Acts 27 v 27 - 44 All at Sea
The Delay - 27 But when the fourteenth night was come,
The Distress - as we were driven up and down in Adria,
The Discernment - about midnight the shipmen deemed that they drew near to some country;
The Distance - 28 And sounded, and found it twenty fathoms:
and when they had gone a little further, they sounded again,
and found it fifteen fathoms. fathom = 6ft. 120ft, and 90ft.
The Danger - 29 Then fearing lest we should have fallen upon rocks,
they cast four anchors out of the stern, and wished for the day.
The Deserters -
Their Plan - 30 And as the shipmen were about to flee out of the ship,
Their Play - when they had let down the boat into the sea,
Their Ploy - under colour as though they would have cast anchors out of the foreship,
Their Place - 31 Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers,
Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.
Their Plight - 32 Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat,
and let her fall off.
The Day
A Day of Reflection
33 And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all to take meat, saying, This day is the fourteenth day that ye have tarried and continued fasting, having taken nothing.
A Day of Revision
34 Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health:
for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you.
A Day of Remission
35 And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in presence of them all: & when he had broken it, he began to eat
A Day of Reception
36 Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
A Day of Redemption
37 And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls. (276)
The Depletion
38 And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship,
and cast out the wheat into the sea.
The Discovery
39 And when it was day, they knew not the land: but they discovered a certain creek with a shore, into the which they were minded,
if it were possible, to thrust in the ship.
The Determination
40 And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder bands,
and hoised up the mainsail to the wind,
The Direction - and made toward shore.
The Difficulty
41 And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmoveable,
but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves.
The Dilemma
42 And the soldiers' counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and escape.
The Defence
43 But the centurion, willing to save Paul, kept them from their purpose; and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea, and get to land:
The Deliverence
44 And the rest, some on boards, and some on broken pieces of the ship
And so it came to pass, that they escaped all safe to land.
