Acts 27:27-36
New Catholic Bible
27 On the fourteenth night, we were still drifting across the Adriatic Sea.[a] About midnight, the sailors began to suspect that they were nearing land, 28 so they took soundings and found that the water was twenty feet deep. A little farther on they again took soundings and found fifteen feet.
29 Fearing that we might run aground on the rocks, they let down four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight to come. 30 The sailors then tried to abandon ship. They had already lowered the lifeboat into the sea, on the pretext that they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. 31 But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay[b] with the ship, you cannot be saved.” 32 Then the soldiers cut the ropes of the lifeboat and set it adrift.
33 Just before daybreak, Paul urged all of them to take some food, saying, “This is the fourteenth day that you have been in suspense, going hungry and eating nothing. 34 Therefore, I beg you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose even a hair of his head.”
35 After he had said this, he took bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it, and began to eat. 36 Then they were all encouraged and began to eat.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Acts 27:27 Adriatic Sea: the name was used generally for the seas between Italy, Greece, and Africa.
- Acts 27:31 Unless these men stay: Paul points out that if the sailors jump ship, the passengers will be unable to bring the vessel to shore by themselves and will perish.
