Acts 27
The Ship Was Lost, and Not One Life with It
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The Voyage to Rome Begins
27:1When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed Paul and some other prisoners over to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan cohort.
27:2We boarded a ship from Adramyttium that was about to sail to the ports along Asia, and set sail. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.
27:3The next day we put in at Sidon. Julius treated Paul kindly and allowed him to go to his friends and receive care.
27:4From there we set sail and sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary.
27:5We crossed the open sea off Cilicia and Pamphylia and came to Myra in Lycia.
27:6There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy and put us aboard it.
27:7We sailed slowly for many days and with difficulty came off Cnidus. Since the wind would not permit us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone.
27:8Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.
Much Time Had Passed, and Sailing Was Dangerous
27:9Much time had passed, and sailing was already dangerous because even the Fast had now gone by. Paul advised them,
27:10saying, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will bring damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship but also of our lives.”
27:11But the centurion was more persuaded by the pilot and the shipowner than by what Paul said.
27:12Since the harbor was unsuitable for wintering, the majority decided to sail from there, hoping somehow to reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete facing southwest and northwest, and winter there.
The Storm at Sea
27:13When a south wind blew gently, they supposed they had gained their purpose, weighed anchor, and sailed close along Crete.
27:14But not long afterward a hurricane wind called Euraquilo rushed down from the island.
27:15The ship was seized and could not face the wind, so we gave way and were driven along.
27:16Running under the shelter of a small island called Cauda, we were barely able to secure the boat.
27:17After hoisting it aboard, they used supports to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear and were driven along in this way.
27:18As we were violently battered by the storm, the next day they began throwing cargo overboard.
27:19On the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.
27:20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm pressed upon us, all remaining hope of our being saved was taken away.
Paul Encourages the Ship’s Company
27:21After a long time without food, Paul stood among them and said, “Men, you ought to have listened to me and not sailed from Crete, and so avoided this damage and loss.
27:22Now I urge you to take courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
27:23For this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship stood beside me,
27:24saying, ‘Do not fear, Paul. You must stand before Caesar, and look, God has granted you all who sail with you.’
27:25Therefore take courage, men, for I believe God that it will be just as I have been told.
27:26But we must run aground on some island.”
The Fourteenth Night
27:27When the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven across the Adria, about midnight the sailors suspected that some land was approaching them.
27:28They took a sounding and found twenty orgyiai. After going a little farther, they sounded again and found fifteen orgyiai.
27:29Fearing we might run aground somewhere on rocky places, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.
27:30The sailors sought to flee from the ship and lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they were about to lay out anchors from the bow.
27:31Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be saved.”
27:32Then the soldiers cut the boat’s ropes and let it fall away.
Paul Urges Them to Eat
27:33As day was about to come, Paul urged everyone to take food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have continued waiting without food, taking nothing.
27:34Therefore I urge you to take food, for this is for your safety. Not a hair from the head of any of you will be lost.”
27:35After saying these things, he took bread, gave thanks to God before everyone, broke it, and began to eat.
27:36They all took courage and themselves took food.
27:37There were two hundred and seventy-six persons in all aboard the ship.
27:38When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
The Shipwreck
27:39When day came, they did not recognize the land, but noticed a bay with a beach and planned, if they could, to drive the ship onto it.
27:40They cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, while also loosening the lashings of the steering oars. They raised the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach.
27:41But they struck a place between two seas and ran the ship aground. The bow stuck fast and remained immovable, while the stern was breaking apart under the force.
27:42The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so that none might swim away and escape.
27:43But the centurion, wishing to save Paul, prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those able to swim to jump overboard first and make for land,
27:44and the rest to follow, some on planks and some on pieces from the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.
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Saints Translation · Liturgical reading edition · V2 · working draft awaiting specialist review.