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
Acts 28
Lexham English Bible
Paul on Malta
28 And after we[a] were brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. 2 And the local inhabitants showed extraordinary[b] kindness to us, for they lit a fire and[c] welcomed us all, because of the rain that had begun and because of the cold. 3 And when[d] Paul had gathered a large number of sticks and was placing them[e] on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and[f] fastened itself on his hand. 4 And when the local people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying[g] to one another, “Doubtless this man is a murderer whom, although he[h] was rescued from the sea, Justice[i] has not permitted to live!” 5 He, in turn, shook off the creature into the fire and[j] suffered no harm. 6 But they were expecting that he was going to swell up[k] or suddenly to fall down dead. So after[l] they had waited for a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and[m] began saying[n] that he was a god.
7 Now in the regions around that place were fields belonging to the chief official of the island, named[o] Publius, who welcomed us and[p] entertained us[q] hospitably for three days. 8 And it happened that the father of Publius was lying down, afflicted with fever and dysentery. Paul went[r] to him[s] and after[t] praying, he placed his[u] hands on him and[v] healed him. 9 And after[w] this had taken place, the rest of those on the island who had diseases were coming and being healed also. 10 They also honored us with many honors, and when we[x] were putting out to sea, they gave us[y] the things we needed.[z]
Paul Arrives in Rome at Last
11 Now after three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian one with the twin gods Castor and Pollux as its insignia.[aa] 12 And putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there three days. 13 From there we got underway[ab] and[ac] arrived at Rhegium, and after one day a south wind came up and[ad] on the second day we came to Puteoli, 14 where we found brothers, and[ae] were implored to stay with them seven days. And in this way we came to Rome. 15 And from there the brothers, when they[af] heard the news about us, came to meet us as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns. When he[ag] saw them, Paul gave thanks to God and[ah] took courage. 16 And when we entered into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier who was guarding him.
Paul and the Jewish Community in Rome
17 Now it happened that after three days, he called together those who were the most prominent of the Jews. And when[ai] they had assembled, he said to them, “Men and brothers, although[aj] I had done nothing against our[ak] people or the customs of our fathers, from Jerusalem I was delivered as a prisoner into the hands of the Romans, 18 who, when they[al] had examined me, were wanting to release me,[am] because there was no basis for an accusation worthy of death with me. 19 But because[an] the Jews objected, I was forced to appeal to Caesar (not as if I[ao] had any charge to bring against my own people).[ap] 20 Therefore for this reason I have requested to see you and to speak with you,[aq] for because of the hope of Israel I am wearing this chain!” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters about you from Judea, nor has any of the brothers come and[ar] reported or spoken anything evil about you. 22 But we would like to hear from you what you think, for concerning this sect it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere.”
23 And when they[as] had set a day with him, many more came to him at his lodging place, to whom he was explaining from early in the morning until evening, testifying about the kingdom of God and attempting to convince[at] them about Jesus from both the law of Moses and the prophets. 24 And some were convinced by[au] what was said, but others refused to believe. 25 So being in disagreement with one another, they began to leave after[av] Paul made one statement: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through the prophet Isaiah to your fathers, 26 saying,
‘Go to this people and say,
“You will keep on hearing[aw] and will never understand,
and you will keep on seeing[ax] and will never perceive.
27 For the heart of this people has become dull,
and with their[ay] ears they hear with difficulty,
and they have shut their eyes,
lest they see with their[az] eyes,
and hear with their[ba] ears,
and understand with their[bb] heart,
and turn, and I would heal them.”’[bc]
28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. They also will listen!”[bd]
30 So he stayed two whole years in his own rented house, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness, without hindrance.
Footnotes
- Acts 28:1 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“were brought safely through”) which is understood as temporal
- Acts 28:2 Literally “not the ordinary”
- Acts 28:2 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“lit”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:3 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had gathered”)
- Acts 28:3 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Acts 28:3 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came out”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:4 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began saying”)
- Acts 28:4 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was rescued”) which is understood as concessive
- Acts 28:4 Here personified as a goddess
- Acts 28:5 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“shook off”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:6 Or “to burn with fever” (either meaning is possible here)
- Acts 28:6 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had waited”)
- Acts 28:6 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“changed their minds”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:6 The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began saying”)
- Acts 28:7 Literally “by name”
- Acts 28:7 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“welcomed”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:7 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Acts 28:8 Here this participle (“went”) has been translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style
- Acts 28:8 Literally “whom”
- Acts 28:8 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“praying”) which is understood as temporal
- Acts 28:8 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Acts 28:8 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“placed”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:9 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had taken place”)
- Acts 28:10 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“putting out to sea”) which is understood as temporal
- Acts 28:10 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Acts 28:10 Literally “for the needs”
- Acts 28:11 Literally “marked with the Dioscuri” (a joint name for the twin gods Castor and Pollux)
- Acts 28:13 Or “we sailed along” (with “the coast” understood); the exact meaning of the text as it stands is disputed and various additional terms have to be supplied in any case
- Acts 28:13 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“got underway”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:13 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came up”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:14 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“found”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:15 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“heard”) which is understood as temporal
- Acts 28:15 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
- Acts 28:15 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“gave thanks”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:17 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had assembled”)
- Acts 28:17 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had done”) which is understood as concessive
- Acts 28:17 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Acts 28:18 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had examined”) which is understood as temporal
- Acts 28:18 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Acts 28:19 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the causal genitive absolute participle (“objected”)
- Acts 28:19 Here “if” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had”) which is understood as concessive
- Acts 28:19 Or “nation”
- Acts 28:20 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Acts 28:21 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“come”) has been translated as a finite verb
- Acts 28:23 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had set”) which is understood as temporal
- Acts 28:23 Here the present tense has been translated as conative (“attempting to convince”)
- Acts 28:24 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“what was said”) which is understood as means
- Acts 28:25 Here “after” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“made”)
- Acts 28:26 Literally “hearing you will hear”
- Acts 28:26 Literally “seeing you will see”
- Acts 28:27 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Acts 28:27 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Acts 28:27 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Acts 28:27 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
- Acts 28:27 A quotation from Isa 6:9–10
- Acts 28:28 Some later manuscripts include v. 29: “And when he had said these things, the Jews departed, having a great dispute among themselves.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software