41. But they struck a sandbar and the ship ran aground. The bow was stuck and wouldn’t move, and the stern was broken into pieces by the force of the waves.
42. The soldiers decided to kill the prisoners to keep them from swimming to shore and escaping.
43. However, the centurion wanted to save Paul, so he stopped them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and head for land.
44. He ordered the rest to grab hold of planks or debris from the ship. In this way, everyone reached land safely.