The Storm at Sea
13 Now when the south wind blew gently, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along Crete, close to the shore.
14
But soon a tempestuous wind, called the northeaster,
1struck down from the land.
15
And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along.
16
Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship's boat.
17
After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would
2run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along.
18
Since we were violently storm-tossed, they began the next day
3to jettison the cargo.
19
And on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands.
20
When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.
21
Since they had been without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, "Men,
4you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this
5injury and loss.
22
Yet now I urge you to
6take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.
23
For this very night
7there
8stood before me
9an angel of the God
10to whom I belong and
11whom I worship,
24
and he said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul;
12you must stand before Caesar. And behold,
13God has granted you all those who sail with you.'
25
So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.
26
But
14we must
15run aground on some island."
27
When the fourteenth night had come, as we were being driven across the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land.
28
So they took a sounding and found twenty fathoms. A little farther on they took a sounding again and found fifteen fathoms.
29
And fearing that we might
16run on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.
30
And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had lowered
17the ship's boat into the sea under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow,
31
Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved."
32
Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it go.
33
As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing.
34
Therefore I urge you to take some food. For it will give you strength, for
18not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you."
35
And when he had said these things, he took bread, and
19giving thanks to God in the presence of all he broke it and began to eat.
36
Then they all
20were encouraged and ate some food themselves.
37
(We were in all 276
21persons in the ship.)
38
And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship,
22throwing out the wheat into the sea.