Book of Common Prayer

²⁷ But when the fourteenth night came, as we were carried about in the Adriatic Sea, at about midnight the sailors suspected some land was near. ²⁸ And they took soundings, and found it twenty fathoms. And when they had gone a little further, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms. ²⁹ Then, fearing to hit some rock, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.

³⁰ Then, as the sailors were about to escape out of the ship, and had let the skiff down into the sea under the pretence of casting anchors out of the foreship, ³¹ Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, Unless these men remain in the ship, you cannot be safe.

³² Then the soldiers cut the rope off of the skiff, and let it fall away.

³³ And in the meantime, between that and day, Paul besought them all to take food, saying, This is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and continued without eating, taking nothing at all. ³⁴ So I urge you to take food for your health. For not a hair shall fall from the head of any of you.

³⁵ And when he had thus spoken, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all, and broke it and began to eat. ³⁶ Then they were all of good cheer, and they also took food. ³⁷ We were altogether in the ship 276 souls. ³⁸ And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and cast out the wheat into the sea.

³⁹ When it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they spotted a certain inlet with a bank, into which they were minded (if it were possible) to thrust in the ship. ⁴⁰ And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves to the sea, loosed the rudder bonds, hoisted up the mainsail to the wind, and drew to land. ⁴¹ They chanced on a shallow sandbank and thrust in the ship. And the forepart stuck fast, and did not move, but the stern broke with the violence of the waves.

⁴² The soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them, when he had swum out, should flee away. ⁴³ But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should cast themselves first into the sea and escape to land. ⁴⁴ And the others he commanded to go, some on boards and some on broken pieces of the ship. And so it came to pass that they all came safe to land.

¹⁸ And it so was, as he was apart praying, that his disciples were with him, and he asked them, saying, Who do the people say I am? ¹⁹ They answered and said, John the Baptist, or some say Elijah, and some say one of the old prophets is risen again. ²⁰ He said to them, Who do you say that I am? Peter answered and said, You are the Christ of God. ²¹ And Jesus warned and instructed them that they should tell no one this thing, ²² saying that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be reproved by the elders and by the high priests and scribes, and be slain, and the third day rise again.

²³ And he said to them all, If any person would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ Whosoever would save his life shall lose it, but whosoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. ²⁵ For what does it profit a man to win the whole world, if he loses himself, or runs in harm’s way? ²⁶ For whoever is ashamed of me and of my sayings, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his own glory, and in the glory of his Father, and of the holy angels. ²⁷ And I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste of death till they see the kingdom of God.