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: NIrV
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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Acts 27
27
1When the time came for us to sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion called Julius, of the Imperial Regiment. 2We boarded a ship based in Adramyttium that was headed to the coastal ports of the province of Asia, and we set sail. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with us. 3The next day we had a brief stop at Sidon, and Julius was kind enough to let Paul go ashore and visit his friends so they could provide what he needed.
4We set out from there and sailed to the leeward of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5Then we sailed directly across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, arriving at the port of Myra in Lycia. 6There the centurion found a ship from Alexandria that would be sailing to Italy, and arranged for us to join it.
7We sailed slowly for several days and eventually arrived off Cnidus. But since the winds wouldn't allow us to continue we sailed across to the lee of Crete, near to Salmone. 8With some difficulty we made our way along the coast until we arrived at a place called Fair Havens, near to the town of Lasea. 9We'd lost a lot of time, and the voyage was becoming dangerous because it was now after the Fast.#27:9. “The Fast”: The Day of Atonement, probably in October, so sailing at this season would be problematic. Paul warned them, 10“Men, I predict that this voyage will result in much hardship and loss—not just of the cargo and the ship, but also our very lives.” 11But the centurion paid more attention to the advice of the ship's captain and its owner than to what Paul said.
12Since the harbor was not large enough to over winter in, the majority were in favor of leaving and trying if possible to reach Phoenix and spend the winter there—a harbor in Crete that faces northwest and southwest.
13When a moderate south wind began to blow, they thought they could do what they planned. They pulled up the anchor and sailed close inshore along the coast of Crete. 14But it wasn't long before a hurricane-force wind called a “northeaster” blew from the land. 15The ship was forced out to sea and could not face into the wind. So we had to give in and allow ourselves to be driven before the wind.
16We were eventually able to run into the lee of a small island called Cauda, and managed with some difficulty to secure the ship's boat#27:16. “Ship's boat”—a small boat like a dinghy or lifeboat, sometimes towed behind a ship, sometimes tied down on deck. Also in verse 30. on board. 17After hoisting it aboard, the sailors bound ropes around the hull to strengthen it. Then, worried that they would be wrecked on the Syrtis banks, they lowered the sea anchor and allowed the ship to be driven along.
18The following day as we were violently thrown about by the storm, the crew started throwing the cargo overboard. 19On the third day they grabbed the ship's gear and tossed it into the sea. 20We hadn't seen the sun or the stars for many days as the storm beat down on us; so any hope of our being saved was lost.
21Nobody had eaten anything for a long time. Then Paul stood before them and told them, “Men, you should have listened to me and not sailed from Crete. Then you could have avoided all this hardship and loss. 22But now I advise you keep up your courage, because nobody is going to be lost, just the ship. 23Last night an angel of my God#27:23. Literally, “the God to whom I belong.” and whom I serve, stood beside me.
24‘Don't be afraid, Paul,’ he told me. ‘You have to stand trial before Caesar. See, God has graciously given to you everyone who is sailing with you.’ 25So men, have courage! I trust God, and I'm convinced things will happen just as I was told. 26However, we will be wrecked on some island.”
27At around midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, still being blown over the Sea of Adria, the crew suspected they were getting close to land. 28They checked the depth and found it was forty meters, and a little while later they checked again and it was thirty meters. 29They were concerned that we might be wrecked on rocks, so they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for daylight to come.
30The crew tried to leave the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the water with the pretext that they were going to drop anchors from the ship's bow. 31But Paul told the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless the crew stays with the ship, you will be lost.” 32So the soldiers cut the ropes holding the ship's boat, and let it loose.
33At daybreak Paul urged all of them to eat something. “It's been fourteen days now that you haven't eaten anything because you've been so worried and preoccupied,” he told them. 34“Please do what I say and eat some food. This will help give you strength. For not even a hair from anyone's head is going to be lost!” 35When he'd finished speaking he picked up a loaf of bread, and gave thanks to God for it in front of everyone. Then he broke the bread, and began to eat. 36Everyone was encouraged and they ate too. 37The total number of people on board was two hundred and seventy-six.
38Once they'd had enough to eat, the crew made the ship lighter by throwing the supplies of wheat overboard. 39When dawn came they didn't recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay that had a beach. They planned to try running the ship aground there. 40So they cut the anchor ropes, leaving the anchors in the sea. At the same time they untied the ropes holding the rudders, raised the foresail to the wind, and made for the beach.
41But they struck a sandbar and the ship grounded. The bow hit, and stuck so firmly it couldn't be moved, while the stern began to be broken apart by the pounding surf.
42The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim away and escape. 43But the centurion, because he wanted to save Paul's life, prevented them from doing this, and ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land. 44The rest grabbed hold of planks and other wreckage, so that everyone was able to reach land safely.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com