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Paul on the Island of Malta

¹When we were safe on land, we learned that the island was called Malta. ²The people who lived there were very good to us. It was raining and very cold, so they built a fire and welcomed all of us. ³Paul gathered a pile of sticks for the fire. He was putting the sticks on the fire, and a poisonous snake came out because of the heat and bit him on the hand. ⁴When the people living on the island saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said, "This man must be a murderer! He did not die in the sea, but Justicea does not want him to live."
⁵But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and was not hurt. ⁶The people thought he would swell up or fall down dead. They waited and watched him for a long time, but nothing bad happened to him. So they changed their opinion. They said, "He is a god!"
⁷There were some fields around that same area. They were owned by a man named Publius, the most important Roman official on the island. He welcomed us into his home and was very good to us. We stayed in his house for three days. ⁸Publius' father was very sick. He had a fever and dysenteryb, but Paul went to him and prayed for him. He laid his hands onc the man and healed him. ⁹After this happened, all the other sick people on the island came to Paul, and he healed them too. ^10-¹¹The people on the island gave us many honors. And after we had been there three months and were ready to leave, they provided us everything we needed for our trip.

Paul Goes to Rome We got on a ship from Alexandria that had stayed on the island of Malta during the winter. On the front of the ship was the sign for the twin godsd. ¹²We stopped at the city of Syracuse. We stayed there three days and then left. ¹³We came to the city of Rhegium. The next day a wind began to blow from the southwest, so we were able to leave. A day later we came to the city of Puteoli. ¹⁴We found some believerse there, who asked us to stay with them a week. Finally, we came to Rome. ¹⁵The brothers and sisters in Rome heard about us and came out to meet us at the Market of Appiusf and at the Three Innsg. When Paul saw these believers, he thanked God and felt encouraged.

Paul in Rome ¹⁶When we came to Rome, Paul was allowed to live alone. But a soldier stayed with him to guard him.
¹⁷Three days later Paul sent for some of the most important Jews. When they came together, he said, "My brothers, I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our fathersh. But I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. ¹⁸They asked me many questions, but they could not find any reason why I should be put to death. So they wanted to let me go free. ¹⁹But the Jews there did not want that. So I had to ask to come to Rome to have my trial before Caesari. That doesn't mean I am accusing my people of doing anything wrong. ²⁰That is why I wanted to see you and talk with you. I am bound with this chain because I believe in the hope of Israelj."
²¹The Jews answered Paul, "We have received no letters from Judea about you. None of our Jewish brothers who have traveled from there brought news about you or told us anything bad about you. ²²We want to hear your ideas. We know that people everywhere are speaking against this new group."
²³Paul and the Jews chose a day for a meeting. On that day many more of these Jews met with Paul at his house. He spoke to them all day long, explaining God's kingdomk to them. He used the Law of Mosesl and the writings of the prophetsm to persuade them to believe in Jesus. ²⁴Some of the Jews believed what he said, but others did not believe. ²⁵They had an argument among themselves and were ready to leave. But Paul said one more thing to them: "The Holy Spiritn spoke the truth to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet. He said,

²⁶'Go to this people and tell them:
You will listen and you will hear, but you will not understand.
You will look and you will see, but you will not understand what you see.
²⁷Yes, the minds of these people are now closed. They have ears, but they don't listen. They have eyes, but they refuse to see.
If their minds were not closed, they might see with their eyes; they might hear with their ears; they might understand with their minds.
Then they might turn back to me and be healed.'o

²⁸"I want you Jews to know that God has sent his salvation to the non-Jewish people. They will listen!" ²⁹p
³⁰Paul stayed two full years in his own rented house. He welcomed all the people who came and visited him. ³¹He told them about God's kingdom and taught them about the Lord Jesus Christ. He was very bold, and no one tried to stop him from speaking.

^a28:4 Justice The people thought there was a goddess named Justice who would punish bad people.
^bdysentery A very bad intestinal sickness that causes pain and diarrhea.
^clay hands on This act was a way of asking God to bless people in a special way - to heal them, to cause the Holy Spirit to come into them, or to give them power for a special work.
^d28:10-11 twin gods Statues of Castor and Pollux, Greek gods.
^ebeliever Where this word is marked, it is literally “brother,” a term used by followers of Jesus Christ to refer to fellow members of God’s family.
^f28:15 Market of Appius A town about 43 miles (69 km) from Rome.
^g28:15 Three Inns A town about 30 miles (48 km) from Rome.
^hfathers Important ancestors of the Jewish people, especially the leaders of the tribes of Israel.
ⁱCaesar The name or title given to the emperor (ruler) of Rome.
^jIsrael Another name for Jacob (see Gen. 32:24-28) and for the nation God chose to accomplish his plan of blessing the world through the Messiah (see “Messiah”). The people of Israel were the descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons. In the New Testament this name is sometimes used in a broader sense to mean all of God’s people.
^kGod’s kingdom The “reign” or “rule” of God over all people who submit to him by accepting Jesus as the Messiah (the appointed king), who represents God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus was the perfect example of submission to the will of God. When people give control of their lives to Jesus, they become part of God’s kingdom and begin to enjoy the blessings he has promised his people from the beginning. (Note that in Matthew this term also translates the Greek word “kingdom” by itself or the phrase, “the kingdom of the heavens,” which was used by Jews as a way to avoid saying the divine name.)
^lMoses One of the most important leaders of the Israelites during the time of the Old Testament. God used him to give the people his law, which is often called “the Law of Moses.”
^mprophet A person who speaks a message from God. Many of the books in the Old Testament are messages spoken or written by “the prophets,” who were some of those God chose to speak for him. God often used dreams or visions to tell or show his prophets what they should say.
ⁿHoly Spirit Also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Comforter. In union with God and Christ, he does God’s work among people in the world.
^oIsaiah 6:9-10
^p28:29 Some late copies of Acts add verse 29: “After Paul said this, the Jews left, still having a big argument with each other.”