Acts 28:1-16

New Testament for Everyone

The snake on Malta

28 When we reached safety, we discovered that the island was called Malta. ² The local inhabitants treated us with unusual kindness: they set to and built a fire for us all, since it was cold and had started to rain. ³ Paul had collected quite a bundle of brushwood, and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, escaping the heat, fastened onto his hand. ⁴ The natives saw the animal clinging to his hand.

“Aha!” they said to one another. “This man must be a murderer! He’s been rescued from the sea, but Justice hasn’t allowed him to live.”

⁵ Paul, however, shook off the snake into the fire and suffered no harm. ⁶ They kept watching him to see if he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited and watched for quite some time, and nothing untoward had happened to him, they changed their minds.

“He must be a god,” they said.

⁷ Publius, the leading man of the island, owned lands in the region where we were. He welcomed us, and entertained us in a most friendly fashion for three days. ⁸ Publius’ father was lying sick in bed with a fever and with dysentery. Paul went in to see him and prayed; then he laid his hands on him and cured him. ⁹ At this, everyone else on the island who was sick came and was cured. ¹⁰ They gave us many honors, and when we were getting ready to sail away they gave us everything we needed.

To Rome at last

¹¹ After three months we set sail on a ship that had been spending the winter on the island. It was from Alexandria, and had the insignia of the Heavenly Twins. ¹² We arrived at Syracuse, and stayed three days. ¹³ From there we raised anchor and sailed across to Rhegium. After one day there, a south wind arose, and on the second day we arrived at Puteoli, ¹⁴ where we found Christians, who encouraged us to stay with them for seven days.

And so we came to Rome. ¹⁵ Christians from there, hearing about us, came to meet us as far as Appian Forum and Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took heart.

¹⁶ When we arrived in Rome, Paul was allowed to lodge privately. He had a soldier to guard him.