Act 27:1-28 | ESV | STEP | And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy , they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius .

Acts 27:1-28

Paul Sails for Rome

1 And when it was decided ^athat ^bwe should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan ^cCohort named Julius. 2 And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to the ports along the coast of Asia, we put to sea, accompanied by ^dAristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica. 3 The next day we put in at Sidon. And ^eJulius ^ftreated Paul kindly and ^ggave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for. 4 And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us. 5 And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6 There the centurion found ^ha ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7 We sailed slowly for a number of days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, and as the wind did not allow us to go farther, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. 8 Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

9 Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even ⁱthe Fast ^{▼▼That is, the Day of Atonement} was already over, Paul advised them, 10 saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with ^kinjury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.” 11 But the centurion paid more attention to ^lthe pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said. 12 And because the harbor was not suitable to spend the winter in, the majority decided to put out to sea from there, on the chance that somehow they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, facing both southwest and northwest, and spend the winter there.

The Storm at Sea

13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore. 14 But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, ^mstruck down from the land. 15 And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, ^{▼▼Some manuscripts Clauda} we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat. 17 After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would ^orun aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, ^{▼▼That is, the sea-anchor (or possibly the mainsail)} and thus they were driven along. 18 Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day ^qto jettison the cargo. 19 And 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 no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

21 Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, ^ryou should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this ^sinjury and loss. 22 Yet now I urge you to ^ttake heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For this very night ^uthere ^vstood before me ^wan angel of the God ^xto whom I belong and ^ywhom I worship, 24 and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; ^zyou must stand before Caesar. And behold, ^aaGod has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. 26 But ^abwe must ^acrun aground on some island.”

27 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land. 28 So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. ^{▼▼About 120 feet; a fathom (Greek orguia) was about 6 feet or 2 meters} A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms. ^{▼▼About 90 feet (see previous note)}