The Shipwreck

39 Now when it was day, (A)they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to run the ship ashore. 40 So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders. Then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach. 41 But striking a reef,[a] (B)they ran the vessel aground. The bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was being broken up by the surf. 42 (C)The soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any should swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion, (D)wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and make for the land, 44 and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that (E)all were brought safely to land.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 27:41 Or sandbank, or crosscurrent; Greek place between two seas

Shipwreck

39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land but sighted a bay with a beach. They planned to run the ship ashore if they could.(A) 40 After cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and headed for the beach. 41 But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow jammed fast and remained immovable, while the stern began to break up by the pounding of the waves. 42 The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners so that no one could swim away and escape. 43 But the centurion kept them from carrying out their plan because he wanted to save Paul, and so he ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. 44 The rest were to follow, some on planks and some on debris from the ship. In this way, everyone safely reached the shore.(B)

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