Acts 27:18-44

18The next day as we were being violently tossed by the storm, 1they began to 2jettison the cargo; 19and on the third day they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. 20Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was slowly abandoned.

213When many had lost their appetites, Paul then stood among them and said, “45Men, you should have followed my advice and not have set sail from 6Crete, and thereby spared yourselves this 7damage and loss. 22And yet now I urge you to 8keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. 23For this very night 9an angel of the God to whom I belong, 10whom I also serve, 11came to me, 24saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; 12you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has graciously granted you 13all those who are sailing with you.’ 25Therefore, 14keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that 15it will turn out exactly as I have been told. 26But we must 16run aground on a certain 17island.”

27But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to suspect that 18they were approaching some land. 28And they took soundings and found it to be twenty fathoms; and a little farther on they took another sounding and found it to be fifteen fathoms. 29Fearing that we might 19run aground somewhere on the 20rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and 21prayed for daybreak. 30But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down 22the ship’s boat into the sea, on the pretense that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow, 31Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain on the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved.” 32Then the soldiers cut away the 23ropes of the ship’s boat and let it fall away.

33Until the day was about to dawn, Paul kept encouraging them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you have been constantly watching and going without eating, having taken in nothing. 34Therefore, I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your survival, for 24not a hair from the head of any of you will perish.” 35Having said this, he took bread and 25gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and he broke it and began to eat. 36All 26of them 27were encouraged and they themselves also took food. 37We were 276 2829people on the ship in all. 38When they had eaten enough, they began lightening the ship by 30throwing the wheat out into the sea.

39Now when day came, 31they 32could not recognize the land; but they did notice a bay with a beach, and they resolved to run the ship onto it if they could. 40And casting off 33the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and they hoisted the foresail to the wind and were heading for the beach. 41But they struck a 34reef where two seas met and ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck firmly and remained immovable, while the stern started to break up due to the force of the waves. 42The soldiers’ plan was to 35kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; 43but the centurion, 36wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from accomplishing their intention, and commanded that those who could swim were to 37jump overboard first and get to land, 44and the rest were to follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that 38they all were brought safely to land.