Acts 27

¹When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed over both Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan Cohort.

²Having boarded a ship of Adramyttium that was about to sail to the ports along Asia, we put out to sea, with Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.

³On the next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, treating Paul kindly, permitted him to go to his friends to receive care.

⁴And from there, putting out to sea, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

⁵And when we had sailed across the open sea along Cilicia and Pamphylia, we arrived at Myra in Lycia.

⁶And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put us on board.

⁷Sailing slowly for many days and arriving off Cnidus only with difficulty, the wind not allowing us to go further, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone.

⁸And with difficulty coasting along it, we arrived at a certain place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

⁹And when considerable time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous because the fast had already gone by, Paul urged them,

¹⁰saying to them: 'Men, I perceive that the voyage is going to be with disaster and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.'

¹¹But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the ship-owner than by what Paul said.

¹²And because the harbor was unsuitable for wintering, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, hoping that if possible they could reach Phoenix — a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest — to winter there.

¹³And when a gentle south wind began to blow, thinking they had achieved their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed close along the coast of Crete.

¹⁴But not long after, there struck down from it a typhonic wind called the Euraquilo.

¹⁵And when the ship was caught by it and was not able to face into the wind, we gave way and were driven along.

¹⁶And running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to gain control of the ship's boat.

¹⁷After hoisting it up, they used emergency gear to undergird the ship; and fearing they might run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear and so were driven along.

¹⁸And as we were being violently storm-tossed, the next day they began jettisoning the cargo.

¹⁹And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.

²⁰And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was pressing upon us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

²¹And when many of them had no desire to eat, Paul then stood up in their midst and said: 'Men, you ought to have heeded me and not set sail from Crete, and so incurred this injury and loss.

²²And now I urge you to take courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship.

²³For this very night an angel of God, whose I am, whom also I serve, stood before me —

²⁴saying, 'Do not fear, Paul; you must stand before Caesar, and behold, God has graciously granted you all those who are sailing with you.'

²⁵Therefore take courage, men; for I believe God, that it will be just as it has been told to me.

²⁶But we must run aground on some island.

²⁷But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven through the Adriatic, about midnight the sailors suspected that some land was drawing near to them.

²⁸And taking soundings they found twenty fathoms, and after going a little farther they took soundings again and found fifteen fathoms.

²⁹And fearing that we might run aground on rocky ground, they threw out four anchors from the stern and wished for day to come.

³⁰But when the sailors sought to flee from the ship and lowered the small boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow,

³¹Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, 'Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.'

³²Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the small boat and let it drift away.

³³Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was urging all of them to take some food, saying, 'This is the fourteenth day you have been waiting anxiously and continuing without eating, taking nothing.

³⁴Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is for your preservation; for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.'

³⁵And having said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the sight of all, and breaking it, he began to eat.

³⁶And all became cheerful and they also took food.

³⁷And we were in all two hundred and seventy-six persons in the ship.

³⁸And when they were satisfied with food, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.

³⁹When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay with a beach, toward which they resolved to drive the ship if they could.

⁴⁰And having cut away the anchors, they left them in the sea, while at the same time loosening the bands of the rudders; and having hoisted the foresail to the blowing wind, they held course for the beach.

⁴¹But striking a place of cross-currents, they ran the vessel aground; and the bow, having stuck fast, remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.

⁴²Now the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that no one might escape by swimming away.

⁴³But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded those who were able to swim to jump overboard first and get to land,

⁴⁴and the rest — some on planks, and some on pieces from the ship — and so it came about that all were brought safely to land.