Acts 27
Big idea: The voyage to Rome becomes a storm narrative in which every human resource fails — seamanship, cargo, tackle, finally 'all hope that we would be saved' — and one word holds: 'Don't be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar.' The prisoner becomes the ship's true pilot, and 276 souls are granted to him; God's purpose, not the sea, decides who lives.
The promise 'we must run aground on a certain island' (27:26) is kept exactly — ch. 28 opens on Malta, where the escaped company is received with uncommon kindness and the last leg to Rome begins.
27:1–8 — Setting sail for Italy
Paul and other prisoners are handed to Julius, a centurion of the Augustan band, and the 'we' narrative resumes — Luke and Aristarchus sail with him. Julius treats Paul kindly at Sidon; then contrary winds force the ship under the lee of Cyprus to Myra, where an Alexandrian grain ship bound for Italy takes them on. Progress is slow and 'with difficulty': past Cnidus, under Crete, to a place called Fair Havens.
1 When it was determined that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan band. 2 Embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to places on the coast of Asia, we put to sea, Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica being with us. 3 The next day, we touched at Sidon. Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him permission to go to his friends and refresh himself. 4 Putting to sea from there, we sailed under the lee of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. 5 When we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. 6 There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put us on board. 7 When we had sailed slowly many days, and had come with difficulty opposite Cnidus, the wind not allowing us further, we sailed under the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8 With difficulty sailing along it we came to a certain place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.
27:9–12 — The warning rejected
With the Fast already past and the voyage 'now dangerous', Paul admonishes them: pressing on will mean 'injury and much loss... also of our lives.' But the centurion heeds the master and the owner, the haven is unsuitable for wintering, and the majority votes to run for Phoenix. Expertise, economics, and majority opinion align — against the warning.
9 When much time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because the Fast had now already gone by, Paul admonished them 10 and said to them, “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.” 11 But the centurion gave more heed to the master and to the owner of the ship than to those things which were spoken by Paul. 12 Because the haven was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised going to sea from there, if by any means they could reach Phoenix and winter there, which is a port of Crete, looking southwest and northwest.
27:13–20 — Euroclydon: all hope taken away
A soft south wind persuades them they have 'obtained their purpose' — then Euroclydon beats down from shore. The ship cannot face the wind; they are driven, barely secure the boat off Clauda, undergird the hull with cables, and lower the sea anchor for fear of the Syrtis sand bars. Day by day the losses Paul foretold begin: cargo overboard, then the ship's tackle with their own hands. With neither sun nor stars for many days, 'all hope that we would be saved was now taken away.'
13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to shore. 14 But before long, a stormy wind beat down from shore, which is called Euroclydon. 15 When the ship was caught and couldn’t face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 Running under the lee of a small island called Clauda, we were able, with difficulty, to secure the boat. 17 After they had hoisted it up, they used cables to help reinforce the ship. Fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis sand bars, they lowered the sea anchor, and so were driven along. 18 As we labored exceedingly with the storm, the next day they began to throw things overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw out the ship’s tackle with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars shone on us for many days, and no small storm pressed on us, all hope that we would be saved was now taken away.
27:21–26 — 'I believe God': the promise in the storm
Amid the long fast Paul stands up in the middle of them: they should have listened — but now, 'cheer up, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.' The ground is a night visit from 'an angel, belonging to the God whose I am and whom I serve': 'Don't be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.' Paul stakes everything on it — 'I believe God, that it will be just as it has been spoken to me' — and adds the one condition: 'we must run aground on a certain island.'
21 When they had been long without food, Paul stood up in the middle of them and said, “Sirs, you should have listened to me, and not have set sail from Crete and have gotten this injury and loss. 22 Now I exhort you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night an angel, belonging to the God whose I am and whom I serve, 24 saying, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ 25 Therefore, sirs, cheer up! For I believe God, that it will be just as it has been spoken to me. 26 But we must run aground on a certain island.”
27:27–32 — Fourteenth night: anchors and a foiled escape
On the fourteenth night, adrift in the Adriatic, the sailors sense land: soundings fall from twenty fathoms to fifteen. Fearing rocks, they let go four anchors from the stern 'and wished for daylight.' When the sailors try to slip away in the boat under pretense of laying anchors, Paul tells the centurion, 'Unless these stay in the ship, you can't be saved' — and the soldiers cut the boat loose.
27 But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven back and forth in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some land. 28 They took soundings and found twenty fathoms. After a little while, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms. 29 Fearing that we would run aground on rocky ground, they let go four anchors from the stern, and wished for daylight. 30 As the sailors were trying to flee out of the ship and had lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they would lay out anchors from the bow, 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these stay in the ship, you can’t be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and let it fall off.
27:33–38 — Bread before daybreak
As day approaches, Paul begs them all to eat — fourteen days of fasting, and 'this is for your safety; for not a hair will perish from any of your heads.' Then, before them all, he takes bread, gives thanks to God, breaks it, and eats. The whole company — two hundred seventy-six souls — cheers up and eats, and they lighten the ship, throwing the wheat into the sea.
33 While the day was coming on, Paul begged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you wait and continue fasting, having taken nothing. 34 Therefore I beg you to take some food, for this is for your safety; for not a hair will perish from any of your heads.” 35 When he had said this and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all; then he broke it and began to eat. 36 Then they all cheered up, and they also took food. 37 In all, we were two hundred seventy-six souls on the ship. 38 When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
27:39–44 — Shipwreck: all escape safely
At daylight they spy an unknown bay with a beach and drive for it — casting off anchors, untying the rudder ropes, hoisting the foresail. Where two seas meet the ship grounds: the bow sticks fast, the stern breaks up under the waves. The soldiers plan to kill the prisoners lest any escape, 'but the centurion, desiring to save Paul, stopped them' — swimmers first, the rest on planks and pieces of the ship. 'So they all escaped safely to the land.'
39 When it was day, they didn’t recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay with a beach, and they decided to try to drive the ship onto it. 40 Casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time untying the rudder ropes. Hoisting up the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. 41 But coming to a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground. The bow struck and remained immovable, but the stern began to break up by the violence of the waves. 42 The soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim out and escape. 43 But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, stopped them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should throw themselves overboard first to go toward the land; 44 and the rest should follow, some on planks and some on other things from the ship. So they all escaped safely to the land.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).