great loss, not only to our ship and cargo but also to our own lives. We should remain here.” # 27:10 This was clearly prophetic revelation given to the apostle Paul.
11But the officer in charge was persuaded more by the ship’s helmsman and captain # 27:11 Or “ship’s owner.” than he was by Paul. 12So the majority decided to put out to sea, since Fair Haven was an exposed harbor and not suitable to winter in. They had hoped to somehow reach the Cretan port of Phineka, # 27:12 Or “Phoenix.” which was a more suitable port because it was facing south. # 27:12 As translated from the Aramaic. The Greek is “looking toward Lips and Choros.” Lips was the Greek term for the “winds from the southwest,” and Choros the word for “winds from the northwest.”
13When a gentle south breeze began to blow, they assumed they could make it, so they pulled up anchor and sailed close to Crete. 14But it wasn’t long before the weather abruptly worsened and a storm of hurricane force called the Nor’easter # 27:14 The Aramaic is “Euroclydon’s typhoon.” tore across the island and blew us out to sea. 15The sailors weren’t able to turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it be driven by the gale winds. # 27:15 The Aramaic is “we surrendered to its power.”
16As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, # 27:16 Or “Gaudos.” we were barely able to get the ship’s lifeboat under control, 17so the crew hoisted the dinghy aboard. The sailors used ropes and cables to undergird the ship, # 27:17 The Aramaic is “They tied down the lifeboat on the ship, lest it fall into the sea.” fearing they would run aground on the shoals of Syrtis. # 27:17 This was a shallow region full of reefs and sandbars off the coast of Libya between Benghazi and Tripoli. They lowered the drag anchor to slow its speed and let the ship be driven along.
18The next day, because of being battered severely by the storm, the sailors jettisoned the cargo, 19and by the third day they even threw the ship’s tackle and rigging overboard. 20After many days of seeing neither the sun nor the stars, and with the violent storm continuing to rage against us, all hope of ever getting through it alive was abandoned.
21After being without food for a long time, Paul stepped before them all and said, “Men, you should have obeyed # 27:21 The Greek word peitharkheo means “to obey one who is in authority.” Paul was the true captain of the ship and carried the weight of authority. me and avoided all of this pain and suffering by not leaving Crete. 22Now listen to me. Don’t be depressed, for no one will perish—only the ship will be lost. 23For God’s angel visited me last night, the angel of my God, the God I passionately serve. He came and stood in front of me 24and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You are destined to stand trial before Caesar. And because of God’s favor on you, he has given you the lives of everyone who is sailing with you.’ 25So men, keep up your courage! I know that God will protect you, just as he told me he would. 26But we must run aground on some island to be saved.”
27On the fourteenth night of being tossed about the Adriatic Sea, about midnight, the sailors sensed we were approaching land. 28So they took soundings and discovered that the water was about 120 feet deep. # 27:28 Or “twenty fathoms.” After sailing a short distance, they again took soundings and found it was only ninety feet deep. # 27:28 Or “fifteen fathoms.” 29Fearing we would be dashed against a rocky coast, they dropped four anchors from the stern and waited for morning to come.
30Some sailors pretended to go down to drop anchors from the bow when in fact they wanted to lower the lifeboat into the sea and escape, abandoning ship. 31Paul said to the Roman officer and his soldiers, “Unless you all stay together onboard the ship, you have no chance of surviving.” 32At the moment they heard this, the soldiers cut the ropes of the dinghy and let it fall away.
33Just before daybreak, Paul urged everyone to eat. He said, “Today makes two full weeks that you’ve been in fearful peril and hunger, unable to eat a thing. 34Now eat and be nourished. For you’ll all come through this ordeal without a scratch.” # 27:34 Or “Not one hair of your heads will perish.”
35Then Paul took bread and gave thanks to God # 27:35 The Aramaic is “glorified God.” in front of them, broke it and began to eat. 36-37There were 276 people who ate until they were filled, and were strengthened and encouraged. # 27:36–37 Paul served communion on board the ship and fed every passenger and crew member. (Did God multiply the bread?) The language used is vividly eucharistic. There is a variation among many Greek manuscripts as to the total of those who were fed. Some have as few as sixty-nine or seventy. The majority of reliable manuscripts in Greek and Aramaic have 276. 38After they were satisfied, they threw the grain into the sea to lighten the ship.
Paul Is Shipwrecked
39When daylight came, the sailors didn’t recognize the land, but they noticed a cove with a sandy beach, so they decided to run the ship ashore. 40They cut away the anchors, leaving them in the sea, untied the ropes holding the rudders, and hoisted the foresail to the breeze to head for the beach. 41But they drifted into the rocky shoals between two depths of the sea, causing the ship to flounder still a distance from shore. The bow was stuck fast, jammed on the rocks, while the stern was being smashed by the pounding of the surf.
42The soldiers wanted to kill all the prisoners to prevent them from escaping. 43But the Roman officer was determined to bring Paul safely through, so he foiled their attempts. He commanded the prisoners and crew who could swim to jump overboard and swim ashore. # 27:43 As translated from the Aramaic. 44The rest all managed to survive by clinging to planks and broken pieces of the ship, so that everyone scrambled to the shore uninjured.
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