Acts 27

And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band.

1The leaders decided to send us by ship to Italy. Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a man named Julius. Julius was a centurion, a Roman officer in charge of about a hundred soldiers. He belonged to the group of soldiers called the Imperial Regiment.

2And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.

2We got on a ship from the town of Adramyttium. It was going to stop at ports along the coast of Asia. A man named Aristarchus came with us. He was from the city of Thessalonica, in the land of Macedonia.

3And the next day we touched at Sidon. And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself.

3The next day we landed at the city of Sidon. Julius was kind to Paul. He let Paul go and see his friends so they could care for him.

4And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

4We left Sidon and sailed close to the island of Cyprus. We stayed on the sheltered side, because the winds blew against us.

5And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.

5We sailed across the open sea near the lands of Cilicia and Pamphylia. Then we came to the city of Myra, in the land of Lycia.

6And there the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.

6There the officer found a ship from the city of Alexandria. It was sailing to Italy. He put us on board.

7And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under Crete, over against Salmone;

7We sailed slowly for many days. It was hard to get near the city of Cnidus. The wind kept holding us back. So we sailed to the sheltered side of the island of Crete, near a place called Salmone.

8And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called The fair havens; nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.

8We moved along the coast with great trouble. At last we came to a place called Fair Havens. The town of Lasea was nearby.

9Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,

9A lot of time had gone by. Sailing was now dangerous, because the day called the Fast had already passed. So Paul warned the men.

Note"The Fast" was a Jewish day in the autumn when people did not eat. It also told sailors that the safe time of year for sailing was over.

10And said unto them, Sirs, I perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also of our lives.

10He said, "Men, I can see that this trip will go badly. The ship and everything it carries will be harmed. Our lives may be lost too."

11Nevertheless the centurion believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.

11But the officer did not listen to Paul. He believed the ship's pilot and the ship's owner instead.

12And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter; which is an haven of Crete, and lieth toward the south west and north west.

12The harbor was not a good place to stay all winter. Most of the men wanted to sail on. They hoped to reach Phoenix and spend the winter there. Phoenix is a harbor in Crete that faces southwest and northwest.

13And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.

13A gentle wind began to blow from the south. The men thought they would get what they wanted. So they pulled up the anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete.

14But not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon.

14Soon a very strong wind rushed down from the island. The sailors called this wind the Northeaster.

15And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive.

15The wind caught the ship. The ship could not turn to face the wind. So we gave up and let the wind push us along.

16And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:

16We passed the sheltered side of a small island called Clauda. There we worked hard to pull in the ship's little boat.

17Which when they had taken up, they used helps, undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into the quicksands, strake sail, and so were driven.

17The men lifted the little boat on board. Then they tied ropes around the ship to hold it together. They were afraid of the sandbars near Syrtis. So they lowered the sail and let the wind drive them.

18And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they lightened the ship;

18The storm tossed us very hard. The next day the men began throwing the load into the sea.

19And the third day we cast out with our own hands the tackling of the ship.

19On the third day they threw out the ship's ropes and gear with their own hands.

20And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.

20For many days we saw no sun and no stars. The big storm kept beating on us. We gave up all hope of being saved.

21But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss.

21The men had gone a long time without food. Paul stood up in front of them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me. You should not have sailed away from Crete. Then all this harm and loss would not have come.

22And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship.

22But now I ask you to be brave. Not one of you will lose his life. Only the ship will be lost.

23For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

23Last night an angel stood beside me. He was sent by God. I belong to God, and I serve him.

24Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

24The angel said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar, the ruler of Rome. And God has given you the lives of everyone sailing with you.'

25Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

25So be brave, men. I trust God. It will happen just the way he told me.

26Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.

26But our ship must run onto the shore of some island."

27But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;

27It was the fourteenth night of the storm. The wind was still driving us across the Adriatic Sea. Around midnight the sailors sensed that land was near.

28And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.

28They dropped a weighted line to measure the water. It was twenty fathoms deep. A little farther on they measured again. This time it was fifteen fathoms.

NoteA fathom is a way to measure how deep water is. One fathom is about six feet, a little taller than a grown man.

29Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.

29They were afraid the ship would crash on rocks. So they dropped four anchors from the back of the ship. Then they waited and hoped for morning to come.

30And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,

30The sailors wanted to get away from the ship. They let the little boat down into the sea. They pretended they were dropping anchors from the front of the ship.

31Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.

31Paul said to the officer and the soldiers, "These men must stay on the ship. If they leave, you cannot be saved."

32Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.

32So the soldiers cut the ropes of the little boat. They let it fall away into the sea.

33And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.

33Just before morning Paul begged them all to eat. He said, "For fourteen days you have waited and worried. You have eaten nothing at all.

NoteThe KJV says "take meat." In 1611 the word "meat" meant food of any kind, not just meat from animals.

34Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.

34Please eat some food. It will help you stay alive. Not one hair will fall from your heads."

35And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.

35Then Paul took some bread. He thanked God in front of them all. He broke the bread and began to eat.

36Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.

36That made all the men feel better. They ate some food too.

37And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.

37There were 276 of us on the ship in all.

38And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.

38When they had eaten enough, they made the ship lighter. They threw the wheat into the sea.

39And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.

39When morning came, they did not know what land they saw. But they spotted a bay with a sandy beach. They planned to run the ship onto it if they could.

40And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.

40They cut the anchors loose and left them in the sea. They untied the ropes that held the steering oars. Then they raised the front sail to the wind and headed for the beach.

41And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.

41The ship hit a sandbar where two currents met. The front of the ship stuck fast and would not move. The back of the ship began to break apart in the waves.

42And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.

42The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners. They did not want any of them to swim away and escape.

43But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:

43But the officer wanted to save Paul. So he stopped their plan. He told the men who could swim to jump in first and get to land.

44And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.

44The rest went on boards and broken pieces of the ship. And so every single person reached land safely.