³⁹ When day came, they didn’t recognize the land, but they could see a bay with a beach on which they planned to run the ship ashore, if possible. ⁴⁰ So they cut the anchors free and left them in the sea. At the same time they untied the ropes that held the steering oars, raised the foresail to the wind, and headed for the beach. ⁴¹ But they struck a sandbar and ran the ship aground. The bow stuck and couldn’t be moved, while the stern was broken to pieces by the force of the waves. ⁴² The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners to keep them from swimming ashore and escaping, ⁴³ but the centurion wanted to save Paul, so he prevented them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. ⁴⁴ The rest were to follow, some on planks and others on various pieces of the ship. In this way everyone got to shore safely.