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.
They took soundings, and found twenty fathoms. After a little while, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms.
Fearing that we would run aground on rocky ground, they let go four anchors from the stern, and wished for daylight.
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,
Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these stay in the ship, you can’t be saved.”
Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat, and let it fall off.
While the day was coming on, Paul begged them all to take some food, saying, “Today is the fourteenth day that you wait and continue fasting, having taken nothing.
Therefore I beg you to take some food, for this is for your safety; for not a hair will perish from any of your heads.”
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.
Then they all cheered up, and they also took food.
In all, we were two hundred seventy-six souls on the ship.
When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.
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.
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.
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.
The soldiers’ counsel was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim out and escape.
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;
and the rest should follow, some on planks, and some on other things from the ship. So they all escaped safely to the land.
ACTS 27:27-44
Apostle Paul survives a violent shipwreck on the island of Malta
Experience the thrilling maritime survival narrative as the Apostle Paul survives a violent winter shipwreck on the island coast of Malta. 639 views · Last view: 5 days ago
Experience the thrilling maritime survival narrative as the Apostle Paul survives a violent winter shipwreck on the island coast of Malta. 639 views · Last view: 5 days ago
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Who was Apostle Paul?Paul the Apostle (Latin: Paulus), commonly known as Saint Paul and also known by his Jewish name Saul of Tarsus was an apostle (though not one of the Twelve Apostles) who taught the gospel of Christ to the first century world. Paul is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age and in the mid-30s to the mid-50s AD he founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe. He took advantage of his status as both a Jew and a Roman citizen to minister to both Jewish and Roman audiences. According to writings in the New Testament and prior to his conversion, Paul was dedicated to persecuting the early disciples of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem. In Acts, Paul was traveling on the road from Jerusalem to Damascus on a mission to 'arrest them and bring them back to Jerusalem' when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him in a great light. He was struck blind, but after three days his sight was restored by Ananias of Damascus and Paul began to preach that Jesus of Nazareth is the Jewish Messiah and the Son of God.
