29
The sailors were afraid that we would hit the rocks, so they threw four anchors into the water and prayed for daylight to come.
30
Some of the sailors wanted to leave the ship, and they lowered the lifeboat, pretending they were throwing more anchors from the front of the ship.
31
But Paul told the officer and the other soldiers, "If these men do not stay in the ship, your lives cannot be saved."
32
So the soldiers cut the ropes and let the lifeboat fall into the water.
33
Just before dawn Paul began persuading all the people to eat something. He said, "For the past fourteen days you have been waiting and watching and not eating.
34
Now I beg you to eat something. You need it to stay alive. None of you will lose even one hair off your heads."
35
After he said this, Paul took some bread and thanked God for it before all of them. He broke off a piece and began eating.
36
They all felt better and started eating, too.
37
There were two hundred seventy-six people on the ship.
38
When they had eaten all they wanted, they began making the ship lighter by throwing the grain into the sea.
39
When daylight came, the sailors saw land. They did not know what land it was, but they saw a bay with a beach and wanted to sail the ship to the beach if they could.