HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1379
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33 Just as day was dawning, Paul urged everyone to eat. “You have been so worried that you
haven’t touched food for two weeks,” he said.
34 “Please eat something now for your own
good. For not a hair of your heads will perish.”
35 Then he took some bread, gave thanks to God
before them all, and broke off a piece and ate it.
36 Then everyone was encouraged and began to
eat—37 all 276 of us who were on board. 38 After
eating, the crew lightened the ship further by
throwing the cargo of wheat overboard.
39 When morning dawned, they didn’t recognize the coastline, but they saw a bay with a
beach and wondered if they could get to shore
by running the ship aground. 40 So they cut off
the anchors and left them in the sea. Then they
lowered the rudders, raised the foresail, and
headed toward shore. 41 But they hit a shoal and
ran the ship aground too soon. The bow of the
ship stuck fast, while the stern was repeatedly
smashed by the force of the waves and began
to break apart.
42 The soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners to
make sure they didn’t swim ashore and escape.
43 But the commanding officer wanted to spare
Paul, so he didn’t let them carry out their plan.
Then he ordered all who could swim to jump
overboard first and make for land. 44 The others
held on to planks or debris from the broken
ship.* So everyone escaped safely to shore.
Paul on the Island of Malta
Once we were safe on shore, we learned
that we were on the island of Malta.
2 The people of the island were very kind to us.
It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the
shore to welcome us.
3 As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and
was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake,
driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand.
4 The people of the island saw it hanging from
his hand and said to each other, “A murderer,
no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice
will not permit him to live.” 5 But Paul shook
off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.
6 The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a
long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they
changed their minds and decided he was a god.
7 Near the shore where we landed was an
estate belonging to Publius, the chief official
of the island. He welcomed us and treated us
kindly for three days. 8 As it happened, Publius’s
father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul
went in and prayed for him, and laying his
hands on him, he healed him. 9 Then all the
28
27:44 Or or were helped by members of the ship’s crew.
28:11 The twin gods were the Roman gods Castor and Pollux.
28:12 Syracuse was on the island of Sicily. 28:13 Rhegium
was on the southern tip of Italy. 28:14 Greek brothers.
28:15a Greek brothers. 28:15b The Forum was about 43 miles
(70 kilometers) from Rome. 28:15c The Three Taverns was
about 35 miles (57 kilometers) from Rome.
ACTS 28
other sick people on the island came and were
healed. 10 As a result we were showered with
honors, and when the time came to sail, people
supplied us with everything we would need for
the trip.
Paul Arrives at Rome
11 It was three months after the shipwreck that
we set sail on another ship that had wintered at
the island—an Alexandrian ship with the twin
gods* as its figurehead. 12 Our first stop was
Syracuse,* where we stayed three days. 13 From
there we sailed across to Rhegium.* A day later
a south wind began blowing, so the following
day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli. 14 There we
found some believers,* who invited us to spend
a week with them. And so we came to Rome.
15 The brothers and sisters* in Rome had
heard we were coming, and they came to meet
us at the Forum* on the Appian Way. Others
joined us at The Three Taverns.* When Paul saw
them, he was encouraged and thanked God.
16 When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he
was guarded by a soldier.
Paul Preaches at Rome under Guard
17 Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called
together the local Jewish leaders. He said to
them, “Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem
and handed over to the Roman government,
even though I had done nothing against our
people or the customs of our ancestors. 18 The
Romans tried me and wanted to release me,
because they found no cause for the death sentence. 19 But when the Jewish leaders protested
the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges
against my own people. 20 I asked you to come
here today so we could get acquainted and so I
could explain to you that I am bound with this
chain because I believe that the hope of Israel—
the Messiah—has already come.”
21 They replied, “We have had no letters from
Judea or reports against you from anyone who
has come here. 22 But we want to hear what you
believe, for the only thing we know about this
movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”
23 So a time was set, and on that day a large
number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He
explained and testified about the Kingdom of
God and tried to persuade them about Jesus
from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses
and the books of the prophets, he spoke to
them from morning until evening. 24 Some were
persuaded by the things he said, but others did
not believe. 25 And after they had argued back
and forth among themselves, they left with this
final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right
when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah
the prophet,