Acts 27:14-44

14Not long after this, a hurricane-force wind called the northeaster blew down from the island.

15When the ship was caught in it and could not head into the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.

16As we ran under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to get the ship’s boat under control.

17After the crew had hoisted it aboard, they used supports to undergird the ship. Fearing they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor, thus letting themselves be driven along.

18The next day, because we were violently battered by the storm, they began throwing the cargo overboard,

19and on the third day they threw the ship’s gear overboard with their own hands.

20When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and a violent storm continued to batter us, we finally abandoned all hope of being saved.

21Since many of them had no desire to eat, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me and not put out to sea from Crete, thus avoiding this damage and loss.

22And now I advise you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only the ship will be lost.

23For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me

24and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar, and God has graciously granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you.’

25Therefore keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be just as I have been told.

26But we must run aground on some island.”

27When the fourteenth night had come, while we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected they were approaching some land.

28They took soundings and found the water was twenty fathoms deep; when they had sailed a little farther they took soundings again and found it was fifteen fathoms deep.

29Because they were afraid that we would run aground on the rocky coast, they threw out four anchors from the stern and wished for day to appear.

30Then when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and were lowering the ship’s boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to put out anchors from the bow,

31Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”

32Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the ship’s boat and let it drift away.

33As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day you have been in suspense and have gone without food; you have eaten nothing.

34Therefore I urge you to take some food, for this is important for your survival. For not one of you will lose a hair from his head.”

35After he said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat.

36So all of them were encouraged and took food themselves.

37(We were in all two hundred seventy-six persons on the ship.)

38When they had eaten enough to be satisfied, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea.

39When day came, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if they could.

40So they slipped the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the linkage that bound the steering oars together. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and steered toward the beach.

41But they encountered a patch of crosscurrents and ran the ship aground; the bow stuck fast and could not be moved, but the stern was being broken up by the force of the waves.

42Now the soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that none of them would escape by swimming away.

43But the centurion, wanting to save Paul’s life, prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land,

44and the rest were to follow, some on planks and some on pieces of the ship. And in this way all were brought safely to land.