島上的居民對我們非常友善。因為下雨,天氣又冷,他們就生火接待我們。 保羅拿起一捆柴放進火堆裡,不料有一條毒蛇經不住熱鑽了出來,咬住了他的手。 那裡的居民看見毒蛇吊在保羅手上,就交頭接耳地說:「這人一定是個兇手,雖然僥倖沒有淹死,天理卻不容他活下去。」

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The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand,(A) they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”(B)

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