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Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

Acts 27:42

The soudyers councell was to kyll ye presoners, lest eny of them whan he had swymmed out, shulde flye awaye.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Mariners (Sailors);   Paul;   Prophecy;   Soldiers;   Thompson Chain Reference - Cruelty;   Delayed Blessings;   Kindness-Cruelty;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ships;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Crete;   Euroclydon;   Julius;   Melita;   Ship;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Paul;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Ordination;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Centurion;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Commerce;   Prison, Prisoners;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Italy;   Nero;   Ships and Boats;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Julius ;   Will;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Melita;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape.
King James Version (1611)
And the souldiers counsel was to kil the prisoners, lest any of them should swimme out, and escape.
King James Version
And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
English Standard Version
The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape.
New American Standard Bible
The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape;
New Century Version
The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim away and escape.
Amplified Bible
The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would dive overboard and swim [to land] and escape;
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape;
Legacy Standard Bible
Now the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape;
Berean Standard Bible
The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners so none of them could swim to freedom.
Contemporary English Version
The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners to keep them from swimming away and escaping.
Complete Jewish Bible
At this point the soldiers' thought was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim off and escape.
Darby Translation
And [the] counsel of the soldiers was that they should kill the prisoners, lest any one should swim off and escape.
Easy-to-Read Version
The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so that none of the prisoners could swim away and escape.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the souldiers counsell was to kill the prisoners, least any of them, when he had swomme out, should flee away.
George Lamsa Translation
And the soldiers sought to kill the prisoners, lest some of them should swim away and so escape.
Good News Translation
The soldiers made a plan to kill all the prisoners, in order to keep them from swimming ashore and escaping.
Lexham English Bible
Now the plan of the soldiers was that they would kill the prisoners lest any escape by swimming away,
Literal Translation
And the mind of the soldiers was that they should kill the prisoners, lest any swimming out should escape.
American Standard Version
And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
Bible in Basic English
Then the armed men were for putting the prisoners to death, so that no one would get away by swimming.
Hebrew Names Version
The soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim out and escape.
International Standard Version
The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners to keep them from swimming ashore and escaping,
Etheridge Translation
And the soldiers would have killed the prisoners, lest they should cast forth to swim, and escape from them;
Murdock Translation
And the soldiers were disposed to slay the prisoners; lest they should resort to swimming, and escape from them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the souldiers counsel was to kyll the prysoners, lest any of them, when he had swomme out, should runne away.
English Revised Version
And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
World English Bible
The soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim out and escape.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And the counsel of the soldiers was, to kill the prisoners, lest any one should swim away and escape.
Weymouth's New Testament
Now the soldiers recommended that the prisoners should be killed, for fear some one of them might swim ashore and effect his escape.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And counsel of the kniytis was, to sle men that weren in warde, lest ony schulde ascape, whanne he hadde swymmed out.
Update Bible Version
And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any [of them] should swim out, and escape.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
New English Translation
Now the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them would escape by swimming away.
New King James Version
And the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape.
New Living Translation
The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to make sure they didn't swim ashore and escape.
New Life Bible
The soldiers planned to kill the men in chains. They were afraid they would swim to shore and get away,
New Revised Standard
The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none might swim away and escape;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, the soldiers counsel, turned out to be, that they should kill, the prisoners, lest any one should swim out and escape;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the soldiers’ counsel was that they should kill the prisoners, lest any of them, swimming out should escape.
Revised Standard Version
The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape;
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
The soudears counsell was to kyll ye presoners lest eny of them when he had swome out shulde fle awaye.
Young's Literal Translation
And the soldiers' counsel was that they should kill the prisoners, lest any one having swam out should escape,
Mace New Testament (1729)
the soldiers propos'd to dispatch the prisoners, for fear any of them should swim for their lives; but the centurion,
THE MESSAGE
The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners so none could escape by swimming, but the centurion, determined to save Paul, stopped them. He gave orders for anyone who could swim to dive in and go for it, and for the rest to grab a plank. Everyone made it to shore safely.
Simplified Cowboy Version
The soldiers were just going to kill all the prisoners to keep them from escaping,

Contextual Overview

21 And after longe abstinence, Paul stode forth in the myddes of the, and sayde: Syrs, ye shulde haue herkened vnto me, and not to haue lowsed from Candy, and not to haue broughte vs this harme and losse. 22 And now I exhorte you to be of good cheare, for there shal none of oure lyues perishe, but the shippe onely. 23 For this night stode by me the angell off God (whose I am, & who I serue) 24 & saide: Feare not Paul, thou must be broughte before the Emperoure. And lo, God hath geuen vnto the all the that sayle with the. 25 Wherfore syrs be of good cheare: for I beleue God, yt it shal come so to passe, as it was tolde me. 26 Howbeit we must be cast in to a certayne ylonde. 27 But whan the fourtenth night came, as we were caried in Adria aboute mydnight, ye shipmen demed that there appeared some countre vnto them, 28 and they cast out the leade, and founde it twetye feddoms: and wha they were gone a litle farther, they cast out the leade agayne, and founde fyftene feddoms. 29 Then fearinge lest they shulde fall on some rocke, they cast foure anckers out of the sterne, and wysshed for the daye. 30 Whan the shipmen were aboute to flye out of the shippe, and let downe the bote in to the see, (vnder a coloure as though they wolde cast ankers out of the fore shippe)

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 74:20, Proverbs 12:10, Ecclesiastes 9:3, Mark 15:15-20, Luke 23:40, Luke 23:41

Reciprocal: Acts 26:17 - Delivering Acts 27:31 - said 1 Peter 4:18 - if

Cross-References

Genesis 27:12
then might my father peraduenture fele me, and I shulde seme vnto him as though I begyled him, and so brynge a curse vpon me and not a blessynge.
Genesis 27:14
So he wente his waye, and fetched it, and brought it vnto his mother. Then his mother made meate, acordinge as his father loued,
Genesis 27:16
But the kyddes skynnes put she aboute his handes, and where he was smooth aboute the neck:
Genesis 27:17
and so she put the meate with bred (as she had made it) in hir sonne Iacobs hande.
Genesis 27:18
And he brought it in vnto his father, and sayde: My father. He answered: here am I, who art thou my sonne?
Genesis 27:20
But Isaac sayde vnto his sonne? My sonne, how hast thou founde it so soone? He answered: The LORDE yi God brought it to my hande.
Genesis 27:21
The sayde Isaac vnto Iacob: Come neare my sonne, that I maye fele the, whether thou be my sonne Esau or not.
Genesis 27:22
So Iacob wete vnto Isaac his father. And whan he had felt him, he sayde: The voyce is Iacobs voyce, but the handes are the handes of Esau.
1 Samuel 30:5
For Dauids two wyues also were caried awaye captyue, Ahinoam ye Iesraelitisse, and Abigail Nabals wife of Carmel.
Psalms 64:5
They haue deuysed myschefe, and commoned amonge them selues, how they maye laye snares: tush (saye they) who shall se them?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners,.... Paul, and the rest: this they had not only an inclination to, but they declared it, and gave it as their opinion, and what they thought advisable to be done directly:

lest any of them should swim out and escape; and they should be accountable for them: but this was dreadful wickedness in them to seek to take away the lives of others, when they themselves were in so much danger; and monstrous ingratitude to the Apostle Paul, who had been so much concerned for their lives, and careful of them, and had been the means of saving them, and for whose sake they were saved: the devil must have had a great hand in this.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the soldiers’ counsel ... - Why they gave this advice is not known. It was probably, however, because the Roman military discipline was very strict, and if they escaped it would be charged on them that it had been done by the negligence and unfaithfulness of the soldiers. They therefore proposed to kill them, though contrary to all humanity, justice, and laws; presuming, probably, that it would be supposed that they had perished in the wreck. This is a remarkable proof that people can be cruel even when experiencing the tender mercy of God, and that the most affecting scenes of divine goodness will not mitigate the natural ferocity and cruelty of those who delight in blood.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 42. The soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners — What blood-thirsty, cowardly villains must these have been! Though, through the providence of God, those poor men had escaped a watery grave, and had borne all the anxiety and distresses of this disastrous voyage, as well as the others, now that there is a likelihood of all getting safe to land that could swim, lest these should swim to shore, and so escape, those men, whose trade was in human blood, desired to have them massacred! We have not many traits in the histories of the most barbarous nations that can be a proper counterpart to this quintessence of humano-diabolic cruelty.


 
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