NAS - Acts 27:13-44

¹³When a moderate south wind came up, supposing that they had attained their purpose, they weighed anchor and began sailing along Crete, close inshore.

Shipwreck

¹⁴But before very long there rushed down from the land a violent wind, called Euraquilo; ¹⁵and when the ship was caught in it and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and let ourselves be driven along. ¹⁶Running under the shelter of a small island called Clauda, we were scarcely able to get the ship's boat under control. ¹⁷After they had hoisted it up, they used supporting cables in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along. ¹⁸The next day as we were being violently storm-tossed, they began to jettison the cargo; ¹⁹and on the third day they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. ²⁰Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.

²¹When they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, "Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete and incurred this damage and loss. ²²"Yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. ²³"For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, ²⁴saying, `Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.' ²⁵"Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. ²⁶"But we must run aground on a certain island."

²⁷But 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. ²⁸They 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. ²⁹Fearing that we might run aground somewhere on the rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern and wished for daybreak. ³⁰But as the sailors were trying to escape from the ship and had let down the ship's boat into the sea, on the pretense of intending to lay out anchors from the bow, ³¹Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these men remain in the ship, you yourselves cannot be saved." ³²Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the ship's boat and let it fall away.

³³Until 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 not a hair from the head of any of you will perish." ³⁵Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶All of them were encouraged and they themselves also took food. ³⁷All of us in the ship were two hundred and seventy-six persons. ³⁸When they had eaten enough, they began to lighten the ship by throwing out the wheat into the sea.

³⁹When day came, they 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. ⁴⁰And casting off the 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. ⁴¹But 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. ⁴²The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; ⁴³but the centurion, wanting 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, ⁴⁴and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that they all were brought safely to land.