Acts 27
1 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.
When [the Governor and those who advised him] decided that it was time for us [(exc)] to get on a ship and go to Italy, they put Paul and some other prisoners into the hands/care of an army captain whose name was Julius. [He was the one who would guard us on the journey]. Julius was [an officer] in charge of [a group of] 100 [soldiers that people called] ‘the Emperor Augustus Group’.
2 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.
So we got on a ship that had come from Adramyttium [city in Asia province. The ship] was going to [return there, stopping at] cities along the coast of Asia [province]. Aristarchus, [a fellow believer who was] from Thessalonica [city] in Macedonia [province], went with us.
3 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.
The day after [the ship sailed], we arrived at Sidon [city]. Julius kindly told Paul that he could go and see his friends [who lived there], so that they could give him whatever he might need. [So Paul visited the believers there].
4 Putting to sea again, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the wind was against us;
Then the ship left [Sidon], but the winds were blowing against us [(exc)], so [the ship] went along [the north] side of Cyprus [Island], the side that is sheltered [from the wind].
5 and, after crossing the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia.
After that, we crossed over the sea close to the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia [provinces. The ship] arrived at Myra [city, which is] in Lycia [province]. [We got off the ship there].
6 There the Roman officer found an Alexandrian ship on her way to Italy, and put us on board of her.
In Myra, [people told] Julius that a ship [was there that had come] from Alexandria [city] and would [soon] sail to Italy. So he arranged for us to get [on that ship], [and we left].
7 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,
We sailed slowly for several days and finally arrived close to the coast [of Asia province], near Cnidus [town. After that], the wind [was very strong and] did not allow the ship to move straight ahead [westward. So instead], we sailed [southward] along the side of Crete [Island that is] sheltered [from the wind], and we passed [near Cape] Salmone.
8 and with difficulty, by keeping close in shore, we reached a place called “Fair Havens,” near which was the town of Lasea.
[The wind was still strong, and it prevented the ship from moving ahead fast]. So we moved slowly along the coast [of Crete], and we arrived at a harbor that was called Fair Havens, near Lasea [town].
9 This had taken a considerable time, and sailing was already dangerous, for the Fast was already over; and so Paul gave this warning.
Much time had passed, so it would have been dangerous if we [(exc)] had traveled [farther] by ship [because after that time of the year] [MTY] [the sea often became very stormy]. So Paul said to the men [on the ship],
10 ‘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.’
“Men, I perceive that [if we(inc) travel by ship] now, it will be disastrous for us. A storm may destroy the ship and the cargo, and possibly we will drown.”
11 The Roman officer, however, was more influenced by the captain and the owner than by what was said by Paul.
But the officer [did not listen to] what Paul said. Instead, he decided to do what the pilot [of the ship] and the owner of the ship advised.
12 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.
The harbor where the ship had stopped was not a good place to remain during the winter [when the weather frequently becomes stormy. So most of the people on the ship decided that we(exc) should leave there, because they hoped that we] could stay at Phoenix [port] during the winter, if we could possibly arrive there. That harbor was open to the sea in two directions, [but the strong winds did not blow there].
13 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.
Then a gentle wind began to blow [from the south], and the [crew members] thought that they could travel as they had decided [to do. So] they lifted [the anchor up out of the sea], and the ship sailed [westward] along the [southern] shore of Crete [Island].
14 But shortly afterwards a hurricane came down on us off the land – a north-easter, as it is called.
But after a while, a wind that was very strong blew across the island [from the north side and hit the ship. That wind was called] {[People] called that wind} “the Northeast Wind.”
15 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.
It blew strongly against the [front of] the ship. The result was that we could not keep going in the direction [in which we had been going]. So the sailors let the wind move the ship in the direction [that the wind] was blowing.
16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we only just managed to secure the ship’s boat,
The ship then passed a small island named Cauda. We passed along the side [of the island that] sheltered [the ship from the wind]. Then [while the ship was moving along], the sailors lifted the lifeboat up [out of the water] and tied it [on the deck. But the strong wind made it] difficult even to do that.
17 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.
After the sailors [hoisted/lifted] the lifeboat onto the ship, they tied ropes around the ship’s hull to strengthen the ship. The sailors were afraid that, [because the wind was pushing the ship], it might run onto the sandbanks off the coast of Libya to the south [and get stuck there. So] they lowered the largest sail [so that the ship would move slower. Even so], the wind continued to move the ship along. [The wind and the waves] continued to toss the ship about roughly, so on the next day the sailors began to throw overboard the things that the ship was carrying.
18 So violently were we tossed about by the storm, that the next day they began throwing the cargo overboard,
19 and, on the following day, threw out the ship’s tackle with their own hands.
On the third [day after the stormy wind had begun to blow], the sailors/we [MTY] threw overboard [most of] the sails, ropes, and poles, [in order to make the ship lighter].
20 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.
The wind continued to blow very strongly, [and the sky was full of dark clouds] day and night. We could not see the sun or the stars for many days, [so we could not determine where we were. And the wind] continued to blow violently. So we [(exc)] finally thought that we would drown in the sea.
21 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.
None of us on the ship had eaten for many days. [Then one day], Paul stood up in front of us and said, “[Friends], you should have listened to me [when I said] that we [(inc)] should not sail from Crete. Then we would have been safe, and the ship and its cargo would be in good condition [LIT].
22 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.
But now, I urge you, do not be afraid, because none of us will die. [The storm] will destroy the ship but not us.
23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong, and whom I serve, stood by me, and said –
I [know this], because last night God, the one to whom I belong and whom I serve, [sent] an angel [who came and] stood by me.
24 “Have no fear, Paul; you must appear before the Emperor, and God himself has given you the lives of all your fellow voyagers.”
The angel said to me, ‘Paul, do not be afraid! You [(sg)] must [go to Rome] and stand before the Emperor there [so that he can judge you]. I want you to know that God has made it clear to me that all those who are traveling by ship with you [will also survive].’
25 Therefore, courage, my friends! For I believe God, that everything will happen exactly as I have been told.
So cheer up, [my] friends, because I believe that God will make this happen, exactly as [the angel] told me.
26 We will, however, have to be driven on some island.’
However, [the ship] will crash on some island, [and] we [(inc)] will go ashore [there].”
27 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.
On the fourteenth night [after the storm had begun, the ship] was still being blown {the wind was still blowing [the ship]} across the Adriatic sea. About midnight, the sailors sensed that the ship was getting close to land.
28 So they took soundings, and found twenty fathoms of water. After waiting a little, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms.
So they lowered [a weight on a rope] to measure how deep [the water was]. When they pulled the rope up again, they measured it and saw that the water was (120 ft./37 meters) deep. They went a little farther and lowered the rope again. [That time], they saw that the water was [only] about (90 ft./28 meters) deep.
29 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.
They were afraid that the [ship] might go onto some rocks, so they threw out four anchors from the [ship’s] stern/back and continued to wish/pray that it would soon be dawn [so that they could see where the ship was going].
30 The sailors wanted to leave the ship, and had lowered the boat, on pretence of running out anchors from the bows,
Some of the sailors were planning to escape from the ship, so they lowered the lifeboat into the sea. In order [that no one would know what they planned to do], they pretended [that] they wanted to lower some anchors from the [ship’s] front/bow.
31 when Paul said to the Roman officer and his men, ‘Unless the sailors remain on board, you cannot be saved.’
But Paul said to the army officer and soldiers, “If the sailors do not stay in the ship, you have no hope of being saved.”
32 So the soldiers cut the ropes which held the boat, and let her drift away.
So the soldiers cut the ropes and let the lifeboat fall into the water.
33 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.
Just before dawn, Paul urged everyone [on the ship] to eat some food. He said, “For the past 14 days you have been waiting and watching and not eating anything.
34 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.’
So, [now] I urge you to eat some food. We [(inc)] need to do that in order to stay alive. I [tell you to do that because I know that] none of you will drown [IDM].”
35 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;
After Paul had said that, while everyone was watching, he took some bread and thanked God [for it. Then he broke the bread and began to eat some of it].
36 and the men all felt cheered and had something to eat themselves.
The [rest of us] became encouraged, so we [(exc)] all ate some food.
37 There were about seventy-six of us on board, all told.
Altogether there were 276 of us [SYN] on the ship.
38 After satisfying their hunger, they further lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
When everyone had eaten as much as they wanted, they threw the grain [that the ship was carrying] into the sea, and this made the ship lighter.
39 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.
At dawn, [we(exc) could see] land, [but the sailors] did not recognize [the place]. However, they could see that there was a bay and [a wide area of] sand at the water’s edge. They planned that, if it was possible, they would steer the ship onto [the beach].
40 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.
[So some of the sailors] cut the anchor [ropes and] let the anchors fall into the sea. At the same time, [other sailors] untied the [ropes that] fastened the rudders, [so that they could steer the ship again]. Then [the sailors] raised the sail at the front/bow of the ship so that the wind [would blow the ship forward], and the ship headed towards the shore.
41 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.
But the ship hit a sandbank. The front of the ship stuck there and could not move, and big waves beat against the back of the ship and it began to break apart.
42 The advice of the soldiers was that the prisoners should be killed, so that none of them could swim away and make their escape.
The soldiers said [to one another, “Let’s] kill [all] the prisoners [on the ship], so that they will not [be able to] swim [away and] escape.” [They planned to do that because they were sure] that officials [would order them to be executed if they let the prisoners escape].
43 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;
But [Julius], the army captain, wanted to save Paul, so he stopped the soldiers from doing what they planned to do. Instead, he [commanded] first that everyone who could swim should jump into the water and swim to land.
44 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.
[Then he told] the others [to hold] onto planks or pieces from the ship [and go towards shore. We(exc) did what he said, and] in that way all of us arrived safely on land.
