Fourth Crisis: On the Sea

Refrain

⁵ The sailors were afraid, and each one cried out to his gods. They threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to lighten the ship’s load.

Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship. He was lying down and sleeping soundly.

¹⁷ After hoisting it on board, the men tied ropes around the ship to reinforce it. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and in this way were driven along. ¹⁸ Because we were tossed around so violently by the storm, the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. ¹⁹ On the third day, they threw the ship’s gear overboard with their own hands. ²⁰ When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the violent storm kept pressing down on us, finally all hope that we would be saved was disappearing.

²¹ After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up among them and said, “Men, you should have followed my advice and not set sail from Crete and avoided this damage and loss. ²² But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because there will be no loss of life among you. Only the ship will be lost. ²³ In fact, last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me ²⁴ and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And surely God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.’ ²⁵ So keep up your courage, men, because I believe God that it will be exactly the way I have been told. ²⁶ However, we must run aground on some island.”

The Shipwreck

²⁷ When the fourteenth night came, while we were being driven back and forth in the Adriatic Sea,^[a] about midnight the sailors suspected that they were approaching some land. ²⁸ They took soundings and found it to be one hundred twenty feet deep.^[b] After sailing a little farther, they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet deep.^{[c] 29} Fearing that we would run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak.

³⁰ The sailors tried to escape from the ship and had let down the skiff into the sea, pretending they were going to put out anchors from the bow. ³¹ Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “If these men do not stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.” ³² Then the soldiers cut the ropes holding the skiff and let it fall away.

³³ Just before daybreak, Paul urged them all to eat some food. He said, “This is the fourteenth day you have waited in suspense and have gone without food. You have eaten nothing. ³⁴ Therefore I urge you to take some food because this is important for your rescue. In fact, not a hair from any of your heads will be lost.” ³⁵ After he said these things and had taken some bread, he gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ They were all encouraged and took some food themselves. ³⁷ In all there were 276 of us on the ship. ³⁸ When they had eaten all they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain overboard into the sea.

³⁹ At daybreak, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, where they planned to run the ship aground if they could. ⁴⁰ They cut off the anchors, leaving them in the sea, and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then, after hoisting the foresail to the wind, they headed for the beach. ⁴¹ But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, while the stern began to break up from the pounding of the waves.

⁴² The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one would swim away and escape. ⁴³ But the centurion wanted to save Paul and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make their way to land. ⁴⁴ The rest were to follow, some on planks, and some on other pieces from the ship. In this way, all of them were brought safely onto land.