Acts 27:1–20

Sailing for Rome

27When it was decided that we were to sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Imperial Regiment. ^p2So when we had boarded a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, intending to sail to ports along the coast of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. ^q3The next day we put in at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends to receive their care. ^r4When we had put out to sea from there, we sailed along the northern coast ^sof Cyprus because the winds were against us. ⁵After sailing through the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia. ^t6There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. ⁷Sailing slowly for many days, we came with difficulty as far as Cnidus. Since the wind did not allow us to approach it, we sailed along the south side ^uof Crete off Salmone. ⁸With yet more difficulty we sailed along the coast and came to a place called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea.

Paul’s Advice Ignored

⁹By now much time had passed, and the voyage was already dangerous. Since the Fast ^vwwas already over, Paul gave his advice ¹⁰and told them, “Men, I can see that this voyage is headed toward damage and heavy loss, not only of the cargo and the ship but also of our lives.” ¹¹But the centurion paid attention to the captain and the owner of the ship rather than to what Paul said. ^x12Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to set sail from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor on Crete ^yopen to the southwest and northwest, and to winter there.

Storm-Tossed Ship

¹³When a gentle south wind sprang up, they thought they had achieved their purpose. They weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. ¹⁴But not long afterward, a fierce wind called the “northeaster” ^zrushed down from the island. ¹⁵Since the ship was caught and was unable to head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. ¹⁶After running under the shelter of a little island called Cauda, ^awe were barely able to get control of the skiff. ¹⁷After hoisting it up, they used ropes and tackle and girded the ship. Then, fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, ^bthey lowered the drift-anchor, and in this way they were driven along. ¹⁸Because we were being severely battered by the storm, they began to jettison the cargo the next day. ^c19On the third day, they threw the ship’s gear overboard with their own hands.

²⁰For many days neither sun nor stars appeared, and the severe storm kept raging. Finally all hope that we would be saved was disappearing.