Acts 27:13-38 - A Violent Storm At Sea

¹³ So when the south wind blew softly, thinking that they had obtained their goal, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, hugging the coast. ¹⁴ But soon afterward a violent wind, called Euraquilo [a northeaster, a tempestuous windstorm like a typhoon], came rushing down from the island; ¹⁵ and when the ship was caught in it and could not head against the wind [to gain stability], we gave up and [letting her drift] were driven along. ¹⁶ We ran under the shelter of a small island [twenty-five miles south of Crete] called Clauda, and with great difficulty we were able to get the ship’s skiff on the deck and secure it. ¹⁷ After hoisting the skiff [on board], they used support lines [for frapping] to undergird and brace the ship’s hull; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis [off the north coast of Africa], they let down the sea anchor and lowered the sails and were driven along [backwards with the bow into the wind]. ¹⁸ On the next day, as we were being violently tossed about by the storm [and taking on water], they began to jettison the cargo; ¹⁹ and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle (spare lines, blocks, miscellaneous equipment) overboard with their own hands [to further reduce the weight].

²⁰ Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm kept raging about us, from then on all hope of our being saved was [growing worse and worse and] gradually abandoned. ²¹ After they had gone a long time without food [because of seasickness and stress], Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice and should not have set sail from Crete, and brought on this damage and loss. ²² But even now I urge you to keep up your courage and be in good spirits, because there will be no loss of life among you, but only loss of the ship. ²³ For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, ²⁴ and said, ‘Stop being afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has given you [the lives of] all those who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵ So keep up your courage, men, for I believe God and have complete confidence in Him that it will turn out exactly as I have been told; ²⁶ but we must run [the ship] aground on some island.”

²⁷ The fourteenth night had come and we were drifting and being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors began to suspect that they were approaching some land. ²⁸ So they took soundings [using a weighted line] and found [the depth to be] twenty fathoms (120 feet); and a little farther on they sounded again and found [the depth to be] fifteen fathoms (90 feet). ²⁹ Then fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern [to slow the ship] and kept wishing for daybreak to come.

³⁰ But as the sailors were trying to escape [secretly] from the ship and had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, ³¹ Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain on the ship, you cannot be saved.” ³² Then the soldiers cut away the ropes that held the skiff and let it fall and drift away.

³³ While they waited for the day to dawn, Paul encouraged them all [and told them] to have some food, saying, “This is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly on watch and going without food, having eaten nothing. ³⁴ So I urge you to eat some food, for this is for your survival; for not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” ³⁵ Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all, and he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ Then all of them were encouraged and their spirits improved, and they also ate some food. ³⁷ All told there were two hundred and seventy-six of us aboard the ship. ³⁸ After they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing the wheat [from Egypt] overboard into the sea.