Acts 27:27-44

27 But when the fourteenth night came, as we were being driven about in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight * the sailors began to surmise that they were approaching some land.

28 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.

29 Fearing that we might ¹run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak.

30 But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down ²the ship's boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow,

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

32 Then the soldiers cut away the ³ropes of the ship's boat and let it fall away.

33 Until the day was about to dawn, Paul was 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 nothing.

34 "Therefore I encourage you to take some food, for this is for your preservation, for ⁴not a hair from the head of any of you will perish."

35 Having said this, he took bread and ⁵gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat.

36 All ⁶of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food.

37 All of us in the ship were two hundred and seventy-six * ⁷persons.

38 When they had eaten enough *, they began to lighten the ship by ⁸throwing out the wheat into the sea.

39 When day came, ⁹they could not recognize the land; but they did observe a bay with a beach, and they resolved to drive the ship onto it if they could.

40 And casting off ¹⁰the anchors, they left them in the sea while at the same time they were loosening the ropes of the rudders; and hoisting the foresail to the wind, they were heading for the beach.

41 But striking a reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves.

42 The soldiers' plan was to ¹¹kill the prisoners, so that none * of them would swim away and escape;

43 but the centurion, ¹²wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land,

44 and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others * on various things from the ship. And so it happened that ¹³they all were brought safely to land.

Cross References

• 1. Acts 27:17, 26
• 2. Acts 27:16
• 3. John 2:15
• 4. Matthew 10:30
• 5. Matthew 14:19
• 6. Acts 27:22, 25
• 7. Acts 2:41
• 8. Jonah 1:5; Acts 27:18
• 9. Acts 28:1
• 10. Acts 27:29
• 11. Acts 12:19
• 12. Acts 27:3
• 13. Acts 27:22, 31

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "some land was approaching them"
• [b]. Lit "rough places"
• [c]. Lit "they were praying for it to become day"
• [d]. Lit "became cheerful"
• [e]. Lit "souls"
• [f]. Lit "were not recognizing"
• [g]. Lit "place"
• [h]. Lit "throw themselves"