ACT 27
27
Paul and His Ministry Partners Sail for Rome
1 When the decision was finalised that we would sail to Italy, they placed Paul and several other prisoners under the custody of a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Augustan Cohort.
2 We boarded a vessel from Adramyttium that was scheduled to sail along the Asian coastline, and we departed. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, accompanied us.
3 The next day we docked at Sidon. Julius treated Paul with consideration, allowing him to visit his friends so they could provide for his needs.
4 Setting sail from there, we navigated along the sheltered side of Cyprus because we were facing contrary winds.
5 After sailing across the open waters off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we arrived at Myra in Lycia.
6 There the centurion located an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy and transferred us aboard.
7 We made very slow progress for many days and struggled to reach a point off Cnidus. Since the wind prevented us from maintaining our course, we sailed along the sheltered side of Crete, passing Cape Salmone.
8 Moving along the coast with great difficulty, we reached a location called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
9 Considerable time had been lost, and sailing had become dangerous since the autumn Fast had already passed. Paul offered this warning:
10 "Gentlemen, I perceive that this voyage will result in disaster and severe loss—not only to the cargo and ship but to our very lives."
11 However, the centurion was more persuaded by the ship's pilot and owner than by Paul's counsel.
12 Since the harbour was unsuitable for wintering, the majority voted to attempt reaching Phoenix, a Cretan harbour facing southwest and northwest, to spend the winter there.
The Storm at Sea
13 When a gentle south wind began blowing, they thought conditions were ideal. They raised anchor and sailed close along the Cretan coast.
14 Before long, however, a violent wind called the Northeaster swept down from the island.
15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind, so we gave up and allowed ourselves to be driven along.
16 As we passed along the sheltered side of a small island called Cauda, we barely managed to secure the ship's lifeboat.
17 After hoisting it aboard, the crew used supporting cables to reinforce the hull. Fearing we might run aground on the Syrtis sandbars, they lowered the sea anchor and drifted with the storm.
18 The next day, because we were being violently battered by the storm, they began throwing cargo overboard.
19 On the third day, they threw the ship's equipment overboard with their own hands.
20 For many days neither sun nor stars were visible, and the ferocious storm continued battering us. Finally, we abandoned all hope of survival.
21 After everyone had gone a long time without eating, Paul stood among them and said, "Gentlemen, you should have heeded my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have avoided this damage and loss.
22 But now I urge you to remain courageous, because none of you will lose your life—only the ship will be destroyed.
23 Last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve appeared before me
24 and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar, and God in His grace has given you the lives of everyone sailing with you.'
25 So keep up your courage, men! I trust God that everything will happen exactly as He told me.
26 However, we will run aground on some island."
The Shipwreck
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. Around midnight the sailors sensed we were approaching land.
28 They took a depth sounding and measured twenty fathoms. A short distance farther they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms.
29 Fearing we might crash against rocky cliffs, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak.
30 The sailors attempted to abandon ship, lowering the lifeboat under the pretense of deploying anchors from the bow.
31 But Paul warned the centurion and soldiers, "Unless these men remain aboard the ship, you cannot be saved."
32 At that, the soldiers cut the lifeboat's ropes and let it drift away.
33 As dawn approached, Paul urged everyone to eat something: "For fourteen days you have been in constant suspense, going without food—you have eaten nothing.
34 I urge you to take some food now. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from your head."
35 After saying this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of everyone. Then he broke it and began eating.
36 Everyone was encouraged and began eating as well.
37 Altogether there were 276 of us aboard the ship.
38 When everyone had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship further by dumping the remaining wheat into the sea.
39 When daylight came, they did not recognise the coastline, but they spotted a bay with a beach and decided to try running the ship aground there if possible.
40 They cut loose the anchors, abandoning them in the sea, while simultaneously loosening the steering oars. Then they raised the foresail to catch the wind and headed towards the beach.
41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow lodged firmly and could not be moved, while the stern began breaking apart under the pounding of the waves.
42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.
43 But the centurion, wanting to spare Paul's life, prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and reach land.
44 The rest were to follow on planks or other pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone reached shore safely.
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ACT 27: AFINT
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
