Acts 27
27
1 Then it was decided to send him by ship to Italy, and that Paul, with the others in custody, should be delivered to a centurion named Julius, of the cohort of Augusta.
2 After climbing aboard a ship from Adramyttium, we set sail and began to navigate along the ports of Asia, with Aristarchus, the Macedonian from Thessalonica, joining us.
3 And on the following day, we arrived at Sidon. And Julius, treating Paul humanely, permitted him to go to his friends and to look after himself.
4 And when we had set sail from there, we navigated below Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.
5 And navigating though the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we arrived at Lystra, which is in Lycia.
6 And there the centurion found a ship from Alexandria sailing to Italy, and he transferred us to it.
7 And when we had sailed slowly for many days and had barely arrived opposite Cnidus, for the wind was hindering us, we sailed to Crete, near Salmone.
8 And barely being able to sail past it, we arrived at a certain place, which is called Good Shelter, next to which was the city of Lasea.
9 Then, after much time had passed, and since sailing would no longer be prudent because the Fast Day had now passed, Paul consoled them,
10 and he said to them: "Men, I perceive that the voyage is now in danger of injury and much damage, not only to the cargo and the ship, but also to our own lives."
11 But the centurion put more trust in the captain and the navigator of the ship, than in the things being said by Paul.
12 And since it was not a fitting port in which to winter, the majority opinion was to sail from there, so that somehow they might be able to arrive at Phoenicia, in order to winter there, at a port of Crete, which looks out toward the southwest and northwest.
13 And since the south wind was blowing gently, they thought that they might reach their goal. And after they had set out from Asson, they weighed anchor at Crete.
14 But not long afterward, a violent wind came against them, which is called the Northeast Wind.
15 And once the ship had been caught in it and was not able to strive against the wind, giving over the ship to the winds, we were driven along.
16 Then, being forced along a certain island, which is called the Tail, we were barely able to hold on to the ship's lifeboat.
17 When this was taken up, they used it to assist in securing the ship. For they were afraid that they might run aground. And having lowered the sails, they were being driven along in this way.
18 Then, since we were being tossed about strongly by the tempest, on the following day, they threw the heavy items overboard.
19 And on the third day, with their own hands, they threw the equipment of the ship overboard.
20 Then, when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no end to the storm was imminent, all hope for our safety was now taken away.
21 And after they had fasted for a long time, Paul, standing in their midst, said: "Certainly, men, you should have listened to me and not set out from Crete, so as to cause this injury and loss.
22 And now, let me persuade you to be courageous in soul. For there shall be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
23 For an Angel of God, who is assigned to me and whom I serve, stood beside me this night,
24 saying: 'Do not be afraid, Paul! It is necessary for you to stand before Caesar. And behold, God has given to you all those who are sailing with you.'
25 Because of this, men, be courageous in soul. For I trust God that this will happen in the same way that it has been told to me.
26 But it is necessary for us to arrive at a certain island."
27 Then, after the fourteenth night arrived, as we were navigating in the sea of Adria, about the middle of the night, the sailors believed that they saw some portion of the land.
28 And upon dropping a weight, they found a depth of twenty paces. And some distance from there, they found a depth of fifteen paces.
29 Then, fearing that we might happen upon rough places, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and they were hoping for daylight to arrive soon.
30 Yet truly, the sailors were seeking a way to flee from the ship, for they had lowered a lifeboat into the sea, on the pretext that they were attempting to cast anchors from the bow of the ship.
31 So Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men remain in the ship, you will not be able to be saved."
32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat, and they allowed it to fall.
33 And when it began to be light, Paul requested that they all take food, saying: "This is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and continuing to fast, taking nothing.
34 For this reason, I beg you to accept food for the sake of your health. For not a hair from the head of any of you shall perish."
35 And when he had said these things, taking bread, he gave thanks to God in the sight of them all. And when he had broken it, he began to eat.
36 Then they all became more peaceful in soul. And they also took food.
37 Truly, we were two hundred and seventy-six souls on the ship.
38 And having been nourished with food, they lightened the ship, casting the wheat into the sea.
39 And when day had arrived, they did not recognize the landscape. Yet truly, they caught sight of a certain narrow inlet having a shore, into which they thought it might be possible to force the ship.
40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves to the sea, at the same time loosing the restraints of the rudders. And so, raising the mainsail to the gusting wind, they pressed on toward the shore.
41 And when we happened upon a place open to two seas, they ran the ship aground. And indeed, the bow, being immobilized, remained fixed, but truly the stern was broken by the violence of the sea.
42 Then the soldiers were in agreement that they should kill the prisoners, lest anyone, after escaping by swimming, might flee.
43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, prohibited it from being done. And he ordered those who were able to swim to jump in first, and to escape, and to get to the land.
44 And as for the others, some they carried on boards, and others on those things that belonged to the ship. And so it happened that every soul escaped to the land.
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Acts 27
27
A Storm at Sea
1-2As soon as arrangements were complete for our sailing to Italy, Paul and a few other prisoners were placed under the supervision of a centurion named Julius, a member of an elite guard. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was bound for Ephesus and ports west. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with us.
3The next day we put in at Sidon. Julius treated Paul most decently—let him get off the ship and enjoy the hospitality of his friends there.
4-8Out to sea again, we sailed north under the protection of the northeast shore of Cyprus because winds out of the west were against us, and then along the coast westward to the port of Myra. There the centurion found an Egyptian ship headed for Italy and transferred us on board. We ran into bad weather and found it impossible to stay on course. After much difficulty, we finally made it to the southern coast of the island of Crete and docked at Good Harbor (appropriate name!).
9-10By this time we had lost a lot of time. We had passed the autumn equinox, so it would be stormy weather from now on through the winter, too dangerous for sailing. Paul warned, “I see only disaster ahead for cargo and ship—to say nothing of our lives!—if we put out to sea now.”
12,11But it was not the best harbor for staying the winter. Phoenix, a few miles further on, was more suitable. The centurion set Paul’s warning aside and let the ship captain and the shipowner talk him into trying for the next harbor.
13-15When a gentle southerly breeze came up, they weighed anchor, thinking it would be smooth sailing. But they were no sooner out to sea than a gale-force wind, the infamous nor’easter, struck. They lost all control of the ship. It was a cork in the storm.
16-17We came under the lee of the small island named Clauda, and managed to get a lifeboat ready and reef the sails. But rocky shoals prevented us from getting close. We only managed to avoid them by throwing out drift anchors.
18-20Next day, out on the high seas again and badly damaged now by the storm, we dumped the cargo overboard. The third day the sailors lightened the ship further by throwing off all the tackle and provisions. It had been many days since we had seen either sun or stars. Wind and waves were battering us unmercifully, and we lost all hope of rescue.
21-22With our appetite for both food and life long gone, Paul took his place in our midst and said, “Friends, you really should have listened to me back in Crete. We could have avoided all this trouble and trial. But there’s no need to dwell on that now. From now on, things are looking up! I can assure you that there’ll not be a single drowning among us, although I can’t say as much for the ship—the ship itself is doomed.
23-26“Last night God’s angel stood at my side, an angel of this God I serve, saying to me, ‘Don’t give up, Paul. You’re going to stand before Caesar yet—and everyone sailing with you is also going to make it.’ So, dear friends, take heart. I believe God will do exactly what he told me. But we’re going to shipwreck on some island or other.”
27-29On the fourteenth night, adrift somewhere on the Adriatic Sea, at about midnight the sailors sensed that we were approaching land. Sounding, they measured a depth of 120 feet, and shortly after that ninety feet. Afraid that we were about to run aground, they threw out four anchors and prayed for daylight.
30-32Some of the sailors tried to jump ship. They let down the lifeboat, pretending they were going to set out more anchors from the bow. Paul saw through their guise and told the centurion and his soldiers, “If these sailors don’t stay with the ship, we’re all going down.” So the soldiers cut the lines to the lifeboat and let it drift off.
33-34With dawn about to break, Paul called everyone together and proposed breakfast: “This is the fourteenth day we’ve gone without food. None of us has felt like eating! But I urge you to eat something now. You’ll need strength for the rescue ahead. You’re going to come out of this without even a scratch!”
35-38He broke the bread, gave thanks to God, passed it around, and they all ate heartily—276 of us, all told! With the meal finished and everyone full, the ship was further lightened by dumping the grain overboard.
39-41At daybreak, no one recognized the land—but then they did notice a bay with a nice beach. They decided to try to run the ship up on the beach. They cut the anchors, loosed the tiller, raised the sail, and ran before the wind toward the beach. But we didn’t make it. Still far from shore, we hit a reef and the ship began to break up.
42-44The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming, but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it, and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.