Catholic Public Domain Version
Acts 27
1Then it was decided to send him by ship to Italy, and that Paul, with the others in custody, should be delivered to a centurion named Julius, of the cohort of Augusta
2After climbing aboard a ship from Adramyttium, we set sail and began to navigate along the ports of Asia, with Aristarchus, the Macedonian from Thessalonica, joining us
3And on the following day, we arrived at Sidon. And Julius, treating Paul humanely, permitted him to go to his friends and to look after himself
4And when we had set sail from there, we navigated below Cyprus, because the winds were contrary
5And navigating though the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we arrived at Lystra, which is in Lycia
6And there the centurion found a ship from Alexandria sailing to Italy, and he transferred us to it
7And when we had sailed slowly for many days and had barely arrived opposite Cnidus, for the wind was hindering us, we sailed to Crete, near Salmone
8And barely being able to sail past it, we arrived at a certain place, which is called Good Shelter, next to which was the city of Lasea
9Then, after much time had passed, and since sailing would no longer be prudent because the Fast Day had now passed, Paul consoled them
10and he said to them: “Men, I perceive that the voyage is now in danger of injury and much damage, not only to the cargo and the ship, but also to our own lives.
11But the centurion put more trust in the captain and the navigator of the ship, than in the things being said by Paul
12And since it was not a fitting port in which to winter, the majority opinion was to sail from there, so that somehow they might be able to arrive at Phoenicia, in order to winter there, at a port of Crete, which looks out toward the southwest and northwest
13And since the south wind was blowing gently, they thought that they might reach their goal. And after they had set out from Asson, they weighed anchor at Crete
14But not long afterward, a violent wind came against them, which is called the Northeast Wind
15And once the ship had been caught in it and was not able to strive against the wind, giving over the ship to the winds, we were driven along
16Then, being forced along a certain island, which is called the Tail, we were barely able to hold on to the ship’s lifeboat
17When this was taken up, they used it to assist in securing the ship. For they were afraid that they might run aground. And having lowered the sails, they were being driven along in this way
18Then, since we were being tossed about strongly by the tempest, on the following day, they threw the heavy items overboard
19And on the third day, with their own hands, they threw the equipment of the ship overboard
20Then, when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no end to the storm was imminent, all hope for our safety was now taken away
21And after they had fasted for a long time, Paul, standing in their midst, said: “Certainly, men, you should have listened to me and not set out from Crete, so as to cause this injury and loss
22And now, let me persuade you to be courageous in soul. For there shall be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship
23For an Angel of God, who is assigned to me and whom I serve, stood beside me this night
24saying: ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! It is necessary for you to stand before Caesar. And behold, God has given to you all those who are sailing with you.
25Because of this, men, be courageous in soul. For I trust God that this will happen in the same way that it has been told to me
26But it is necessary for us to arrive at a certain island.
27Then, after the fourteenth night arrived, as we were navigating in the sea of Adria, about the middle of the night, the sailors believed that they saw some portion of the land
28And upon dropping a weight, they found a depth of twenty paces. And some distance from there, they found a depth of fifteen paces
29Then, fearing that we might happen upon rough places, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and they were hoping for daylight to arrive soon
30Yet truly, the sailors were seeking a way to flee from the ship, for they had lowered a lifeboat into the sea, on the pretext that they were attempting to cast anchors from the bow of the ship
31So Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you will not be able to be saved.
32Then the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat, and they allowed it to fall
33And when it began to be light, Paul requested that they all take food, saying: “This is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and continuing to fast, taking nothing
34For this reason, I beg you to accept food for the sake of your health. For not a hair from the head of any of you shall perish.
35And when he had said these things, taking bread, he gave thanks to God in the sight of them all. And when he had broken it, he began to eat
36Then they all became more peaceful in soul. And they also took food
37Truly, we were two hundred and seventy-six souls on the ship
38And having been nourished with food, they lightened the ship, casting the wheat into the sea
39And when day had arrived, they did not recognize the landscape. Yet truly, they caught sight of a certain narrow inlet having a shore, into which they thought it might be possible to force the ship
40And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves to the sea, at the same time loosing the restraints of the rudders. And so, raising the mainsail to the gusting wind, they pressed on toward the shore
41And when we happened upon a place open to two seas, they ran the ship aground. And indeed, the bow, being immobilized, remained fixed, but truly the stern was broken by the violence of the sea
42Then the soldiers were in agreement that they should kill the prisoners, lest anyone, after escaping by swimming, might flee
43But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, prohibited it from being done. And he ordered those who were able to swim to jump in first, and to escape, and to get to the land
44And as for the others, some they carried on boards, and others on those things that belonged to the ship. And so it happened that every soul escaped to the land