Act 27:1-28:16 | 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

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)} 29 And fearing that we might ^afrun on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come. 30 And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered ^agthe ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.

33 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, ^{▼▼Or For it is for your deliverance} for ^ainot a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.” 35 And when he had said these things, he took bread, and ^ajgiving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all ^akwere encouraged and ate some food themselves. 37 (We were in all 276 ^{▼▼Some manuscripts seventy-six, or about seventy-six} ^ampersons in the ship.) 38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, ^anthrowing out the wheat into the sea.

The Shipwreck

39 Now when it was day, ^aothey did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef, ^{▼▼Or sandbank, or crosscurrent; Greek place between two seas} ^aqthey ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 ^arThe soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, ^aswishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that ^atall were brought safely to land.

Acts 28:1-16

Paul on Malta

1 After we were brought safely through, ^auwe then learned that ^avthe island was called Malta. 2 ^awThe native people ^{▼▼Greek barbaroi (that is, non–Greek speakers); also verse 4} showed us unusual ^aykindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When ^azthe native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ^ba“No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, ^bbJustice ^{▼▼Or justice} has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, ^bdshook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, ^bethey changed their minds and ^bfsaid that he was a god.

7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and ^bgprayed, and ^bhputting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly, ^{▼▼Greek honored us with many honors} and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.

Paul Arrives at Rome

11 After three months we set sail in ^bja ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods ^{▼▼That is, the Greek gods Castor and Pollux} as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found ^blbrothers ^{▼▼Or brothers and sisters; also verses 15, 21} and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And ^bnthe brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, ^boPaul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, ^bpPaul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.