Acts 27
27
Paul and His Ministry Partners Sail for Rome
1 And when it was decided that we would set sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius of the Augustan Cohort. 2 And after embarking on a ship from Adramyttium, which was about to set sail to the places along the coast of Asia, we put to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. 3 And on the following day, we landed at Sidon. And Julius, treating Paul with humane consideration, allowed him to go to his friends to receive care. 4 And having put out to sea from there, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia,* we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 And there, the centurion found a ship from Alexandria sailing to Italy and had us embarked on it. 7 And we sailed slowly for a number of days, and with difficulty we arrived off Cnidus. Since the wind did not permit us to progress further, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone.* 8 And sailing past it with difficulty, we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, near to which was the town of Lasea.
9 And since considerable time had elapsed and the voyage was now dangerous, because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised, 10 saying to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage is going to be with injury and much loss, not only of the freight and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion was more persuaded by the captain and the ship owner than by what Paul was saying. 12 And because the harbour was unsuitable to spend the winter in, the majority made a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they might be able to arrive at Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing towards the southwest and towards the northwest, to pass the winter there.
The Storm at Sea
13 Now when the south wind blew gently, thinking they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed past Crete, very near to the shore.* 14 But not long after, a stormy wind, called the Northeaster, rushed down from it.* 15 And when the ship was caught and was not able to face the wind,* we gave way and were driven along. 16 And running under the lee of a certain small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to secure control of the ship’s boat. 17 Having hoisted it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. And fearing lest they run aground on the sand bars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor, and thus they were driven along. 18 And since we were violently storm-tossed, on the following day they began to make a jettison of the cargo, 19 and on the third day they threw overboard the tackle of the ship with their own hands. 20 And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm assailed us, from then on, all hope of our being saved was abandoned.
21 And since many were experiencing loss of appetite, at that time Paul stood up in their midst and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice not to put out to sea from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. 22 And now I exhort you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life from among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this night an angel of the God, to whom I belong, and whom I serve, stood by me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; it is necessary for you to stand before Caesar. And behold, God has graciously granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 Therefore, cheer up, men, for I believe God that it will be so, according to the way it has been said to me. 26 But we must run aground on some island.”
The Shipwreck
27 And when the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea about the middle of the night, the sailors began to suspect they were approaching some land. 28 And taking soundings, they found twenty fathoms. Then proceeding a short distance further and taking soundings again, they found fifteen fathoms. 29 And fearing lest somewhere we run aground on rocky places, they threw down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And while the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, under the guise of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and allowed it to drift away.
33 And until the day was about to dawn, Paul kept urging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have waited in suspense and continued without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore, I urge you to take some food, for this is for your preservation. For not a hair from your head will perish.”* 35 And when he said these things and took bread, he gave thanks to God in the sight of all, and after breaking it, he began to eat. 36 Then they all were encouraged and they themselves took food.* 37 Now we were altogether two hundred and seventy-six souls on the ship. 38 And when they were satisfied with food, they lightened the ship, throwing the wheat into the sea.
39 Now when it was day, they did not recognise the land, but they noticed a certain bay that had a beach, on which they planned, if they could, to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cut adrift the anchors, left them in the sea, and at the same time loosening the ropes of the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind, they began to head for the beach. 41 But falling into a region of conflicting currents, they ran the ship aground. And the bow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the force of the waves.*
42 Now the plan of the soldiers was that they would kill the prisoners, lest anyone should escape by swimming away. 43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, prevented them from executing their plan, and ordered those who were able to swim to throw themselves overboard first and get to the land, 44 and then the rest, some on planks and some on pieces of the ship. And thus it was that all escaped safely to the land.
Notes
5 Greek And when we had sailed across the Cilicia and Pamphylia
7 Two ancient Greek manuscripts omit off Salmone
13 Greek very near
14 Or from Crete
15 Or head into the wind
34 Or will be lost
41 Some ancient manuscripts omit of the waves
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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).
