Acts 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.
As it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were put in charge of a centurion of the Augustan Guard, named Julius.
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.
We went on board a ship from Adramyttium, which was on the point of sailing to the ports along the coast of Roman Asia, and put to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with 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.
The next day we put in to Sidon, where Julius treated Paul in a friendly manner, and allowed him to go to see his friends and receive their hospitality.
4 And when we had set sail from there, we navigated below Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.
Putting to sea again, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the wind was against us;
5 And navigating though the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we arrived at Lystra, which is in Lycia.
and, after crossing the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.
6 And there the centurion found a ship from Alexandria sailing to Italy, and he transferred us to it.
There the Roman officer found an Alexandrian ship on her way to Italy, and put us on board of her.
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.
For several days our progress was slow, and it was only with difficulty that we arrived off Cnidus. As the wind was still unfavourable when we came off Cape Salmone, we sailed under the lee of Crete,
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.
and with difficulty, by keeping close in shore, we reached a place called “Fair Havens,” near which was the town 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,
This had taken a considerable time, and sailing was already dangerous, for the Fast was already over; and so Paul gave this warning.
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.”
‘My friends,’ he said, ‘I see that this voyage will be attended with injury and much damage, not only to the cargo and the ship, but to our own lives also.’
11 But the centurion put more trust in the captain and the navigator of the ship, than in the things being said by Paul.
The Roman officer, however, was more influenced by the captain and the owner than by what was 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.
And, as the harbour was not a suitable one to winter in, the majority were in favour of continuing the voyage, in hope of being able to reach Phoenix, and winter there. Phoenix was a Cretan harbour, open to the north-east and south-east.
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.
So, when a light wind sprang up from the south, thinking that they had found their opportunity, they weighed anchor and kept along the coast of Crete, close in shore.
14 But not long afterward, a violent wind came against them, which is called the Northeast Wind.
But shortly afterwards a hurricane came down on us off the land – a north-easter, as it is called.
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.
The ship was caught by it and was unable to keep her head to the wind, so we had to give way and let her drive before it.
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.
Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we only just managed to secure the ship’s boat,
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.
and, after hoisting it on board, the men frapped the ship. But, afraid of being driven on to the Syrtis Sands, they lowered the yard, and then drifted.
18 Then, since we were being tossed about strongly by the tempest, on the following day, they threw the heavy items overboard.
So violently were we tossed about by the storm, that the next day they began throwing the cargo overboard,
19 And on the third day, with their own hands, they threw the equipment of the ship overboard.
and, on the following day, threw out the ship’s tackle with their own hands.
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.
As neither sun nor stars were visible for several days, and, as the gale still continued severe, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
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.
It was then, when they had gone a long time without food, that Paul came forward, and said, ‘My friends, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and so incurred this injury and damage.
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.
Yet, even as things are, I beg you not to lose courage, for there will not be a single life lost among you – only the ship.
23 For an Angel of God, who is assigned to me and whom I serve, stood beside me this night,
For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong, and whom I serve, stood by me, and said –
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.’
“Have no fear, Paul; you must appear before the Emperor, and God himself has given you the lives of all your fellow voyagers.”
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.
Therefore, courage, my friends! For I believe God, that everything will happen exactly as I have been told.
26 But it is necessary for us to arrive at a certain island.”
We will, however, have to be driven on some 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.
It was now the fourteenth night of the storm, and we were drifting about in the Adriatic Sea, when, about midnight, the sailors began to suspect that they were drawing near 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.
So they took soundings, and found twenty fathoms of water. After waiting a little, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms.
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.
Then, as they were afraid of our being driven on some rocky coast, they let go four anchors from the stern, and longed for daylight.
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.
The sailors wanted to leave the ship, and had lowered the boat, on pretence of running out anchors from the bows,
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.”
when Paul said to the Roman officer and his men, ‘Unless the sailors remain on board, you cannot be saved.’
32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat, and they allowed it to fall.
So the soldiers cut the ropes which held the boat, and let her drift away.
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.
In the interval before daybreak Paul kept urging them all to take something to eat. ‘It is a fortnight today,’ he said, ‘that, owing to your anxiety, you have gone without food, 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.”
So I beg you to take something to eat; your safety depends on it, for not one of you will lose even a hair of his head.’
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.
With these words he took some bread, and, after saying the thanksgiving to God before them all, broke it in pieces, and began to eat;
36 Then they all became more peaceful in soul. And they also took food.
and the men all felt cheered and had something to eat themselves.
37 Truly, we were two hundred and seventy-six souls on the ship.
There were about seventy-six of us on board, all told.
38 And having been nourished with food, they lightened the ship, casting the wheat into the sea.
After satisfying their hunger, they further lightened the ship by throwing the grain 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.
When daylight came, they could not make out what land it was, but, observing a creek in which there was a beach, they consulted as to whether they could run the ship safely into it.
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.
Then they cast off, and abandoned the anchors, and at the same time unlashed the gear of the steering oars, hoisted the foresail to the wind, and made for the beach.
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.
They got, however, into a kind of channel, and there ran the ship aground. The bows stuck fast and could not be moved, while the stern began breaking up under the strain.
42 Then the soldiers were in agreement that they should kill the prisoners, lest anyone, after escaping by swimming, might flee.
The advice of the soldiers was that the prisoners should be killed, so that none of them could swim away and make their escape.
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.
But the Roman officer, anxious to save Paul, prevented their carrying out their intention, and ordered that those who could swim should be the first to jump into the sea and try to reach the shore;
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.
and that the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on different pieces of the ship. In these various ways everyone managed to get safely ashore.
