Chapter 27, verse 26 - Chapter 28, verse 5
26
But we must run aground on a certain island.”
27
But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven back and forth in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some land.
28
They took soundings, and found twenty fathoms. After a little while, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms.
29
Fearing that we would run aground on rocky ground, they let go four anchors from the stern, and wished for daylight.
30
As the sailors were trying to flee out of the ship, and had lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they would lay out anchors from the bow,
31
Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these stay in the ship, you can’t be saved.”
32
Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat, and let it fall off.
33
While the day was coming on, Paul begged them all to take some food, saying, “This day is the fourteenth day that you wait and continue fasting, having taken nothing.
34
Therefore I beg you to take some food, for this is for your safety
35
When he had said this, and had taken bread, he gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it, and began to eat.
36
Then they all cheered up, and they also took food.
37
In all, we were two hundred seventy-six souls on the ship.
38
When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
39
When it was day, they didn’t recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay with a beach, and they decided to try to drive the ship onto it.
40
Casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time untying the rudder ropes. Hoisting up the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach.
41
But coming to a place where two seas met, they ran the vessel aground. The bow struck and remained immovable, but the stern began to break up by the violence of the waves.
42
The soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim out and escape.
43
But the centurion, desiring to save Paul, stopped them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should throw themselves overboard first to go toward the land
44
and the rest should follow, some on planks, and some on other things from the ship. So it happened that they all escaped safely to the land.
Chapter 28
1
When we had escaped, then they learned that the island was called Malta.
2
The natives showed us uncommon kindness
3
But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
4
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said one to another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice has not allowed to live.”
5
However he shook off the creature into the fire, and wasn’t harmed.
