Study Desk

But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors began to suspect that ^(F1)they were approaching some land.

And 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.

Fearing that we might ^(C1)run aground somewhere on the ^(F1)rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and ^(F2)prayed for daybreak.

But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down ^(C1)the ship's boat into the sea, on the pretense that they were going to lay out anchors from the bow,

Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men remain on the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved."

Then the soldiers cut away the ^(C1)ropes of the ship's boat and let it fall away.

Until 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.

"Therefore, I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your survival, for ^(C1)not a hair from the head of any of you will perish."

Having said this, he took bread and ^(C1)gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and he broke it and began to eat.

All ^(C1)of them ^(F1)were encouraged and they themselves also took food.

We were 276 ^(F1)(C1)people on the ship in all.

When they had eaten enough, they began lightening the ship by ^(C1)throwing the wheat out into the sea.

Now when day came, ^(C1)they ^(F1)could 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.

And casting off ^(C1)the 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.

But they struck a ^(F1)reef 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.

The soldiers' plan was to ^(C1)kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape;

but the centurion, ^(C1)wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from accomplishing their intention, and commanded that those who could swim were to ^(F1)jump overboard first and get to land,

and the rest were to follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that ^(C1)they all were brought safely to land.