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Reading: Acts
27:27-44(Amplified)
The fourteenth night had come and we were drifting and being
driven about in the Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors began to
suspect that they were drawing near to some land. So they took soundings and
found twenty fathoms, and a little farther on they sounded again and found
fifteen fathoms. Then fearing that we might fall off our course onto rocks,
they dropped four anchors from the stern and kept wishing for daybreak to come.
And as the sailors were trying to escape secretly from the ship and were
lowering the small boat into the sea, pretending that they were going to lay
out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Unless
these remain in the ship, you cannot be saved. Then the soldiers cut away the
ropes that held the small boat, and let it fall and drift away. While they
waited until it should become day, Paul entreated them all to take some food,
saying, This is the fourteenth day that you have been continually in suspense
and on the alert without food, having eaten nothing. 4So I urge you to take
some food for your safety--it will give you strength; for not a hair is to
perish from the head of any one of you. Having said these words, he took bread
and, giving thanks to God before them all, he broke it and began to eat. Then
they all became more cheerful and were encouraged and took food themselves. All
told there were 276 souls of us in the ship. 8And after they had eaten
sufficiently, they proceeded to lighten the ship, throwing out the wheat into
the sea. Now when it was day and they saw the land, they did not recognize it,
but they noticed a bay with a beach on which they purposed to run the ship
ashore if they possibly could. So they cut the cables and severed the anchors
and left them in the sea; at the same time unlashing the ropes that held the
rudders and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they headed for the beach. But
striking a crosscurrent they ran the ship aground. The prow stuck fast and
remained immovable, and the stern began to break up under the violent force of
the waves. It was the counsel of the soldiers to kill the prisoners, lest any
of them should swim to land and escape; But the centurion, wishing to save
Paul, prevented their carrying out their purpose. He commanded those who could
swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for the shore, and the rest
on heavy boards or pieces of the vessel. And so it was that all escaped safely
to land.
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