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. 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.
And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave thanks to God in
presence of them all; and when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then
were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.
And we were in all in the ship two hundred threescore and sixteen souls.
And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, and cast out the
wheat into the sea. 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. 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, and made toward
shore. And falling into a place where two seas met, they ran the ship
aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and remained unmovable, but the
hinder part was broken with the violence of the waves. And the soldiers'
counsel was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim out, and
escape. 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: 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.
And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called
Melita.
And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a
fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because
of the cold.--Acts xxvii, 33-44; xxviii, 1-2