*Acts 27:27-44
After two weeks adrift in a storm, the sailors fear shipwreck but thanks to Paul and the centurion’s intervention, everyone survives by reaching land.
- Fourteenth Night at Sea:
- On the fourteenth night of being driven across the Adriatic Sea, the sailors sense they are nearing land.
- They take soundings and find the water is getting shallower, first measuring twenty fathoms and then fifteen fathoms.
- Precautions and Plan:
- Fearing they might crash onto the rocks, they drop four anchors from the stern and pray for daylight.
- Sailors’ Escape Attempt:
- Some sailors try to escape from the ship by lowering the lifeboat into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow.
- Paul tells the centurion and soldiers that unless these men stay on the ship, no one can be saved.
- The soldiers cut the ropes of the lifeboat and let it drift away.
- Paul’s Encouragement Before Dawn:
- As dawn nears, Paul urges everyone to eat for their survival, stating it is their fourteenth day waiting and continuing without food.
- He takes bread, gives thanks to God in front of them all, breaks it, and begins to eat.
- Everyone is encouraged and also eats—there are 276 people on board.
- Lightening the Ship:
- After eating, they lighten the ship further by throwing the grain into the sea.
- Ship Runs Aground:
- When daylight comes, they see a bay with a sandy beach. They decide to run the ship aground if possible.
- They cut loose the anchors, untie the ropes holding the rudders, and hoist the foresail to the wind, heading toward the beach.
- The ship strikes a sandbar and runs aground; the bow sticks fast while the stern is broken by the pounding surf.
- Soldiers’ Plan and Centurion’s Intervention:
- The soldiers plan to kill the prisoners to prevent any from swimming away and escaping.
- The centurion, wanting to save Paul, stops them. He orders those who can swim to jump overboard first and get to land.
- The rest are to get there on planks or other pieces of the ship. In this way, everyone reaches land safely.
27:27 But when the fourteenth night was come, as we were driven up and down in Adria, about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country; 27:28 And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms: and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again, and found it fifteen fathoms.
27:29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
27:30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship, when they had let down the boat into the sea, under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship, 27:31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
27:32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and let her fall off.
27:33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
27:34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
27:35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat.
27:36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
27:37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.
27:38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the wheat into the sea.
27:39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded, if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
27:40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
27:41 And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
27:42 And the soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
27:43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land: 27:44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship.
And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.