Acts 27

₁When it was time for us to sail to Rome, Captain Julius from the Emperor's special troops was put in charge of Paul and the other prisoners. ₂We went aboard a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to some ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus from Thessalonica in Macedonia sailed on the ship with us.

₃The next day we came to shore at Sidon. Captain Julius was very kind to Paul. He even let him visit his friends, so they could give him whatever he needed. ₄When we left Sidon, the winds were blowing against us, and we sailed close to the island of Cyprus to be safe from the wind. ₅Then we sailed south of Cilicia and Pamphylia until we came to the port of Myra in Lycia. ₆There the army captain found a ship from Alexandria that was going to Italy. So he ordered us to board that ship.

₇We sailed along slowly for several days and had a hard time reaching Cnidus. The wind would not let us go any further in that direction, so we sailed past Cape Salmone, where the island of Crete would protect us from the wind. ₈We went slowly along the coast and finally reached a place called Fair Havens, not far from the town of Lasea.

₉By now we had already lost a lot of time, and sailing was no longer safe. In fact, even the Great Day of Forgiveness was past. ₁₀Then Paul spoke to the crew of the ship, “Men, listen to me! If we sail now, our ship and its cargo will be badly damaged, and many lives will be lost.” ₁₁But Julius listened to the captain of the ship and its owner, rather than to Paul.

₁₂The harbour at Fair Havens wasn't a good place to spend the winter. Because of this, almost everyone agreed that we should at least try to sail along the coast of Crete as far as Phoenix. It had a harbour that opened towards the south-west and north-west, and we could spend the winter there.

₁₃When a gentle wind from the south started blowing, the men thought it was a good time to do what they had planned. So they pulled up the anchor, and we sailed along the coast of Crete. ₁₄But soon a strong wind called “The North-easter” blew against us from the island. ₁₅The wind struck the ship, and we could not sail against it. So we let the wind carry the ship.

₁₆We went along the island of Cauda on the side that was protected from the wind. We had a hard time holding the lifeboat in place, ₁₇but finally we got it where it belonged. Then the sailors tied ropes around the ship to hold it together. They lowered the sail and let the ship drift along, because they were afraid it might hit the sandbanks in the gulf of Syrtis.

₁₈The storm was so fierce that the next day they threw some of the ship's cargo overboard. ₁₉Then on the third day, with their bare hands they threw overboard some of the ship's gear. ₂₀For several days we could not see either the sun or the stars. A strong wind kept blowing, and we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

₂₁Since none of us had eaten anything for a long time, Paul stood up and told the men:

₂₇For fourteen days and nights we had been blown around over the Mediterranean Sea. But about midnight the sailors realized that we were getting near land. ₂₈They measured and found that the water was about forty metres deep. A little later they measured again and found it was only about thirty metres. ₂₉The sailors were afraid that we might hit some rocks, and they let down four anchors from the back of the ship. Then they prayed for daylight.

₃₀The sailors wanted to escape from the ship. So they lowered the lifeboat into the water, pretending that they were letting down an anchor from the front of the ship. ₃₁But Paul said to Captain Julius and the soldiers, “If the sailors don't stay on the ship, you won't have any chance to save your lives.” ₃₂The soldiers then cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall into the sea.

₃₃Just before daylight Paul begged the people to eat something. He told them, “For fourteen days you have been so worried that you haven't eaten a thing. ₃₄I beg you to eat something. Your lives depend on it. Do this and not one of you will be hurt.”

₃₅After Paul had said this, he took a piece of bread and gave thanks to God. Then in front of everyone, he broke the bread and ate some. ₃₆They all felt encouraged, and each of them ate something. ₃₇There were 276 people on the ship, ₃₈and after everyone had eaten, they threw the cargo of wheat into the sea to make the ship lighter.

₃₉Morning came, and the ship's crew saw a coast that they did not recognize. But they did see a cove with a beach. So they decided to try to run the ship aground on the beach. ₄₀They cut the anchors loose and let them sink into the sea. At the same time they untied the ropes that were holding the rudders. Next, they raised the sail at the front of the ship and let the wind carry the ship towards the beach. ₄₁But it ran aground on a sandbank. The front of the ship stuck firmly in the sand, and the rear was being smashed by the force of the waves.

₄₂The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners to keep them from swimming away and escaping. ₄₃But Captain Julius wanted to save Paul's life, and he did not let the soldiers do what they had planned. Instead, he ordered everyone who could swim to dive into the water and head for shore. ₄₄Then he told the others to hold on to planks of wood or parts of the ship. At last, everyone safely reached shore.