Acts 28
English Standard Version
Paul on Malta
28 After we were brought safely through, (A)we then learned that (B)the island was called Malta. 2 (C)The native people[a] showed us unusual (D)kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When (E)the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, (F)“No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, (G)Justice[b] has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, (H)shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, (I)they changed their minds and (J)said that he was a god.
7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and (K)prayed, and (L)putting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly,[c] and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed.
Paul Arrives at Rome
11 After three months we set sail in (M)a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods[d] as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found (N)brothers[e] and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And (O)the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, (P)Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, (Q)Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him.
Paul in Rome
17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, (R)though I had done nothing against our people or (S)the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they (T)wished to set me at liberty, (U)because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled (V)to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against (W)my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is (X)because of (Y)the hope of Israel that I am wearing (Z)this (AA)chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of (AB)the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this (AC)sect we know that everywhere (AD)it is spoken against.”
23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening (AE)he expounded to them, testifying to (AF)the kingdom of God and (AG)trying to convince them about Jesus (AH)both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And (AI)some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: (AJ)“The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
26 (AK)“‘Go to this people, and say,
(AL)“You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.”
27 (AM)For this people's heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and (AN)turn, and I would heal them.’
28 Therefore let it be known to you that (AO)this (AP)salvation of God (AQ)has been sent to the Gentiles; (AR)they will listen.”[f]
30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense,[g] and (AS)welcomed all who came to him, 31 (AT)proclaiming (AU)the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ (AV)with all boldness and (AW)without hindrance.
Footnotes
- Acts 28:2 Greek barbaroi (that is, non–Greek speakers); also verse 4
- Acts 28:4 Or justice
- Acts 28:10 Greek honored us with many honors
- Acts 28:11 That is, the Greek gods Castor and Pollux
- Acts 28:14 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 15, 21
- Acts 28:28 Some manuscripts add verse 29: And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, having much dispute among themselves
- Acts 28:30 Or in his own hired dwelling
Psalm 77-78
English Standard Version
In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord
To the choirmaster: according to (A)Jeduthun. A Psalm of (B)Asaph.
77 I (C)cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.
2 (D)In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
in (E)the night my (F)hand is stretched out without wearying;
my soul (G)refuses to be comforted.
3 When I remember God, I (H)moan;
when I meditate, my spirit faints. Selah
4 You hold my eyelids open;
I am so (I)troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider (J)the days of old,
the years long ago.
6 I said,[a] “Let me remember my (K)song in the night;
let me (L)meditate in my heart.”
Then my spirit made a diligent search:
7 “Will the Lord (M)spurn forever,
and never again (N)be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
Are his (O)promises at an end for all time?
9 (P)Has God forgotten to be gracious?
(Q)Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will (S)remember your wonders of old.
12 I will ponder all your (T)work,
and meditate on your (U)mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is (V)holy.
(W)What god is great like our God?
14 You are the God who (X)works wonders;
you have (Y)made known your might among the peoples.
15 You (Z)with your arm redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
16 When (AA)the waters saw you, O God,
when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
indeed, the deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies (AB)gave forth thunder;
your (AC)arrows flashed on every side.
18 (AD)The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
(AE)your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth (AF)trembled and shook.
19 Your (AG)way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints (AH)were unseen.[c]
20 You (AI)led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Tell the Coming Generation
A Maskil[d] of (AJ)Asaph.
78 (AK)Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 (AL)I will open my mouth (AM)in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our (AN)fathers have told us.
4 We will not (AO)hide them from their children,
but (AP)tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and (AQ)the wonders that he has done.
5 He established (AR)a testimony in (AS)Jacob
and appointed a law in (AT)Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
to teach to their children,
6 that (AU)the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget (AV)the works of God,
but (AW)keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be (AX)like their fathers,
(AY)a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation (AZ)whose heart was not steadfast,
whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The Ephraimites, armed with[e] the bow,
(BA)turned back on the day of battle.
10 They (BB)did not keep God's covenant,
but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They (BC)forgot his works
and (BD)the wonders that he had shown them.
12 In the sight of their fathers (BE)he performed wonders
in the land of Egypt, in (BF)the fields of Zoan.
13 He (BG)divided the sea and let them pass through it,
and made the waters (BH)stand like a heap.
14 (BI)In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
and all the night with a fiery light.
15 He (BJ)split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He made streams come out of (BK)the rock
and caused waters to flow down like rivers.
17 Yet they sinned still more against him,
(BL)rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They (BM)tested God in their heart
by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying,
(BN)“Can God (BO)spread a table in the wilderness?
20 (BP)He struck the rock so that water gushed out
and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
or provide meat for his people?”
21 Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
(BQ)a fire was kindled against Jacob;
his anger rose against Israel,
22 because they (BR)did not believe in God
and did not trust his saving power.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above
and (BS)opened the doors of heaven,
24 and he (BT)rained down on them manna to eat
and gave them (BU)the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate of the bread of (BV)the angels;
he sent them food (BW)in abundance.
26 He (BX)caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained meat on them like (BY)dust,
winged birds like (BZ)the sand of the seas;
28 he (CA)let them fall in the midst of their camp,
all around their dwellings.
29 And they (CB)ate and were well filled,
for he gave them what they (CC)craved.
30 But before they had satisfied their craving,
(CD)while the food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed (CE)the strongest of them
and laid low (CF)the young men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they (CG)still sinned;
(CH)despite his wonders, they did not believe.
33 So he made (CI)their days (CJ)vanish like[f] a breath,[g]
and their years in terror.
34 When he killed them, they (CK)sought him;
they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their (CL)rock,
the Most High God their (CM)redeemer.
36 But they (CN)flattered him with their mouths;
they (CO)lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their (CP)heart was not (CQ)steadfast toward him;
they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he, being (CR)compassionate,
(CS)atoned for their iniquity
and did not destroy them;
he restrained his anger often
and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He (CT)remembered that they were but (CU)flesh,
(CV)a wind that passes and comes not again.
40 How often they (CW)rebelled against him in the wilderness
and (CX)grieved him in (CY)the desert!
41 They (CZ)tested God again and again
and provoked (DA)the Holy One of Israel.
42 They (DB)did not remember his power[h]
or the day when he redeemed them from the foe,
43 (DC)when he performed his (DD)signs in Egypt
and his (DE)marvels in (DF)the fields of Zoan.
44 He (DG)turned their rivers to blood,
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent among them swarms of (DH)flies, which devoured them,
and (DI)frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to (DJ)the destroying locust
and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with (DK)hail
and their sycamores with frost.
48 He gave over their (DL)cattle to the hail
and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He let loose on them his burning anger,
wrath, indignation, and distress,
a company of (DM)destroying angels.
50 He made a path for his anger;
he did not spare them from death,
but gave their lives over to the plague.
51 He struck down every (DN)firstborn in Egypt,
the firstfruits of their strength in the tents of (DO)Ham.
52 Then he led out his people (DP)like sheep
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 (DQ)He led them in safety, so that they (DR)were not afraid,
but (DS)the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his (DT)holy land,
(DU)to the mountain which his right hand had (DV)won.
55 He (DW)drove out nations before them;
he (DX)apportioned them for a possession
and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they (DY)tested and (DZ)rebelled against the Most High God
and did not keep his testimonies,
57 but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers;
they twisted like (EA)a deceitful bow.
58 For they (EB)provoked him to anger with their (EC)high places;
they (ED)moved him to jealousy with their (EE)idols.
59 When God heard, he was full of (EF)wrath,
and he utterly rejected Israel.
60 He (EG)forsook his dwelling at (EH)Shiloh,
the tent where he dwelt among mankind,
61 and delivered his (EI)power to captivity,
his (EJ)glory to the hand of the foe.
62 He (EK)gave his people over to the sword
and (EL)vented his wrath on his heritage.
63 (EM)Fire devoured their young men,
and their young women had no (EN)marriage song.
64 Their (EO)priests fell by the sword,
and their (EP)widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the Lord (EQ)awoke as from sleep,
like a strong man shouting because of wine.
66 And he (ER)put his adversaries to rout;
he put them to everlasting shame.
67 He rejected the tent of (ES)Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he (ET)loves.
69 He (EU)built his sanctuary like the high heavens,
like the earth, which he has founded forever.
70 He (EV)chose David his servant
and took him from the sheepfolds;
71 from (EW)following the nursing ewes he brought him
to (EX)shepherd Jacob his people,
Israel his (EY)inheritance.
72 With (EZ)upright heart he shepherded them
and (FA)guided them with his skillful hand.
Footnotes
- Psalm 77:6 Hebrew lacks I said
- Psalm 77:10 Or This is my grief: that the right hand of the Most High has changed
- Psalm 77:19 Hebrew unknown
- Psalm 78:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
- Psalm 78:9 Hebrew armed and shooting
- Psalm 78:33 Hebrew in
- Psalm 78:33 Or vapor
- Psalm 78:42 Hebrew hand
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
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