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Acts 28:11-31
New American Standard Bible
Acts 28:11-31
New American Standard Bible
Paul Arrives in Rome
11 After three months we set sail on (A)an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island, and which had [a]the Twin Brothers for its figurehead. 12 After we put in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 From there we sailed around and arrived at Rhegium, and a day later a south wind came up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 [b]There we found some (B)brothers and sisters, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and that is how we came to Rome. 15 And from there the (C)brothers and sisters, when they heard about us, came as far as the [c]Market of Appius and the [d]Three Inns to meet us; and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.
16 When we entered Rome, Paul was (D)allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.
17 After three days [e]Paul called together those who were (E)the leading men of the Jews, and when they came together, he began saying to them, “(F)Brothers, (G)though I had done nothing against our people or (H)the customs of our [f]fathers, yet I was handed over to the Romans as a prisoner from Jerusalem. 18 And when they had (I)examined me, they (J)were willing to release me because there were (K)no grounds [g]for putting me to death. 19 But when the Jews [h]objected, I was forced to (L)appeal to Caesar, not that I had any accusation against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I [i]requested to see you and to speak with you, since I am wearing (M)this chain for (N)the sake of the hope of Israel.” 21 They said to him, “We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor has any of (O)the brothers come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what [j]your views are; for regarding this (P)sect, it is known to us that (Q)it is spoken against everywhere.”
23 When they had set a day for [k]Paul, people came to him at (R)his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly (S)testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, (T)from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening. 24 (U)Some were being persuaded by the things said by Paul, but others would not believe. 25 And when they disagreed with one another, they began leaving after Paul said one parting statement: “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, 26 saying,
‘(V)Go to this people and say,
“[l](W)You will keep on hearing, and will not understand;
And [m]you will keep on seeing, and will not perceive;
27 (X)For the hearts of this people have become [n]insensitive,
And with their ears they [o]hardly hear,
And they have closed their eyes;
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.”’
28 Therefore, let it be known to you that (Y)this salvation of God has been sent (Z)to the Gentiles; they will also listen.”[p]
30 Now Paul stayed two full years [q]in his own rented lodging and welcomed all who came to him, 31 [r](AA)preaching the kingdom of God and teaching things about the Lord Jesus Christ (AB)with all openness, unhindered.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Acts 28:11 Gr Dioscuri; i.e., Castor and Pollux, twin sons of Zeus
- Acts 28:14 Lit Where
- Acts 28:15 Lat Appii Forum, a station about 43 miles or 69.2 km from Rome
- Acts 28:15 Lat Tres Tabernae, a station about 33 miles or 53.1 km from Rome
- Acts 28:17 Lit he
- Acts 28:17 Or forefathers
- Acts 28:18 Lit of death in me
- Acts 28:19 Lit spoke against
- Acts 28:20 Or invited you to see me and speak with me
- Acts 28:22 Lit you think
- Acts 28:23 Lit him
- Acts 28:26 Lit with a hearing you will hear
- Acts 28:26 Lit seeing you will see
- Acts 28:27 Lit dull
- Acts 28:27 Or are hard of hearing
- Acts 28:28 Late mss add as v 29: When he had spoken these words, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.
- Acts 28:30 Or at his own expense
- Acts 28:31 Or proclaiming
Acts 28:11-31
New International Version
Acts 28:11-31
New International Version
Paul’s Arrival at Rome
11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in the island—it was an Alexandrian ship(A) with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli. 14 There we found some brothers and sisters(B) who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers and sisters(C) there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him.(D)
Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard
17 Three days later he called together the local Jewish leaders.(E) When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers,(F) although I have done nothing against our people(G) or against the customs of our ancestors,(H) I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. 18 They examined me(I) and wanted to release me,(J) because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death.(K) 19 The Jews objected, so I was compelled to make an appeal to Caesar.(L) I certainly did not intend to bring any charge against my own people. 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is because of the hope of Israel(M) that I am bound with this chain.”(N)
21 They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of our people(O) who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”(P)
23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. He witnessed to them from morning till evening, explaining about the kingdom of God,(Q) and from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets(R) he tried to persuade them about Jesus.(S) 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.(T) 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said(U) through Isaiah the prophet:
26 “‘Go to this people and say,
“You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.”
27 For this people’s heart has become calloused;(V)
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’[a](W)
28 “Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation(X) has been sent to the Gentiles,(Y) and they will listen!” [29] [b]
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God(Z) and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness(AA) and without hindrance!
Footnotes
- Acts 28:27 Isaiah 6:9,10 (see Septuagint)
- Acts 28:29 Some manuscripts include here After he said this, the Jews left, arguing vigorously among themselves.
Acts 28:11-31
Contemporary English Version
Acts 28:11-31
Contemporary English Version
From Malta to Rome
11 Three months later we sailed in a ship that had been docked at Malta for the winter. The ship was from Alexandria in Egypt and was known as “The Twin Gods.”[a] 12 We arrived in Syracuse and stayed for three days. 13 From there we sailed to Rhegium. The next day a south wind began to blow, and two days later we arrived in Puteoli. 14 There we found some of the Lord's followers, who begged us to stay with them. A week later we left for the city of Rome.
15 Some of the followers in Rome heard about us and came to meet us at the Market of Appius and at the Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and was encouraged.
Paul in Rome
16 We arrived in Rome, and Paul was allowed to live in a house by himself with a soldier to guard him.
17 Three days after we got there, Paul called together some of the Jewish leaders and said:
My friends, I have never done anything to hurt our people, and I have never gone against the customs of our ancestors. But in Jerusalem I was handed over as a prisoner to the Romans. 18 They looked into the charges against me and wanted to release me. They found that I had not done anything deserving death. 19 (A) The Jewish leaders disagreed, so I asked to be tried by the Emperor.
But I don't have anything to say against my own nation. 20 I am bound by these chains because of what we people of Israel hope for. This is why I have called you here to talk about this hope of ours.
21 The leaders replied, “No one from Judea has written us a letter about you. And not one of them has come here to report on you or to say anything against you. 22 But we would like to hear what you have to say. We understand that people everywhere are against this new group.”
23 They agreed on a time to meet with Paul, and many of them came to his house. From early morning until late in the afternoon, Paul talked to them about God's kingdom. He used the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets[b] to try to win them over to Jesus.
24 Some of the leaders agreed with what Paul said, but others did not. 25 Since they could not agree among themselves, they started leaving. But Paul said, “The Holy Spirit said the right thing when he sent Isaiah the prophet 26 (B) to tell our ancestors,
‘Go to these people
and tell them:
You will listen and listen,
but never understand.
You will look and look,
but never see.
27 All of you
have stubborn hearts.
Your ears are stopped up,
and your eyes are covered.
You cannot see or hear
or understand.
If you could,
you would turn to me,
and I would heal you.’ ”
28-29 Paul said, “You may be sure that God wants to save the Gentiles! And they will listen.”[c]
30 For two years Paul stayed in a rented house and welcomed everyone who came to see him. 31 He bravely preached about God's kingdom and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, and no one tried to stop him.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 28.11 known as “The Twin Gods”: Or “carried on its bow a wooden carving of the Twin Gods.” These gods were Castor and Pollux, two of the favorite gods among sailors.
- 28.23 Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets: The Jewish Bible, that is, the Old Testament.
- 28.28,29 And they will listen: Some manuscripts add, “After Paul said this, the people left, but they got into a fierce argument among themselves.”
Acts 28:11-31
The Message
Acts 28:11-31
The Message
Rome
10-11 We spent a wonderful three months on Malta. They treated us royally, took care of all our needs and outfitted us for the rest of the journey. When an Egyptian ship that had wintered there in the harbor prepared to leave for Italy, we got on board. The ship had a carved Gemini for its figurehead: “the Heavenly Twins.”
12-14 We put in at Syracuse for three days and then went up the coast to Rhegium. Two days later, with the wind out of the south, we sailed into the Bay of Naples. We found Christian friends there and stayed with them for a week.
14-16 And then we came to Rome. Friends in Rome heard we were on the way and came out to meet us. One group got as far as Appian Court; another group met us at Three Taverns—emotion-packed meetings, as you can well imagine. Paul, brimming over with praise, led us in prayers of thanksgiving. When we actually entered Rome, they let Paul live in his own private quarters with a soldier who had been assigned to guard him.
17-20 Three days later, Paul called the Jewish leaders together for a meeting at his house. He said, “The Jews in Jerusalem arrested me on trumped-up charges, and I was taken into custody by the Romans. I assure you that I did absolutely nothing against Jewish laws or Jewish customs. After the Romans investigated the charges and found there was nothing to them, they wanted to set me free, but the Jews objected so fiercely that I was forced to appeal to Caesar. I did this not to accuse them of any wrongdoing or to get our people in trouble with Rome. We’ve had enough trouble through the years that way. I did it for Israel. I asked you to come and listen to me today to make it clear that I’m on Israel’s side, not against her. I’m a hostage here for hope, not doom.”
21-22 They said, “Nobody wrote warning us about you. And no one has shown up saying anything bad about you. But we would like very much to hear more. The only thing we know about this Christian sect is that nobody seems to have anything good to say about it.”
23 They agreed on a time. When the day arrived, they came back to his home with a number of their friends. Paul talked to them all day, from morning to evening, explaining everything involved in the kingdom of God, and trying to persuade them all about Jesus by pointing out what Moses and the prophets had written about him.
24-27 Some of them were persuaded by what he said, but others refused to believe a word of it. When the unbelievers got cantankerous and started bickering with each other, Paul interrupted: “I have just one more thing to say to you. The Holy Spirit sure knew what he was talking about when he addressed our ancestors through Isaiah the prophet:
Go to this people and tell them this:
“You’re going to listen with your ears,
but you won’t hear a word;
You’re going to stare with your eyes,
but you won’t see a thing.
These people are blockheads!
They stick their fingers in their ears
so they won’t have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
so they won’t have to look,
so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face
and let me heal them.”
28 “You’ve had your chance. The non-Jewish outsiders are next on the list. And believe me, they’re going to receive it with open arms!”
30-31 Paul lived for two years in his rented house. He welcomed everyone who came to visit. He urgently presented all matters of the kingdom of God. He explained everything about Jesus Christ. His door was always open.
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