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The Shipwreck

39 Now when day came, (A)they [a]could not recognize the land; but they were noticing a bay with a beach, and they were resolving to drive the ship onto it if they could. 40 And casting off (B)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. 41 But striking a [b]reef where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground; and the bow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern began to be broken up by the force of the waves. 42 Now the soldiers’ plan was to (C)kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim away and escape; 43 but the centurion, (D)wanting to bring Paul safely through, kept them from their intention, and ordered that those who could swim should [c]jump overboard first and get to land, 44 and the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on various things from the ship. And so it happened that (E)they all were brought safely to land.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 27:39 Lit were not recognizing
  2. Acts 27:41 Lit place
  3. Acts 27:43 Lit throw themselves

39 In the morning light they saw a bay with a sandy beach. They didn’t know what land it was, but they thought they might possibly be able to run the ship aground. 40 They cut the anchors loose and left them in the sea. At the same time, they untied the ropes that ran back to the rudders. They raised the foresail to catch the wind and made for the beach. 41 But they struck a sandbar and the ship ran aground. The bow was stuck and wouldn’t move, and the stern was broken into pieces by the force of the waves. 42 The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners to keep them from swimming to shore and escaping. 43 However, the centurion wanted to save Paul, so he stopped them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and head for land. 44 He ordered the rest to grab hold of planks or debris from the ship. In this way, everyone reached land safely.

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