Acts 27
27
Paul Sails for Rome
1#Ac 25:25; 10:1; 25:12When it was decided that we should sail into Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the Augustan Regiment, named Julius. 2#Ac 19:29Boarding a ship from Adramyttium, we put out to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.
3#Ac 24:23; 28:16The next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be given care. 4#Ac 4:36From there we put out to sea and sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5#Ac 6:9; 13:13Sailing across the sea off of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. 6#Ac 28:11There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing to Italy, and he put us on board. 7#Ac 27:21; 2:11We sailed slowly for many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to proceed, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8Sailing past it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.
9#Lev 23:27–29; Nu 29:7As much time had been lost and as the voyage was now dangerous, because the Day of Atonement was already over, Paul advised them, 10saying, “Men, I perceive that this voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also of our lives.” 11But the centurion was persuaded more by the captain and the owner of the ship than by what Paul said. 12Since the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority decided to sail on from there, if somehow we might reach Phoenix, a harbor in Crete, facing southwest and northwest, and winter there.
The Storm at Sea
13When a south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained the necessary conditions, they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14#Mk 4:37But soon afterward a tempestuous wind swept through, called the Euroclydon.#Or Northeaster. 15When the ship was overpowered and could not head into the wind, we let her drift. 16Drifting under the lee of an island called Cauda, we could scarcely secure the rowboat. 17#Ac 27:29; 27:26When they had hoisted it aboard, they used ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they might run aground on the sand of Syrtis, they let down the mast, and so were driven. 18#Jnh 1:5; Ac 27:38We were violently tossed by the storm. The next day they threw cargo overboard. 19On the third day we threw the tackle of the ship overboard with our own hands. 20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was upon us, all hope that we should be saved was lost.
21After they had long abstained from food, Paul stood in their midst and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete, incurring this injury and loss. 22#Ac 27:25; 27:36But now I advise you to take courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23#Ac 5:19; 23:11For there stood by me this night the angel of God to whom I belong and whom I serve, 24#Ac 23:11; Ge 19:29saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has given you all those who sail with you.’ 25#Ro 4:20–21Therefore, men, take courage, for I believe God that it will be exactly as it was told to me. 26#Ac 28:1; 27:17Nevertheless, we must be shipwrecked on a certain island.”
27When the fourteenth night came, while we were drifting in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors supposed that they were approaching land. 28They took soundings and found the water to be one hundred and twenty feet deep.#Gk. 20 orguias, about 37 meters. When they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be ninety feet deep.#Gk. 15 orguias, about 27 meters. 29#Ac 27:17Fearing that we might run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30#Ac 27:16When the sailors strove to abandon ship and lowered the rowboat into the sea, under the pretext of lowering anchors out of the bow, 31Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these sailors remain in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the rowboat and let her fall off.
33As day was about to dawn, Paul asked them all to eat, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have waited and continued without food, having eaten nothing. 34#Mt 10:30; 1Ki 1:52So I urge you to eat. This is for your preservation, for not a hair shall fall from your head.” 35#Mt 15:36When he had said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all. And when he had broken it he began to eat. 36#Ac 27:22Then they were all encouraged, and they also ate food themselves. 37#Ac 2:41; 7:14In all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship. 38#Jnh 1:5When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw the wheat into the sea.
The Shipwreck
39#Ac 28:1When it was day, they did not recognize the land. But they noticed a bay with a shore, into which they were determined to run the ship if possible. 40Casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea while loosening the ropes that secured the rudders. Then they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore. 41But striking a sandbar where two seas met, they ran the ship aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, but the stern was broken up by the violent surf.
42The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. 43#Ac 27:3But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, prevented them from their intent and ordered those who could swim to abandon ship first and get to land, 44#Ac 27:22and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And in this way they all escaped safely to land.
Currently Selected:
Acts 27: MEV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Military Bible Association
Acts of the Apostles 27
27
Paul Sails for Rome
1When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer#27:1 Greek centurion; similarly in 27:6, 11, 31, 43. named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment. 2Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia;#27:2 Asia was a Roman province in what is now western Turkey. it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province.
3The next day when we docked at Sidon, Julius was very kind to Paul and let him go ashore to visit with friends so they could provide for his needs. 4Putting out to sea from there, we encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course, so we sailed north of Cyprus between the island and the mainland. 5Keeping to the open sea, we passed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra, in the province of Lycia. 6There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board.
7We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone. 8We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. 9We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall,#27:9 Greek because the fast was now already gone by. This fast was associated with the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), which occurred in late September or early October. and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it.
10“Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.” 11But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul. 12And since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor—a poor place to spend the winter—most of the crew wanted to go on to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest exposure.
The Storm at Sea
13When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete. 14But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea. 15The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale.
16We sailed along the sheltered side of a small island named Cauda,#27:16 Some manuscripts read Clauda. where with great difficulty we hoisted aboard the lifeboat being towed behind us. 17Then the sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of being driven across to the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast, so they lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven before the wind.
18The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard. 19The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard. 20The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.
21No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss. 22But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down. 23For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me, 24and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’ 25So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said. 26But we will be shipwrecked on an island.”
The Shipwreck
27About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria,#27:27 The Sea of Adria includes the central portion of the Mediterranean. the sailors sensed land was near. 28They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep.#27:28 Greek 20 fathoms . . . 15 fathoms [37 meters . . . 27 meters]. 29At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.
30Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the front of the ship. 31But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, “You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard.” 32So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away.
33Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said. 34“Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.” 35Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it. 36Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat— 37all 276 of us who were on board. 38After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard.
39When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground. 40So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore. 41But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart.
42The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape. 43But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land. 44The others held on to planks or debris from the broken ship.#27:44 Or or were helped by members of the ship’s crew. So everyone escaped safely to shore.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation.
For more information about the NLT: