Acts 27
New American 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 turn Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion of the Augustan [a](D)cohort, named Julius. 2 And we boarded an Adramyttian ship that was about to sail to the regions along the coast of [b](E)Asia, and put out to sea 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 From there we put out to sea and sailed under the shelter of (L)Cyprus, because (M)the winds were contrary. 5 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 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 (T)sailing past it, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
9 When considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even (U)the [c]fast was already over, Paul started admonishing them, 10 saying 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 more persuaded by the (W)pilot and the [d]captain of the ship than by what was being said by Paul. 12 The harbor was not suitable for wintering, so the majority reached a decision to put out to sea from there, if somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of (X)Crete facing southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.
13 [e]When a moderate south wind came up, thinking that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began (Y)sailing along (Z)Crete, closer to shore.
Shipwreck
14 But before very long a violent wind, called [f]Euraquilo, (AA)rushed down from [g]the land; 15 and when the ship was caught in it and could not head up into the wind, we gave up and let ourselves be driven by the wind. 16 Running under the shelter of a small island called Cauda, we were able to get the ship’s [h]boat under control only with difficulty. 17 After they had hoisted it up, they used [i]supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might (AB)run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the [j]sea anchor and let themselves be driven along in this way. 18 The next day as we were being violently tossed by the storm, [k]they began to (AC)jettison the cargo; 19 and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 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 slowly abandoned.
21 [l]When many had lost their appetites, Paul then stood among them and said, “[m](AD)Men, you should have followed my advice and not have set sail from (AE)Crete, and thereby spared yourselves this (AF)damage and loss. 22 And yet now I urge you to (AG)keep up your courage, 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, (AI)whom I also serve, (AJ)came to me, 24 saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; (AK)you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has graciously granted you (AL)all those who are sailing with you.’ 25 Therefore, (AM)keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that [n]it will turn out exactly as I have been told. 26 But we must (AN)run aground on a certain (AO)island.”
27 But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to suspect that [o]they were approaching some land. 28 And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29 Fearing that we might (AP)run aground somewhere on the [p]rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and [q]prayed 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 that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain on the ship, you yourselves cannot 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 kept 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 in nothing. 34 Therefore, I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your survival, for (AS)not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” 35 Having said this, he took bread and (AT)gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and he broke it and began to eat. 36 All (AU)of them [r]were encouraged and they themselves also took food. 37 We were 276 [s](AV)people on the ship in all. 38 When they had eaten enough, they began lightening the ship by (AW)throwing the wheat out into the sea.
39 Now when day came, (AX)they [t]could not recognize the land; but they did notice a bay with a beach, and they resolved to run 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 they hoisted the foresail to the wind and were heading for the beach. 41 But they struck a [u]reef where two seas met and ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck firmly and remained immovable, while the stern started to break up due to the force of the waves. 42 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 accomplishing their intention, and commanded that those who could swim were to [v]jump overboard first and get to land, 44 and the rest were to 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)
- Acts 27:2 I.e., west coast province of Asia Minor
- Acts 27:9 I.e., 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 a south wind having gently blown
- Acts 27:14 I.e., a northeaster
- Acts 27:14 Lit it
- Acts 27:16 Or skiff: a small boat in tow for emergencies, transportation to and from shore, etc.
- Acts 27:17 Lit helps
- Acts 27:17 Lit implement, an object designed to stabilize a boat from the stern against the wind.
- Acts 27:18 Lit they were doing a throwing out
- Acts 27:21 Lit there being much lack of appetite
- Acts 27:21 Lit O men
- Acts 27:25 Lit it will be
- Acts 27:27 Lit some land was approaching them
- Acts 27:29 Lit rough places
- Acts 27:29 Or wished for
- Acts 27:36 Lit became cheerful
- 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
The Voice
At different points in Acts, Luke shows how the good news of Jesus challenges Greco-Roman culture and religion, but he also shows that Christianity is not subversive to the Roman government. These direct statements by Roman officials about Paul’s innocence support this message. However, a challenge to culture and religion always ends up becoming a challenge to the government, as later Christians will learn.
27 The date was set for us to depart for Rome, and Paul and some other prisoners were transferred to the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a member of the Augustan Division. 2 I, Luke, was permitted to join Paul for his journey to Rome, along with Aristarchus, a Macedonian brother from Thessalonica. We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was stopping in ports along the coast of Asia. 3 We stopped the next day at Sidon, and Julius kindly allowed Paul to visit friends and be taken care of by them. 4 We sailed from there north of Cyprus because the winds were unfavorable. 5 We passed Cilicia and Pamphylia on our right and then came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There Julius found a ship from Alexandria heading directly to Italy, to which we transferred. 7 The winds were still contrary, so we made slow progress for a number of days and with difficulty passed Cnidus and sailed south toward Crete and past Cape Salmone on its eastern end. 8 Sailing conditions were adverse to say the least. Finally we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea on the south coast of Crete. 9 We had lost a lot of time already—it was late in the year for sailing—following the Day of Atonement, and conditions had deteriorated from adverse to dangerous. Paul tried to warn those in charge.
Paul: 10 Sirs, if we proceed, I can see that our voyage will be dangerous and will involve heavy loss, not only of cargo, but of the ship itself; not only of the ship, but also of our lives.
11 But the officer ignored Paul and instead trusted the ship’s pilot and owner who felt they could proceed.
12 We had two choices. We could anchor in the harbor at Fair Havens and spend the winter, or we could proceed west along the coastline, hoping to reach Phoenix and wait there for calmer spring weather. Fair Havens was not a good option, though, being vulnerable to winter storms; so most of us agreed we should try to reach Phoenix, whose harbor was more protected. 13 One day a moderate south wind began to blow, which made an attempt possible. We weighed anchor and sailed west, staying near shore. 14 Then things got scary. A violent northeaster, the Euraquilo, blew down across Crete. 15 We were caught. We couldn’t turn and sail into this fierce wind, so we had no choice but to let it drive us. 16 We briefly found a bit of shelter from the wind near the island of Clauda. We had been having trouble securing the ship’s lifeboat; 17 but we were able there to hoist it up and send down cables to brace the hull, which was in danger of breaking apart under the strain of the storm. The wind was relentless, and soon we were again being driven southwest at the mercy of the storm. We feared it would drive us all the way to the Syrtis Banks, down near the North African coast, so we threw out the sea anchor to slow us down. 18 All through the night, the storm pounded us violently. The next day, the crew threw the ship’s cargo overboard; 19 and the day after that, they discarded any of the ship’s equipment they could do without. 20 Days passed without relief from the furious winds, without a single break in the clouds to see sun or stars, even for a moment. Despair set in, as if all hope of rescue had been cast overboard as well. 21 On top of all of this, the crew had been unable to eat anything because of the turmoil. Paul saw the crew had reached a critical moment. He gathered them.
Paul: Men, if you had listened to my warning, we would still be safe in Crete and would have avoided this damage and loss. 22 I was correct in my warning, so I urge you to believe me now: none of you will die. We will lose the ship, but we will not lose one life. So keep up your courage, men! 23 The God I belong to, the God I worship, sent a heavenly messenger to me this night. 24 He said, “Do not be afraid, Paul. I’m not finished with you yet. You are going to stand before the emperor! You can be certain that God has granted safety to you and all your companions.” 25 So listen, men: you must not give up hope! Keep up your courage! I have faith in God that things will turn out exactly as I was told last night. 26 Here’s what I foresee: we will run aground on some island.
27-28 Imagine what happened: It’s the 14th night of our nightmare voyage; we’re being driven by the storm somewhere in the Adriatic Sea. It’s about midnight, and the sailors are taking soundings, fearing we might run aground. “Twenty fathoms,” somebody calls out in the darkness, then a little later, “Fifteen fathoms.” We’re nearing land! 29 But hope quickly gives way to a new fear. At any moment in this darkness, they realize, we could be smashed onto unseen rocks. So they drop four anchors from the stern and pray for first light.
30 Then some of the crew decide to make a run for it on their own. They say they need to let out more anchors from the bow, and this will require lowering the ship’s lifeboat. They actually plan to abandon us; we realize what’s going on. 31 Paul quickly speaks to the officer and soldiers.
Paul: Unless these men stay on board, you won’t survive.
32 So the soldiers intervene, cut away the lifeboat, and let it drift away. 33, 37 We wait. Just before dawn, Paul again gathers everyone on the ship—all 276 of us. He urges everyone to eat and encourages us not to lose hope.[a]
Paul: Listen, men, we’ve all been under incredible stress for 14 days. You haven’t eaten anything during this whole time. 34 I urge you to take some food now because it will help you survive what we’re about to face. And I want to assure you—not one of you will lose a single hair from your head. We’re all going to make it—all 276 of us!
35 Then Paul takes a loaf of bread and gives thanks to God in front of all of them. He breaks it, takes a piece, and begins to eat. 36 A fresh surge of courage seems to fill their hearts as they also begin to eat. 38 After satisfying their hunger, the crew lightens the ship by throwing the remaining wheat overboard. 39 Day finally breaks. They survey the coastline and don’t recognize it, but they do notice a bay with a beach—the best place to try to run ashore.
40 So they cut the anchor ropes, untie the steering oars, hoist the foresail to the wind, and make for the beach. 41 But then there’s a horrible sound, and we realize we’ve struck a reef; the bow is jammed solid, and the waves are smashing the stern to pieces. 42 The soldiers start talking about killing the prisoners so they won’t swim away and escape; 43 but the officer wants to save Paul, so he stops them. He tells those who can swim to jump overboard and swim to the shore, 44 and those who can’t, he tells to hold on to planks and other pieces of the ship when it breaks apart. Some hours later, we reassemble on the beach, each one safe and sound.
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