27:1 When it was decided we 1 would sail to Italy, 2 they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion 3 of the Augustan Cohort 4 named Julius. 27:2 We went on board 5 a ship from Adramyttium 6 that was about to sail to various ports 7 along the coast of the province of Asia 8 and put out to sea, 9 accompanied by Aristarchus, a Macedonian 10 from Thessalonica. 11 27:3 The next day we put in 12 at Sidon, 13 and Julius, treating Paul kindly, 14 allowed him to go to his friends so they could provide him with what he needed. 15 27:4 From there we put out to sea 16 and sailed under the lee 17 of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 27:5 After we had sailed across the open sea 18 off Cilicia and Pamphylia, 19 we put in 20 at Myra 21 in Lycia. 22 27:6 There the centurion 23 found 24 a ship from Alexandria 25 sailing for Italy, and he put us aboard it. 27:7 We sailed slowly 26 for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus. 27 Because the wind prevented us from going any farther, 28 we sailed under the lee 29 of Crete off Salmone. 30 27:8 With difficulty we sailed along the coast 31 of Crete 32 and came to a place called Fair Havens that was near the town of Lasea. 33
27:9 Since considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous 34 because the fast 35 was already over, 36 Paul advised them, 37 27:10 “Men, I can see the voyage is going to end 38 in disaster 39 and great loss not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 40 27:11 But the centurion 41 was more convinced 42 by the captain 43 and the ship’s owner than by what Paul said. 44 27:12 Because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided 45 to put out to sea 46 from there. They hoped that 47 somehow they could reach 48 Phoenix, 49 a harbor of Crete facing 50 southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there. 27:13 When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought 51 they could carry out 52 their purpose, so they weighed anchor 53 and sailed close along the coast 54 of Crete. 27:14 Not long after this, a hurricane-force 55 wind called the northeaster 56 blew down from the island. 57 27:15 When the ship was caught in it 58 and could not head into 59 the wind, we gave way to it and were driven 60 along. 27:16 As we ran under the lee of 61 a small island called Cauda, 62 we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat 63 under control. 27:17 After the crew 64 had hoisted it aboard, 65 they used supports 66 to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground 67 on the Syrtis, 68 they lowered the sea anchor, 69 thus letting themselves be driven along. 27:18 The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, 70 they began throwing the cargo overboard, 71 27:19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear 72 overboard with their own hands. 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent 73 storm continued to batter us, 74 we finally abandoned all hope of being saved. 75
27:21 Since many of them had no desire to eat, 76 Paul 77 stood up 78 among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me 79 and not put out to sea 80 from Crete, thus avoiding 81 this damage and loss. 27:22 And now I advise 82 you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost. 83 27:23 For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong 84 and whom I serve 85 came to me 86 27:24 and said, 87 ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before 88 Caesar, 89 and God has graciously granted you the safety 90 of all who are sailing with you.’ 27:25 Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God 91 that it will be just as I have been told. 27:26 But we must 92 run aground on some island.”
27:27 When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven 93 across the Adriatic Sea, 94 about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land. 95 27:28 They took soundings 96 and found the water was twenty fathoms 97 deep; when they had sailed a little farther 98 they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms 99 deep. 27:29 Because they were afraid 100 that we would run aground on the rocky coast, 101 they threw out 102 four anchors from the stern and wished 103 for day to appear. 104 27:30 Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending 105 that they were going to put out anchors from the bow, 27:31 Paul said to the centurion 106 and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you 107 cannot be saved.” 27:32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes 108 of the ship’s boat and let it drift away. 109
27:33 As day was about to dawn, 110 Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense 111 and have gone 112 without food; you have eaten nothing. 113 27:34 Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important 114 for your survival. 115 For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.” 27:35 After he said this, Paul 116 took bread 117 and gave thanks to God in front of them all, 118 broke 119 it, and began to eat. 27:36 So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves. 27:37 (We were in all two hundred seventy-six 120 persons on the ship.) 121 27:38 When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, 122 they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat 123 into the sea.
27:39 When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed 124 a bay 125 with a beach, 126 where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 27:40 So they slipped 127 the anchors 128 and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage 129 that bound the steering oars 130 together. Then they hoisted 131 the foresail 132 to the wind and steered toward 133 the beach. 27:41 But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents 134 and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force 135 of the waves. 27:42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners 136 so that none of them would escape by swimming away. 137 27:43 But the centurion, 138 wanting to save Paul’s life, 139 prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, 140 27:44 and the rest were to follow, 141 some on planks 142 and some on pieces of the ship. 143 And in this way 144 all were brought safely to land.