Paul Stops Them.
"Unless these sailors stay in the ship none of us can be saved." At this the soldiers cut the rope and let the boat fall away, so the sailors could not get off.
Comfort and Food.
About daylight, Paul addressed the company again, and urged them to take food. "This is the fourteenth day," he said, "that you have gone without eating, wherefore, I pray you to take some meat; for this is for your health: for there shall not a hair fall from the head of any of you."
He then took bread, and gave thanks in the presence of them all: and when he had broken it, he began to eat. Encouraged by Paul's faith and assurance, they all broke their fast, and then lightened the ship by throwing overboard the wheat.
As soon as daylight came, they could see land, but did not know what place it was. However, they saw a creek coming into the sea, and concluded they could run their ship safely into the bay. So they cut anchor, hoisted the sail, and struck for shore.
As a climax of all disasters, the ship ran aground. The front end stuck fast in the sand and the rear part began to break in pieces.
Ship Wrecked.
There was a Roman law which said a soldier must take a prisoner's place if the soldier permitted the prisoner to escape; so the soldiers fearing the prisoners might swim ashore and escape asked the Centurion to kill all the prisoners while they were on board. But Julius, desiring to save Paul's life, refused to permit the prisoners to be killed. Some then swam ashore, and rendering help to others, succeeded in getting every soul safe to land—not one life was lost, but the ship, just as Paul had foretold it.
The island was Melita, just south of Sicily.