Acts 27:27-44 ▼

27 And after fourteen days of being lost and weary in the sea of A’dri-a, about midnight the sailors thought they were drawing near to land.

28 So they cast the sounding lead, and found twenty fathoms; and again, they sailed a little farther, and took soundings and found fifteen fathoms.

29 Then, fearing lest we find ourselves caught between the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern of the ship, and prayed for the dawning of day.

30 The sailors sought to desert the ship; so they lowered the ship’s boat into the sea, under pretense that they were going in it to make fast the ship to the land.

31 And when Paul found it out, he said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Unless these men remain on board the ship, you cannot be saved.

32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the ship’s boat from the ship and let her drift.

33 But Paul till the early morning kept begging them all to eat, saying to them, Today is the fourteenth day since you have tasted anything because of fear.

34 Wherefore, I pray you to take some food for the sustenance of your life; for not a hair shall be lost from the head of any of you.

35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it, they began to eat.

36 Then they were all cheerful, and received nourishment.

37 We were in all, on board, two hundred and seventy-six persons.

38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship by taking the wheat and throwing it into the sea.

39 When it was day, the sailors did not know what land it was; but they saw an inlet close to the shore, and thought if it were possible they would thrust the ship there.

40 So they cut off the anchors from the ship, and threw them into the sea, and loosed the rudder ropes, then they hoisted the topsail to the wind, and sailed toward shore.

41 But the ship struck on a shoal between two deep places in the sea, and went aground; and the forward part rested upon the bottom and could not be moved, but the stern broke by the violence of the waves.

42 And the soldiers sought to kill the prisoners, lest some of them should swim away and so escape.

43 But the centurion stopped them from doing this, because he was willing to save Paul; so he commanded those who could swim to cast themselves first into the sea and get to land.

44 The others he made cross over on boards and on broken pieces of the ship. In this manner, all of them escaped and reached shore safely.