27On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic Sea. About midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land.
28They took soundings and found that the water was twenty fathoms deep. Going a little farther, they took another set of soundings that read fifteen fathoms.
29Fearing that we would run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daybreak.
30Meanwhile, the sailors attempted to escape from the ship. Pretending to lower anchors from the bow, they let the lifeboat down into the sea.
31But Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men remain with the ship, you cannot be saved.”
32So the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat and set it adrift.
33Right up to daybreak, Paul kept urging them all to eat: “Today is your fourteenth day in constant suspense, without taking any food.
34So for your own preservation, I urge you to eat something, because not a single hair of your head will be lost.”
35After he had said this, Paul took bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.
36They were all encouraged and took some food themselves.
37In all, there were 276 of us on board.
38After the men had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.