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Acts 27
New Testament for Everyone
Acts 27
New Testament for Everyone
All at sea
27 When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed Paul over, along with some other prisoners, to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Cohort. 2 They got into a ship from Adramyttium, which was intending to sail to various places along the coast of Asia. So off we set. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, came too.
3 Next day we put in at Sidon. Julius was kind to Paul, and allowed him to go to his friends to be cared for. 4 When we left Sidon, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us, 5 and then crossed the sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, arriving at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship going from Alexandria to Italy, and we got on board.
7 After a few days we were making very heavy weather of it, and only got to the shore at Cnidus. Since the wind was not helping us, we sailed under the lee of Crete, off the coast from Salmone. 8 Getting past that point with some difficulty, we came to a place called “Fair Havens,” not far from the town of Lasea.
9 Quite a bit of time had now elapsed, and sailing was becoming dangerous. The Fast had already come and gone. Paul gave his advice.
10 “Men,” he said, “I can see we’re going to have trouble on this voyage. It’s going to be dangerous. We may well sustain heavy losses both to the cargo and to the ship, not to mention to human life.”
11 But the centurion put his faith in the helmsman and the ship-owner rather than in what Paul had said. 12 Unfortunately, the harbor was not suitable for wintering, so most people were in favor of going on from there to see if they could get to Phoenix, a Cretan harbor which faces both south-west and north-west. They would then be able to spend the winter there.
The storm and the angel
13 Well, a moderate southerly breeze sprang up, and they thought they had the result they wanted. So they lifted the anchor and sailed along, hugging the shore of Crete. 14 But before long a great typhoon—they call it “Eurakylon,” the Northeaster—swept down from Crete, 15 and the ship was caught up by it. Since the ship couldn’t turn and face into the wind, it had to give way and we were carried along.
16 When we came in behind an island called Cauda, we were just able to get the ship’s boat under control. 17 They pulled it up, and did what was necessary to undergird the ship. Then, because they were afraid that we would crash into the Syrtis sandbanks, they lowered the sea-anchor and allowed the ship to be driven along. 18 The storm was so severe that on the next day they began to throw cargo overboard, 19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard as well, with their own hands. 20 We then went for a good many days without seeing either the sun or the stars, with a major storm raging. All hope of safety was finally abandoned.
21 We had gone without food a long time. Then Paul stood up in the middle of them all.
“It does seem to me, my good people,” he said, “that you should have taken my advice not to leave Crete. We could have managed without this damage and loss. 22 But now I want to tell you: take heart! No lives will be lost—only the ship. 23 This last night, you see, an angel of the God to whom I belong, and whom I worship, stood beside me. 24 ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul,’ he said. ‘You must appear before Caesar, and let me tell you this: God has granted you all your traveling companions.’ 25 So take heart, my friends. I believe God, that it will be as he said to me. 26 We must, however, be cast up on some island or other.”
27 On the fourteenth night we were being carried across the sea of Adria when, around the middle of the night, the sailors reckoned that we were getting near some land. 28 They took soundings and found twenty fathoms; then, a little bit further, they took soundings again and found fifteen fathoms. 29 They were afraid that we might crash into a rocky place, so they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 The sailors wanted to escape from the ship, and let down the boat into the sea under the pretense of going to put out anchors from the bow. 31 But Paul spoke to the centurion and the soldiers.
“If these men don’t stay in the ship,” he said, “there is no chance of safety.”
32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the boat, and let it fall away.
Shipwreck
33 When it was nearly daytime, Paul urged all of them to eat something.
“It’s now all of fourteen days,” he said, “that you’ve been hanging on without food, not eating a thing. 34 So let me encourage you to have something to eat. This will help you get rescued. No hair of any of your heads will be lost.”
35 So saying, he took some bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke the bread and ate it. 36 Then all of them cheered up and took some food. 37 The whole company on board was two hundred and seventy-six. 38 When we had eaten enough food, they threw the grain overboard to lighten the ship.
39 When day came, they didn’t recognize the land. It appeared to have a bay with a sandy shore, and that was where they hoped, if possible, to beach the ship. 40 They let the anchors drop away into the sea, and at the same time slackened the ropes on the rudders, hoisted the foresail, and headed for the beach. 41 But they crashed into a reef and ran the ship aground. The prow stuck fast and wouldn’t budge, while the strong waves were smashing the stern to bits. 42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so that none of them would swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion wanted to rescue Paul, and refused permission for them to carry out their intention. Instead, he ordered all who were able to swim to leap overboard first and head for land, 44 while the rest were to come after, some on boards and some on bits and pieces of the ship. And so everyone ended up safely on land.
Acts 27
Legacy Standard Bible
Acts 27
Legacy Standard Bible
Paul Is Sent to Rome
27 Now when it was decided that (A)we (B)would sail for (C)Italy, they proceeded to deliver Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan [a](D)cohort named Julius. 2 And getting aboard an Adramyttian ship, which was about to sail to the regions along the coast of [b](E)Asia, we set sail accompanied by (F)Aristarchus, a (G)Macedonian of (H)Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at (I)Sidon, and Julius (J)treated Paul with consideration and (K)allowed him to go to his friends and receive care. 4 And from there we set sail and sailed under the shelter of (L)Cyprus because (M)the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed through the sea along the coast of (N)Cilicia and (O)Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an (P)Alexandrian ship sailing for (Q)Italy, and he put us aboard it. 7 And when we had sailed slowly for a good many days, and with difficulty had arrived off Cnidus, (R)since the wind did not permit us to go farther, we sailed under the shelter of (S)Crete, off Salmone; 8 and with difficulty, we (T)sailed past it and came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
9 And when considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even (U)the [c]Fast was already over, Paul began to advise them, 10 and said to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be with (V)damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion was being more persuaded by the (W)pilot and the [d]captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable for wintering, the majority reached a decision to set sail from there, if somehow they could arrive at Phoenix, a harbor of (X)Crete facing southwest and northwest, to spend the winter there.
13 And when a moderate [e]south wind came up, thinking that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began (Y)sailing along [f]the shore of (Z)Crete.
The Storm at Sea
14 But before very long there (AA)rushed down from [g]the land a violent wind, called [h]Euraquilo; 15 and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be carried along. 16 And running under the shelter of a small island called Clauda, we were scarcely able to get the ship’s [i]boat under control. 17 After they had hoisted it up, they used [j]supporting cables in undergirding the ship. Fearing that they might (AB)run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the [k]sea anchor and in this way let themselves be carried along. 18 And the next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, [l]they began to (AC)jettison the cargo; 19 and on the third day they cast the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 And since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.
21 And [m]when they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, “(AD)Men, you ought to have [n]followed my advice to not set sail from (AE)Crete and to [o]avoid this (AF)damage and loss. 22 And now I advise you to (AG)be cheerful, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night (AH)an angel of the God to whom I belong and (AI)whom I serve (AJ)stood before me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; (AK)you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you (AL)all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 Therefore, (AM)be cheerful, men, for I believe God that [p]it will turn out exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must (AN)run aground on some (AO)island.”
27 But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being carried about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to suspect that some land was approaching them. 28 And when they took soundings, they found it to be [q]twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be [r]fifteen fathoms. 29 And fearing that we might (AP)run aground somewhere on the [s]rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and were praying for daybreak. 30 But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down (AQ)the ship’s boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot [t]be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the (AR)ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.
33 Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was encouraging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your [u]salvation, for (AS)not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” 35 And having said these things, he took bread and (AT)gave thanks to God in the presence of all. And he broke it and began to eat. 36 And all (AU)of them became cheerful and they themselves also took food. 37 And all of us in the ship were 276 [v](AV)persons. 38 And when they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by (AW)throwing out the wheat into the sea.
The Shipwreck
39 Now when day came, (AX)they [w]could not recognize the land; but they were noticing a bay with a beach, and they were resolving to drive the ship onto it if they could. 40 And casting off (AY)the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders. And hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach. 41 But striking a [x]reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the bow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves. 42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to (AZ)kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; 43 but the centurion, (BA)wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and ordered that those who could swim should [y]jump overboard first and get to land, 44 and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that (BB)they all were brought safely to land.
Footnotes
- Acts 27:1 Normally 600 men (the number varied); or battalion
- Acts 27:2 West coast province of Asia Minor
- Acts 27:9 Day of Atonement in September or October, which was a dangerous time of year for navigation
- Acts 27:11 Or owner
- Acts 27:13 Lit south wind having gently blown
- Acts 27:13 Lit closer
- Acts 27:14 Lit it
- Acts 27:14 A northeaster
- Acts 27:16 Or skiff: a small boat in tow or carried on board for emergency use, transportation to and from shore, etc.
- Acts 27:17 Lit helps
- Acts 27:17 Or gear
- Acts 27:18 Lit they were doing a throwing out
- Acts 27:21 Or when they had lost their appetite for a long time
- Acts 27:21 Lit obeyed me
- Acts 27:21 Lit gained
- Acts 27:25 Lit it will be
- Acts 27:28 Approx. 120 ft. or 36 m, a fathom was approx. 6 ft. or 1.8 m
- Acts 27:28 Approx. 90 ft. or 27 m
- Acts 27:29 Lit rough places
- Acts 27:31 Or survive
- Acts 27:34 Or survival
- Acts 27:37 Lit souls
- Acts 27:39 Lit were not recognizing
- Acts 27:41 Lit place
- Acts 27:43 Lit throw themselves
Acts 27
New International Version
Acts 27
New International Version
Paul Sails for Rome
27 When it was decided that we(A) would sail for Italy,(B) Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.(C) 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia,(D) and we put out to sea. Aristarchus,(E) a Macedonian(F) from Thessalonica,(G) was with us.
3 The next day we landed at Sidon;(H) and Julius, in kindness to Paul,(I) allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.(J) 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.(K) 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia(L) and Pamphylia,(M) we landed at Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship(N) sailing for Italy(O) and put us on board. 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course,(P) we sailed to the lee of Crete,(Q) opposite Salmone. 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement.[a](R) So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.”(S) 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete,(T) facing both southwest and northwest.
The Storm
13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force,(U) 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 way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat(V) secure, 17 so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground(W) on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor[b] and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.(X) 19 On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither 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 taken my advice(Y) not to sail from Crete;(Z) then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage,(AA) because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. 23 Last night an angel(AB) of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve(AC) stood beside me(AD) 24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar;(AE) and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’(AF) 25 So keep up your courage,(AG) men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.(AH) 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground(AI) on some island.”(AJ)
The Shipwreck
27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic[c] Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet[d] deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet[e] deep. 29 Fearing that 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(AK) down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”(AL) 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.
33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t 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.”(AM) 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it(AN) and began to eat. 36 They were all encouraged(AO) 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.(AP)
39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach,(AQ) where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40 Cutting loose the anchors,(AR) they left them in the sea and at the same time 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.(AS)
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(AT) 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.(AU)
Footnotes
- Acts 27:9 That is, Yom Kippur
- Acts 27:17 Or the sails
- Acts 27:27 In ancient times the name referred to an area extending well south of Italy.
- Acts 27:28 Or about 37 meters
- Acts 27:28 Or about 27 meters
New Testament for Everyone (NTFE) 
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