Acts 27

The Storm at Sea

1 When it was decided that we were going to sail to Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to a guy named Julius, who was in charge of the Imperial Regiment.

2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium, heading for ports along the coast of Asia, and we set sail. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.

3 The next day, we landed at Sidon, and Julius was cool enough to let Paul go see his friends so they could take care of his needs.

4 We set sail again, heading north along the coast of Cyprus because the winds were against us.

5 When we passed through the sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.

6 There, the centurion found an Alexandrian ship heading for Italy, and we boarded that.

7 For many days, the winds did not cooperate, and we struggled to make any progress. We finally sailed past Crete, off Salmone,

8 And with difficulty, we made it to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

9 By now, a lot of time had passed, and the fast (the Day of Atonement) had already happened, so Paul warned them,

10 “Listen, guys, I can see that this voyage is going to be a disaster, not just for the cargo and ship but for our lives too.”

11 But the centurion did not listen to Paul. He was more convinced by the ship’s pilot and owner.

12 Since the harbor was not a good place to spend the winter, the majority decided we should try to reach Phoenix, a harbor in Crete, and spend the winter there.

13 When the south wind blew gently, they thought they had it made, so they weighed anchor and sailed close to Crete.

14 But before long, a wind of hurricane force called the “northeaster” swept down from the island.

15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind, so we gave up and let it drive us.

16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able to secure the lifeboat.

17 After the crew hoisted it aboard, they used ropes to undergird the ship. They were afraid the ship might run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, so they lowered the sail and let the ship be driven along.

18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day, they began throwing the cargo overboard.

19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.

20 When neither the sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

21 After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me. We could have avoided all this damage and loss.

22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.

23 Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me

24 And said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar, and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’

25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.

26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

Shipwreck

27 On the fourteenth night, we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight, the sailors sensed they were approaching land.

28 They took soundings and found the water was 120 feet deep. A little while later, they took soundings again and found it was 90 feet deep.

29 Fearing we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.

30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.

31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”

32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall away.

33 Just before dawn, Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last 14 days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food, you have not eaten anything.

34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”

35 After he said this, he took some bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all, and broke it and began to eat.

36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.

37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board.

38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach. They decided to run the ship aground if they could.

40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea, and at the same time, they untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach.

41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.

42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping.

43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land.

44 The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone reached land safely.