1THE
ACTS
OF THE APOSTLES
WRITTEN BY
2LUKE
Acts 27 ©
1 Paul is sent to Rome by the captain Julius with other prisoners. 2 And being gone with them into a ship of Adramyttium, accompanied with Aristarchus. 3 Comes to Sidon. 4 Sails by Cyprus. 5 Comes to Myra. 6 From there they sail in a ship of Alexandria, along by Cnidus and Crete, unto The fair havens. 9 Where Paul counsels the captain to abide for a time, because of the inconvenience of the season. 11 But the captain, believing rather the shipmaster and pilot, sails forward. 13 They sail by Crete and meet with a great tempest. 16 Come to the island Clauda. 17 And are constrained by the tempest to cast the goods out of the ship. 21 Paul exhorts them to be of good courage, seeing God had given him to understand by an angel that none of them would perish. 29 They cast out four anchors. 30 The seamen seek to escape out of the ship with the boat. 31 Which Paul hinders. 33 The people, having fasted long, take meat upon Paul’s advice. 38 And casts the corn overboard. 41 The ship perishes. 42 The soldiers want to kill the prisoners, which the captain hinders. 43 And the people swim to shore.
AND when it was 1determined that 2we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of 3Augustus’ 4band.
Anda entering into a 5ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning 6to sail by the coasts of 7Asia; one 8Aristarchus, a Macedonian of 9Thessalonica, being with us.
And the next day we touched at 10Sidon. And Julius courteouslyb entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto 11his friends to 12refresh himself.
And when we had launched from thence, we sailed 13under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.
And when we had sailed over the sea of 14Cilicia and 15Pamphylia, we came to 16Myra, a city of Lycia.
And there the centurion found a ship of 17Alexandria sailing into Italy; and he put us therein.
And when we had sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come over against 18Cnidus, the wind not suffering us, we sailed under 19Crete, over against 20Salmone;
And, hardly passing it, came unto a place which is called 21The fair havens; 22nigh whereunto was the city of Lasea.
Now when much time was spent, and when sailing was now dangerous, because 23the fast was now already past, Paul admonished them,
And said unto them, Sirs, I 24perceive that this voyage will be with hurt and much damage, not only of the lading and ship, but also 25of our lives.
Nevertheless the centurion 26believed the master and the owner of the ship, more than those things which were spoken by Paul.
And 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 27an haven of Crete, and 28lieth 29toward the south west and north west.
And when the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, loosing thence, they sailed close by Crete.
But not long after there arose 30against it a 31tempestuous wind, called 32Euroclydon.
And when the ship was caught, and could not 33bear up into the wind, we 34let her drive.
And running under a certain island which is called 35Clauda, we had much work to come by the boat:
Which when they had taken up, they used helps, 36undergirding the ship; and, fearing lest they should fall into 37the quicksands, strakec38sail, and so were driven.
And we being exceedingly tossed with a tempest, the next day they 39lightened the ship;
And the third day we cast out with our own hands the 40tackling of the ship.
And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest 41lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away.
But after 42long 43abstinence 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 44gained this harm and loss.
And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s 45life among you, but of the ship.
For there stood by me this night the angel of God, 46whose I am, and whom I serve,
Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be 47brought before Caesar: and, lo, 48God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.
Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
Howbeit we must be cast upon a certain island.d
But when the fourteenth night was come, 49as we were driven up and down in 50Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
And sounded, and found it 51twenty fathoms:e and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon 52rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had 53let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they 54would have cast anchors out of 55the foreship,
Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, 56ye cannot be saved.
Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take 57meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken 58nothing.
Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is 59for your health: for there shall not 60an hairf fall from the head of any of you.
And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave 61thanksg to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some 62meat.
And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen 63souls.
And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.
And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discoveredh64a certain creek with a 65shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
And when they had taken up 66the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed 67the rudder bands, and hoisedi up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
Andj falling into 68a 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 69of the waves.
And the soldiers’ 70counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
But 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:
And 71the 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.