4 Bible Verses about Mariners

And, after hoisting it on board, the men frapped the ship. But, afraid of being driven on to the Syrtis Sands, they lowered the yard, and then drifted. So violently were we tossed about by the storm, that the next day they began throwing the cargo overboard, And, on the following day, threw out the ship's tackle with their own hands.read more.
As neither sun nor stars were visible for several days, and, as the gale still continued severe, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned. It was then, when they had gone a long time without food, that Paul came forward, and said: "My friends, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and so incurred this injury and damage. Yet, even as things are, I urge you not to lose courage, for there will not be a single life lost among you--only the ship. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong, and whom I serve, stood by me, and said-- 'Have no fear, Paul; you must appear before the Emperor, and God himself has given you the lives of all your fellow-voyagers.' Therefore, courage, my friends! for I believe God, that everything will happen exactly as I have been told. We shall, however, have to be driven on some island." It was now the fourteenth night of the storm, and we were drifting about in the Adriatic Sea, when, about midnight, the sailors began to suspect that they were drawing near land. So they took soundings, and found twenty fathoms of water. After waiting a little, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms. Then, as they were afraid of our being driven upon some rocky coast, they let go four anchors from the stern, and longed for daylight. The sailors wanted to leave the ship, and had lowered the boat, on pretense of running out anchors from the bows, When Paul said to the Roman Officer and his men: "Unless the sailors remain on board, you cannot be saved." Upon that the soldiers cut the ropes which held the boat, and let her drift away. In the interval before daybreak Paul kept urging them all to take something to eat. "It is a fortnight to-day," he said, "that, owing to your anxiety, you have gone without food, taking nothing. So I urge you to take something to eat; your safety depends upon it, for not one of you will lose even a hair of his head." With these words he took some bread, and, after saying the thanksgiving to God before them all, broke it in pieces, and began to eat; And the men all felt cheered and had something to eat themselves. There were about seventy-six of us on board, all told. After satisfying their hunger, they further lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea. When daylight came, they could not make out what land it was, but, observing a creek in which there was a beach, they consulted as to whether they could run the ship safely into it. Then they cast off, and abandoned the anchors, and at the same time unlashed the gear of the steering oars, hoisted the foresail to the wind, and made for the beach. They got, however, into a kind of channel, and there ran the ship aground. The bows stuck fast and could not be moved, while the stern began breaking up under the strain. The advice of the soldiers was that the prisoners should be killed, for fear that any of them should swim away and make their escape. But the Roman Officer, anxious to save Paul, prevented their carrying out their intention, and ordered that those who could swim should be the first to jump into the sea and try to reach the shore; And that the rest should follow, some on planks, and others on different pieces of the ship. In these various ways every one managed to get safely ashore.

The sailors wanted to leave the ship, and had lowered the boat, on pretense of running out anchors from the bows,

Again, think of ships. Large as they are, and even when driven by fierce winds, they are controlled by a very small rudder and steered in whatever direction the man at the helm may determine.

In a single hour your vast wealth vanished.' Every ship's captain and all who sail to any port, and sailors, and all who get their living from the sea, stood at a distance,