English Standard Version

New Living Translation

1And 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.

1When the time came, we set sail for Italy. Paul and several other prisoners were placed in the custody of a Roman officer named Julius, a captain of the Imperial Regiment.

2And 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 Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica.

2Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was also with us. We left on a ship whose home port was Adramyttium on the northwest coast of the province of Asia; it was scheduled to make several stops at ports along the coast of the province.

3The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for.

3The next day when we docked at Sidon, Julius was very kind to Paul and let him go ashore to visit with friends so they could provide for his needs.

4And putting out to sea from there we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were against us.

4Putting out to sea from there, we encountered strong headwinds that made it difficult to keep the ship on course, so we sailed north of Cyprus between the island and the mainland.

5And when we had sailed across the open sea along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia.

5Keeping to the open sea, we passed along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, landing at Myra, in the province of Lycia.

6There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy and put us on board.

6There the commanding officer found an Egyptian ship from Alexandria that was bound for Italy, and he put us on board.

7We 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.

7We had several days of slow sailing, and after great difficulty we finally neared Cnidus. But the wind was against us, so we sailed across to Crete and along the sheltered coast of the island, past the cape of Salmone.

8Coasting along it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea.

8We struggled along the coast with great difficulty and finally arrived at Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

9Since much time had passed, and the voyage was now dangerous because even the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,

9We had lost a lot of time. The weather was becoming dangerous for sea travel because it was so late in the fall, and Paul spoke to the ship’s officers about it.

10saying, “Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”

10“Men,” he said, “I believe there is trouble ahead if we go on—shipwreck, loss of cargo, and danger to our lives as well.”

11But the centurion paid more attention to the pilot and to the owner of the ship than to what Paul said.

11But the officer in charge of the prisoners listened more to the ship’s captain and the owner than to Paul.

12And 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.

12And since Fair Havens was an exposed harbor—a poor place to spend the winter—most of the crew wanted to go on to Phoenix, farther up the coast of Crete, and spend the winter there. Phoenix was a good harbor with only a southwest and northwest exposure. The Storm at Sea

13Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore.

13When a light wind began blowing from the south, the sailors thought they could make it. So they pulled up anchor and sailed close to the shore of Crete.

14But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster, struck down from the land.

14But the weather changed abruptly, and a wind of typhoon strength (called a “northeaster”) burst across the island and blew us out to sea.

15And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.

15The sailors couldn’t turn the ship into the wind, so they gave up and let it run before the gale.

16Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat.

16We sailed along the sheltered side of a small island named Cauda, where with great difficulty we hoisted aboard the lifeboat being towed behind us.

17After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along.

17Then the sailors bound ropes around the hull of the ship to strengthen it. They were afraid of being driven across to the sandbars of Syrtis off the African coast, so they lowered the sea anchor to slow the ship and were driven before the wind.

18Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day to jettison the cargo.

18The next day, as gale-force winds continued to batter the ship, the crew began throwing the cargo overboard.

19And on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands.

19The following day they even took some of the ship’s gear and threw it overboard.

20When 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.

20The terrible storm raged for many days, blotting out the sun and the stars, until at last all hope was gone.

21Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss.

21No one had eaten for a long time. Finally, Paul called the crew together and said, “Men, you should have listened to me in the first place and not left Crete. You would have avoided all this damage and loss.

22Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

22But take courage! None of you will lose your lives, even though the ship will go down.

23For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship,

23For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me,

24and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’

24and he said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul, for you will surely stand trial before Caesar! What’s more, God in his goodness has granted safety to everyone sailing with you.’

25So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

25So take courage! For I believe God. It will be just as he said.

26But we must run aground on some island.”

26But we will be shipwrecked on an island.” The Shipwreck

27When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land.

27About midnight on the fourteenth night of the storm, as we were being driven across the Sea of Adria, the sailors sensed land was near.

28So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.

28They dropped a weighted line and found that the water was 120 feet deep. But a little later they measured again and found it was only 90 feet deep.

29And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.

29At this rate they were afraid we would soon be driven against the rocks along the shore, so they threw out four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.

30And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered the ship’s boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow,

30Then the sailors tried to abandon the ship; they lowered the lifeboat as though they were going to put out anchors from the front of the ship.

31Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”

31But Paul said to the commanding officer and the soldiers, “You will all die unless the sailors stay aboard.”

32Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it go.

32So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and let it drift away.

33As 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.

33Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said.

34Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you.”

34“Please eat something now for your own good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.”

35And when he had said these things, he took bread, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.

35Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it.

36Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves.

36Then everyone was encouraged and began to eat—

37(We were in all 276 persons in the ship.)

37all 276 of us who were on board.

38And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

38After eating, the crew lightened the ship further by throwing the cargo of wheat overboard.

39Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore.

39When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a beach and wondered if they could get to shore by running the ship aground.

40So 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.

40So they cut off the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and headed toward shore.

41But striking a reef, they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf.

41But they hit a shoal and ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly smashed by the force of the waves and began to break apart.

42The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape.

42The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape.

43But the centurion, wishing 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,

43But the commanding officer wanted to spare Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan. Then he ordered all who could swim to jump overboard first and make for land.

44and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all were brought safely to land.

44The others held on to planks or debris from the broken ship. So everyone escaped safely to shore.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.