Side by side
Acts 27
Our retelling next to the Bible text it comes from. Each row lines up one scene with the verses it retells.
Scene 1: Setting SailVerses 1 to 8
It was decided that Paul would sail to Italy. Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius. A centurion was a Roman officer in charge of about 100 soldiers.
They boarded a ship and set out. A believer named Aristarchus, from Thessalonica, came along.
The next day they stopped at the city of Sidon. Julius was kind to Paul. He let Paul visit his friends there, and they took care of him.
The winds were against them. They sailed slowly along the coast. At a port called Myra, Julius found a ship from Alexandria, in Egypt, that was going to Italy. He put them on board.
For many days they crawled along against the wind. At last they reached a harbor on the island of Crete called Fair Havens.
1When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2We boarded an Adramyttian ship about to sail for ports along the coast of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. 3The next day we landed at Sidon, and Julius treated Paul with consideration, allowing him to visit his friends and receive their care. 4After putting out from there, we sailed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us. 5And when we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia. 6There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and put us on board. 7After sailing slowly for many days, we arrived off Cnidus. When the wind impeded us, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. 8After we had moved along the coast with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
Scene 2: Paul's WarningVerses 9 to 12
A lot of time had passed. It was now past "the Fast" (27:9), a Jewish holy day in the fall. After that, sailing on the open sea became dangerous.
So Paul warned them. "Men, I can see that our voyage will be filled with disaster and great loss, not only to ship and cargo, but to our own lives as well" (27:10).
But Julius listened to the pilot and the owner of the ship instead of Paul.
Fair Havens wasn't a good place to spend the winter. So most of them decided to sail on. They hoped to reach Phoenix, a better harbor farther along Crete.
9By now much time had passed, and the voyage had already become dangerous because it was after the Fast. So Paul advised them, 10“Men, I can see that our voyage will be filled with disaster and great loss, not only to ship and cargo, but to our own lives as well.” 11But contrary to Paul’s advice, the centurion was persuaded by the pilot and by the owner of the ship. 12Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided to sail on, if somehow they could reach Phoenix to winter there. Phoenix was a harbor in Crete facing both southwest and northwest.
Scene 3: The NortheasterVerses 13 to 20
A gentle wind began to blow from the south. They thought it was their chance. They pulled up the anchor and sailed close along the coast of Crete.
But soon a violent storm swept down from the island. It was called the Northeaster.
The ship couldn't turn into the wind. So they gave up and let the storm drive them along.
The crew barely managed to haul the small lifeboat aboard. They wrapped ropes around the ship to hold it together. They were afraid of being driven onto the sandbars off the coast of Africa. So they let down the sea anchor, to slow the ship, and let it drift.
The storm tossed them so hard that the next day they started throwing the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship's gear over with their own hands.
For many days, they saw no sun and no stars. The storm kept pounding them. "We abandoned all hope of being saved" (27:20).
13When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had their opportunity. So they weighed anchor and sailed along, hugging the coast of Crete. 14But it was not long before a cyclone called the Northeaster swept down across the island. 15Unable to head into the wind, the ship was caught up. So we gave way and let ourselves be driven along. 16Passing to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we barely managed to secure the lifeboat. 17After hoisting it up, the crew used ropes to undergird the ship. And fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and were driven along. 18We were tossed so violently that the next day the men began to jettison the cargo. 19On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the great storm continued to batter us, we abandoned all hope of being saved.
Scene 4: "Take Courage"Verses 21 to 26
The men had gone a long time without food. Then Paul stood up in front of them.
First he said they should have listened to him and stayed in Crete.
Then he said, "But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because you will not experience any loss of life, but only of the ship" (27:22).
Paul told them why. The night before, an angel of God had stood beside him. This was the God Paul belonged to and served.
The angel said, "Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you" (27:24).
"So take courage, men, for I believe God that it will happen just as He told me" (27:25). But first, Paul said, they would have to run aground on some island.
21After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice not to sail from Crete. Then you would have averted this disaster and loss. 22But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because you will not experience any loss of life, but only of the ship. 23For just last night an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood beside me 24and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’ 25So take courage, men, for I believe God that it will happen just as He told me. 26However, we must run aground on some island.”
Scene 5: Land at MidnightVerses 27 to 32
On the fourteenth night, they were still being driven across the sea. About midnight, the sailors sensed they were getting close to land.
They dropped a weighted line to measure the depth. The water was about 120 feet deep. A little farther on, it was about 90 feet.
They were afraid of hitting the rocks. So they dropped four anchors from the back of the ship and prayed for daylight.
Then the sailors tried to escape. They lowered the lifeboat into the sea, pretending they were putting out more anchors from the front of the ship.
But Paul told Julius and the soldiers, "Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot be saved" (27:31).
So the soldiers cut the ropes and let the lifeboat drift away.
27On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. 28They took soundings and found that the water was twenty fathoms deep. Going a little farther, they took another set of soundings that read fifteen fathoms. 29Fearing that we would run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak. 30Meanwhile, the sailors attempted to escape from the ship. Pretending to lower anchors from the bow, they let the lifeboat down into the sea. 31But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and set it adrift.
Scene 6: Bread at DaybreakVerses 33 to 38
Just before dawn, Paul kept urging everyone to eat. For fourteen days they had been waiting in fear, and no one had eaten.
He told them to eat so they would live. "Not a single hair of your head will be lost" (27:34).
Then Paul took bread. He gave thanks to God in front of them all. He broke it and began to eat.
Everyone was encouraged, and they ate too. There were 276 people on board.
When they had eaten enough, they threw the grain into the sea to make the ship lighter.
33Right up to daybreak, Paul kept urging them all to eat: “Today is your fourteenth day in constant suspense, without taking any food. 34So for your own preservation, I urge you to eat something, because not a single hair of your head will be lost.” 35After he had said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. 36They were all encouraged and took some food themselves. 37In all, there were 276 of us on board. 38After the men had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.
Scene 7: AgroundVerses 39 to 44
When day came, they didn't know what land it was. But they saw a bay with a sandy beach. They decided to run the ship onto the beach if they could.
They cut the anchors loose, freed the steering oars, raised a small sail, and headed for the beach.
But the ship hit a sandbar and stuck fast. The front wouldn't move, and the waves smashed the back to pieces.
The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners, so none of them could swim away and escape.
But Julius wanted to save Paul's life, so he stopped them. He ordered everyone who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. The rest were to follow on planks and pieces of the ship.
"In this way everyone was brought safely to land" (27:44).
Remember what the angel said. God had given Paul the lives of all who sailed with him (27:24). Not one of the 276 was lost.
39When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they sighted a bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. 40Cutting away the anchors, they left them in the sea as they loosened the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. 41But the vessel struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was being broken up by the pounding of the waves. 42The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim to freedom. 43But the centurion, wanting to spare Paul’s life, thwarted their plan. He commanded those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44The rest were to follow on planks and various parts of the ship. In this way everyone was brought safely to land.
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