Acts 28
Expanded Bible
Paul on the Island of Malta
28 When we ·were safe on land [reached safety], we learned that the island was called Malta [C 58 miles southwest of Sicily]. 2 The ·people who lived there [native people; L barbarians; C a term referring to non-Greek speakers] were very ·good [kind] to us. Because it was raining and very cold, they made a fire and welcomed all of us. 3 Paul gathered a pile of ·sticks [brushwood] and was putting them on the fire when a ·poisonous snake [viper] came out because of the heat and ·bit [L fastened itself to] him on the hand. 4 The ·people living on the island [native people; 28:2] saw the ·snake [L creature; animal] hanging from Paul’s hand and said to each other, “This man must be a murderer! He ·did not die in [L escaped from] the sea, but Justice [L Dikē; C pronounced di-káy); the goddess of justice] ·does not want [has not allowed] him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the ·snake [L creature; animal] off into the fire and ·was not hurt [suffered no harm]. 6 ·The people [L They] thought that Paul would swell up or fall down dead. They waited and watched him for a long time, but nothing ·bad [L unusual] happened to him. So they changed their minds and said, “He is a god!”
7 There ·were some fields [or was an estate] around there owned by Publius, ·an important man [or the chief official; governor] on the island. He ·welcomed [received] us into his home and ·was very good to us [provided generous hospitality; treated us as honored guests] for three days. 8 Publius’ father was sick in bed with a fever and dysentery [C a serious illness that includes cramping and severe diarrhea]. Paul went to him, prayed, and ·put [or laid] his hands on the man and healed him. 9 After this, ·all the other [L the rest of the] sick people on the island came to Paul, and he healed them, too.
Paul Goes to Rome
After three months we got on a ship from Alexandria [27:6] that had stayed on the island during the winter. On the front of the ship was the sign of the ·twin gods [C Castor and Pollux, the twin sons of Zeus; protectors of sailors]. 12 We ·stopped [put in] at Syracuse [C a major city on the island of Sicily] for three days. 13 From there we ·sailed to [L set sail and arrived at] Rhegium [C a port city on the Italian mainland across from Sicily]. The next day a wind began to blow from the south, and ·a day later [L on the second day] we came to Puteoli [C a bit further north on the southwestern coast of Italy]. 14 We found some ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] there who ·asked [invited] us to stay with them for ·a week [L seven days]. ·Finally [L And so in this way], we came to Rome. 15 The ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] in Rome heard that we were there and came out as far as the ·Market [L Forum] of Appius [C about 40 miles from Rome] and the Three Inns [C eight miles toward Rome from the Market of Appius] to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and ·was encouraged [took courage].
Paul in Rome
16 When we arrived at Rome, Paul was allowed to live alone, with the soldier who guarded him.
17 Three days later ·Paul [L he] sent for the leaders of the ·Jewish community [L Jews] there. When they came together, he said, “[L Men,] Brothers, I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers]. But I was ·arrested [made a prisoner] in Jerusalem and given ·to [L into the hands of] the Romans. 18 After they ·asked me many questions [examined me; tried my case], they wanted to let me go free because they could find no reason why I should be ·killed [given the death penalty]. 19 But the Jews there ·argued against that [objected], so I had to ·ask to come to Rome to have my trial before [L appeal to] Caesar. But I have no ·charge [accusation] to bring against my own ·people [nation]. 20 That is why I wanted to see you and talk with you. I am bound with this chain because ·I believe in [L of] the hope of Israel.”
21 They ·answered [said to] Paul, “We have received no letters from Judea about you. None of our Jewish brothers who have come from there brought news or told us anything bad about you. 22 But we ·want to hear [consider it worth hearing] your ideas, because we know that people everywhere are speaking against this ·religious group [sect].”
23 Paul and the people ·chose [arranged; appointed] a day for a meeting and on that day ·many more of the Jews [L a great number] met with Paul at the place he was staying. He spoke to them ·all day long [L from morning until evening]. Using the law of Moses and the prophets’ writings [C the whole Old Testament], he explained [L by testifying/bearing witness about] the kingdom of God, and he tried to persuade them to believe these things about Jesus. 24 Some ·believed [L were persuaded by] what Paul said, but others ·did [were] not. 25 So they ·argued [disagreed with each other] and began leaving after Paul said one more thing to them: “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ·ancestors [fathers] through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
26 ‘Go to this people and say:
You will ·listen and listen [or certainly listen], but you will not understand.
You will ·look and look [or certainly look], but you will not ·learn [perceive],
27 because [L the heart of] these people have become ·stubborn [dull].
They ·don’t hear with their ears [or hardly hear with their ears; are hard of hearing],
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise, they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears.
They might really understand in their ·minds [hearts]
and come back to me and ·be healed [L I would heal them; Is. 6:9–10].’
28 “[L Therefore,] I want you to know that God has also sent his salvation to ·all nations [the Gentiles], and they will listen!” |29 ·After [or When] ·Paul [L he] said this, the Jews left. They were arguing very much with each other.|[a]
30 Paul stayed two full years ·in his own rented house [or at his own expense] and welcomed all people who came to visit him. 31 He ·boldly [confidently] ·preached about [proclaimed] the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, ·and no one stopped him [freely; without hindrance].
Footnotes
- Acts 28:29 After … other. Some Greek copies do not contain the bracketed text.
Gevurot 28
Orthodox Jewish Bible
28 And having been brought safely through, we then found out that the island is called Malta.
2 And the natives were showing not the ordinary kindness to us for, because of the geshem (rain) that had set in and because of the cold, they lit a hadlakah (bonfire).
3 And when Rav Sha’ul gathered some brushwood and placed the sticks on the hadlakah (bonfire), a nachash (serpent) from the heat came out and fastened onto Rav Sha’ul’s hand.
4 And when the natives saw it hanging from his hand, they were saying to one another, "Surely this man is a rotzeach (murderer); for though he was brought safely from the sea, Yashrus (Justice) did not allow him to live."
5 Then, having shaken off the nachash into the eish (fire), Rav Sha’ul suffered no ill effects. (Mk 16:18)
6 But the natives were expecting him to be about to swell up or suddenly to fall down. But they watched him expectantly for a long time, and when they observed nothing unusual happening to him, they changed their minds and were saying that he was a g-d.
7 Now in the area around that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, Publius by name, who welcomed us and gave us hachnosas orchim.
8 And it came about that the abba of Publius was bedfast, suffering fevers and dysentery. Rav Sha’ul approached him, and having davened, laid his hands on him and administered refuah shleimah to him.
9 And when this happened, also others on the island, the cholim, were approaching Rav Sha’ul and were receiving refuah shleimah.
10 The natives bestowed matanot rabbot on us and, while being put out to sea, they gave us the provisions for our needs. [TEHILLIM 15:4]
11 And after shloshah chodashim, we set sail in an oniyah, having spent the winter on the island. It was an Alexandrian oniyah marked by the insignia of the twin Achim.
12 And having put in at Syracuse, we stayed 3 days.
13 Then we weighed anchor and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day, a southwest wind sprang up and on the second day we came to Puteoli.
14 There we found Achim b’Moshiach and we were invited by them to stay shivah yamim. And so we came to Rome.
15 And from there, the Achim b’Moshiach when they heard of us, came out to meet us, even as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns. On seeing them, ometz lev came to Rav Sha’ul and he said a bracha, davening hodah to Hashem.
16 Now when we entered into Rome, Rav Sha’ul was permitted to live by himself in his own quarters with a chaiyal guarding him.
17 And it came about after shloshah yamim, that Rav Sha’ul called together the chashuve Yehudim. And when they had assembled, Rav Sha’ul was saying to them, "Anashim, Achim, though I had done nothing keneged (against, in opposition to) our Jewish people or to the minhagei Avoteinu of Orthodox Judaism, I was arrested in Yerushalayim and delivered over into the hands of the Romans,
18 "Who, having examined me, were desiring to release me, because I had done nothing worthy of the death penalty.
19 "But when the Yehudim spoke keneged (in opposition to, against) this, I was forced to appeal to Caesar, but only to defend myself, not to bring accusation against Am Yisroel, my people.
20 "On account of this reason, therefore, I summoned you, to see you and to speak with you, since it is for the sake of the tikvat Yisroel that I am wearing these prison sharsherot (chains)."
21 And they said to Rav Sha’ul, "We neither received iggrot about you from Yehudah nor have any of the Achim arrived and reported or spoke any lashon hora about you.
22 "But we desire to hear from you what you think, for lichora (apparently) with regard to this kat of Judaism, we have da’as that it is spoken keneged (against) everywhere."
23 And they set a day for him, and they came to him in his lodgings, and there were many of them. And Rav Sha’ul was making a midrash, bearing solemn edut about the Malchut Hashem, and persuading them about Yehoshua from both the Torah of Moshe Rabbenu and from the Nevi’im, from haboker to haerev.
24 And some Yehudim were being persuaded by the things being said, but others had no emunah (faith).
25 And so they disagreed with one another. And as they were leaving, Rav Sha’ul said a final dvar. "Rightly the Ruach Hakodesh spoke through Yeshayah HaNavi to your Avot,
26 "Saying, ‘Go to this people and say, In hearing SHIMU SHAMO’A V’AL TAVINU UR’U RA’O V’AL TEDA’U ("You will hear and yet by no means understand and seeing you will see and yet by no means perceive.")
27 HASHMEN LEV HAAM HAZEH V’AZNAV HAKHBED V’ENAV HASHA PEN YIREH V’EINAV UV’AZNAV YISHMA ULEVAVO YAVIN VASHA V’RAFA LO ("For the heart of this people has become dull and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and with their ears may hear and with their heart they may have binah and they may turn and I will heal them. [TEHILLIM 119:70; YESHAYAH 6:9,10; also YESHAYAH 53:5]
28 "Therefore, let it be known to you that to the GOYIM (TEHILLIM 67:2) this Yeshu’at Eloheinu of Hashem was sent, and they will listen."
29 [And when he had said these things, the Yehudim departed, and argued greatly among themselves.]
30 And he remained an entire two years in his own rented bais, and was welcoming all the ones coming to him,
31 Preaching the Malchut Hashem and saying shiurim concerning the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua with all openness and without hindrance.
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