The Early Church

And the third day they cast out with their own hands the tacking of the ship.

And when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and no small storms lay on us, all hope of our being saved was now taken away.

And after they had fasted a long time, Paul standing forth in the midst of them, said: You should indeed, O ye men, have hearkened unto me and not have loosed from Crete and have gained this harm and loss.

And now I exhort you to be of good cheer. For there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but only of the ship.

For an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood by me this night,

Saying: Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar; and behold, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.

Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall so be, as it hath been told me.

And we must come unto a certain island.

But after the fourteenth night was come, as we were sailing in Adria, about midnight, the shipmen deemed that they discovered some country.

Who also sounding, found twenty fathoms: and going on a little further, they found fifteen fathoms.

Then fearing lest we should fall upon rough places, they cast four anchors out of the stern: and wished for the day.

But as the shipmen sought to fly out of the ship, having let down the boat into the sea, under colour, as though they would have cast anchors out of the forepart of the ship,

Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers: Except these stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.

Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat and let her fall off.

And when it began to be light, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying: This day is the fourteenth day that you have waited and continued fasting, taking nothing.

Wherefore, I pray you to take some meat for your health's sake: for there shall not an hair of the head of any of you perish.

And when he had said these things, taking bread, he gave thanks to God in the sight of them all. And when he had broken it, he began to eat.

Then were they all of better cheer: and they also took some meat.

And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.

And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, casting the wheat into the sea.

And when it was day, they knew not the land. But they discovered a certain creek that had a shore, into which they minded, if they could, to thrust in the ship.

And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves to the sea, loosing withal the rudder bands. And hoisting up the mainsail to the wind, they made towards shore.

And when we were fallen into a place where two seas met, they run the ship aground. And the forepart indeed, sticking fast, remained unmoveable: but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the sea.

And the soldiers' counsel was that they should kill the prisoners, lest any of them, swimming out should escape.

But the centurion, willing to save Paul, forbade it to be done. And he commanded that they who could swim should cast themselves first into the sea and save themselves and get to land.