4 Bible Verses about Mariners

once it was hoisted aboard, they used ropes to undergird the ship, and in fear of being stranded on the Syrtis they lowered the sail and lay to. As we were being terribly battered by the storm, they had to jettison the cargo next day, while two days later they threw the ship's gear overboard with their own hands;read more.
for many days neither sun nor stars could be seen, the storm raged heavily, and at last we had to give up all hope of being saved. When they had gone without food for a long time, Paul stood up among them and said, "Men, you should have listened to me and spared yourselves this hardship and loss by refusing to set sail from Crete. I now bid you cheer up. There will be no loss of life, only of the ship. For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve, stood before me, saying, 'Have no fear, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And God has granted you the lives of all your fellow-voyagers.' Cheer up, men! I believe God, I believe it will turn out just as I have been told. However, we are to be stranded on an island." When the fourteenth night arrived, we were drifting about in the sea of Adria, when the sailors about midnight suspected land was near. On taking soundings they found twenty fathoms, and a little further on, when they sounded again, they found fifteen. Then, afraid of being stranded on the rocks, they let go four anchors from the stern and longed for daylight. The sailors tried to escape from the ship. They had even lowered the boat into the sea, pretending they were going to layout anchors from the bow, when Paul said to the officer and the soldiers, "You cannot be saved unless these men stay by the ship." Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and let her fall off. Just before daybreak Paul begged them all to take some food. "For fourteen days," he said, "you have been on the watch all the time, without a proper meal. Take some food then, I beg of you; it will keep you alive. You are going to be saved! Not a hair of your heads will perish." With these words he took a loaf and after thanking God, in presence of them all, broke it and began to eat. Then they all cheered up and took food for themselves (there were about seventy-six souls of us on board, all told); and when they had eaten their fill, they lightened the ship by throwing the wheat into the sea. When day broke, they could not recognize what land it was; however, they noticed a creek with a sandy beach, and resolved to see if they could run the ship ashore there. So the anchors were cut away and left in the sea, while the crew unlashed the ropes that tied the rudders, hoisted the foresail to the breeze, and headed for the beach. Striking a reef, they drove the ship aground; the prow jammed fast, but the stern began to break up under the beating of the waves. Now the soldiers resolved to kill the prisoners, in case any of them swam off and escaped; but as the officer wanted to save Paul, he put a stop to their plan, ordering those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land, while the rest were to manage with planks or pieces of wreckage. In this way it turned out that the whole company got safe to land.

The sailors tried to escape from the ship. They had even lowered the boat into the sea, pretending they were going to layout anchors from the bow,

Look at ships too; for all their size and speed under stiff winds, they are turned by a tiny rudder wherever the mind of the steersman chooses.

And all this splendour gone in one brief hour!' And all shipmasters and sea-faring folk, sailors and all whose business lies upon the sea, stood far off