Acts 27
1 When the time came for us to sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion called Julius of the Imperial Regiment.
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 We boarded a ship based in Adramyttium that was headed to the coastal ports of the province of Asia, and we set sail. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with 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 The next day we had a brief stop at Sidon, and Julius was kind enough to let Paul go ashore and visit his friends so they could provide what he needed.
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 We set out from there and sailed to the leeward of Cyprus because the winds were against us.
Putting to sea again, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the wind was against us;
5 Then we sailed directly across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, arriving at the port of Myra in Lycia.
and, after crossing the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.
6 There the centurion found a ship from Alexandria that would be sailing to Italy, and arranged for us to join it.
There the Roman officer found an Alexandrian ship on her way to Italy, and put us on board of her.
7 We sailed slowly for several days and eventually arrived off Cnidus. But since the winds wouldn't allow us to continue we sailed across to the lee of Crete, near to Salmone.
For several days our progress was slow, and it was only with difficulty that we arrived off Cnidus. As the wind was still unfavorable when we came off Cape Salmone, we sailed under the lee of Crete,
8 With some difficulty we made our way along the coast until we arrived at a place called Fair Havens, near to the town 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 We'd lost a lot of time, and the voyage was becoming dangerous because it was now after the Fast. Paul warned 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 “Men, I predict that this voyage will result in much hardship and loss—not just of the cargo and the ship, but also our very 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 paid more attention to the advice of the ship's captain and its owner than to what Paul said.
The Roman officer, however, was more influenced by the captain and the owner than by what was said by Paul.
12 Since the harbor was not large enough to over-winter in, the majority were in favor of leaving and trying if possible to reach Phoenix and spend the winter there—a harbor in Crete that faces northwest and southwest.
And, as the harbor was not a suitable one to winter in, the majority were in favor of continuing the voyage, in hope of being able to reach Phoenix, and winter there. Phoenix was a Cretan harbor, open to the north-east and south-east.
13 When a moderate south wind began to blow, they thought they could do what they planned. They pulled up the anchor and sailed close inshore along the coast of 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 it wasn't long before a hurricane-force wind called a “northeaster” blew from the land.
But shortly afterward a hurricane came down on us off the land – a north-easter, as it is called.
15 The ship was forced out to sea and could not face into the wind. So we had to give in and allow ourselves to be driven before the wind.
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 We were eventually able to run into the lee of a small island called Cauda, and managed with some difficulty to secure the ship's boat on board.
Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we only just managed to secure the ship’s boat,
17 After hoisting it aboard, the sailors bound ropes around the hull to strengthen it. Then, worried that they would be wrecked on the Syrtis banks, they lowered the sea anchor and allowed the ship to be driven along.
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 The following day as we were violently thrown about by the storm, the crew started throwing the cargo overboard.
So violently were we tossed about by the storm, that the next day they began throwing the cargo overboard,
19 On the third day they grabbed the ship's gear and tossed it into the sea.
and, on the following day, threw out the ship’s tackle with their own hands.
20 We hadn't seen the sun or the stars for many days as the storm beat down on us; so any hope of our being saved was lost.
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 Nobody had eaten anything for a long time. Then Paul stood before them and told them, “Men, you should have listened to me and not sailed from Crete. Then you could have avoided all this hardship 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 But now I advise you keep up your courage, because nobody is going to be lost, just 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 Last night an angel of my God and whom I serve, stood beside me.
For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong, and whom I serve, stood by me, and said –
24 ‘Don't be afraid, Paul,’ he told me. ‘You have to stand trial before Caesar. See, God has graciously given to you everyone who is 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 So men, have courage! I trust God, and I'm convinced things will happen just as I was told.
Therefore, courage, my friends! For I believe God, that everything will happen exactly as I have been told.
26 However, we will be wrecked on some island.”
We will, however, have to be driven on some island.”
27 At around midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, still being blown over the Sea of Adria, the crew suspected they were getting close to 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 They checked the depth and found it was forty meters, and a little while later they checked again and it was thirty meters.
So they took soundings, and found twenty fathoms of water. After waiting a little, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms.
29 They were concerned that we might be wrecked on rocks, so they dropped four anchors from the stern, and prayed for daylight to come.
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 The crew tried to leave the ship, and had lowered the ship's boat into the water with the pretext that they were going to drop anchors from the ship's bow.
The sailors wanted to leave the ship, and had lowered the boat, on pretense of running out anchors from the bows,
31 But Paul told the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless the crew stays with the ship, you will be lost.”
when Paul said to the Roman officer and his men, “Unless the sailors remain on board, you cannot be saved.”
32 So the soldiers cut the ropes holding the ship's boat, and let it loose.
So the soldiers cut the ropes which held the boat, and let her drift away.
33 At daybreak Paul urged all of them to eat something. “It's been fourteen days now that you haven't eaten anything because you've been so worried and preoccupied,” he told them.
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 “Please do what I say and eat some food. This will help give you strength. For not even a hair from anyone's head is going to be lost!”
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 When he'd finished speaking he picked up a loaf of bread, and gave thanks to God for it in front of everyone. Then he broke the bread, and 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 Everyone was encouraged and they ate too.
and the men all felt cheered and had something to eat themselves.
37 The total number of people on board was two hundred and seventy-six.
There were about seventy-six of us on board, all told.
38 Once they'd had enough to eat, the crew made the ship lighter by throwing the supplies of wheat overboard.
After satisfying their hunger, they further lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
39 When dawn came they didn't recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay that had a beach. They planned to try running the ship aground there.
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 So they cut the anchor ropes, leaving the anchors in the sea. At the same time they untied the ropes holding the rudders, raised the foresail to the wind, and made for the beach.
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 But they struck a sandbar and the ship grounded. The bow hit, and stuck so firm it couldn't be moved, while the stern began to be broken apart by the pounding surf.
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 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim away and escape.
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, because he wanted to save Paul's life, prevented them from doing this, and ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for 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 The rest grabbed hold of planks and other wreckage, so that everyone was able to reach land safely.
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.
