Acts
Chapter 28 1-10
Ashore on Malta
1Once
safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2The
islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was
raining and cold. 3Paul 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. 4When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said
to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea,
Justice has not allowed him to live." 5But Paul shook
the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6The
people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and
seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
7There was
an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed
us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. 8His
father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and,
after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. 9When
this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. 10They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail,
they furnished us with the supplies we needed.
