Acts 28
The full text of Acts 28 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 Once we were safely ashore, we learned that the island was called Malta.
2 The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. Because it was raining and cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed us all.
3 Paul gathered an armful of brushwood, and as he laid it on the fire a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "This man must be a murderer; he escaped the sea, but Justice has not allowed him to live."
5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm.
6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly drop dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing that nothing unusual happened to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.
7 Nearby was an estate belonging to the chief official of the island, a man named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us hospitably for three days.
8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him, and after praying, he laid his hands on him and healed him.
9 When this happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.
10 They honored us in many ways, and when we were ready to sail, they supplied us with everything we needed.
11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered at the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the Twin Brothers.
12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days.
13 From there we sailed around and reached Rhegium. The next day a south wind came up, and on the second day we arrived at Puteoli.
14 There we found some brothers and sisters who invited us to stay with them a week. And so we came to Rome.
15 The brothers and sisters there had heard about us and came as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of them Paul thanked God and was encouraged.
16 When we arrived in Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
17 Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them: "My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.
18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of anything deserving death.
19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—not that I had any charge to bring against my own nation.
20 For this reason I have asked to see you and speak with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."
21 They replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea about you, and none of our people who have come here has reported or said anything bad about you.
22 But we would like to hear your views, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect."
23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to where he was staying. From morning till evening he explained the kingdom of God to them and testified about it, trying to persuade them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.
25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said through the prophet Isaiah:
26 "'Go to this people and say,
"You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."
27 For this people's heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.'
28 "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him.
31 He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance.
Translation notes (10)
- Acts 28:2a The Greek word barbaroi simply refers to non-Greek-speakers and was not a slur; it is rendered here as 'islanders' or 'local people'.
- Acts 28:4a The Greek phrase hē Dike refers to Justice, personified as a goddess in the belief of the islanders.
- Acts 28:11a The Greek term the Dioscuri refers to Castor and Pollux, twin sons of Zeus who were regarded as protectors of sailors.
- Acts 28:13a Some early manuscripts read 'casting off, we reached Rhegium' instead of the current reading 'sailing around'.
- Acts 28:15a These were two stops on the Appian Way, south of Rome, located about 43 and 33 miles from the city.
- Acts 28:16a Some later Byzantine manuscripts add the phrase 'the centurion handed the prisoners over to the captain of the guard, but'.
- Acts 28:26a This verse quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 from the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament.
- Acts 28:27a This verse quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 from the Septuagint.
- Acts 28:28a Some later Byzantine manuscripts add verse 29, which reads: 'And when he had said these words, the Jews left, arguing sharply among themselves.' However, the earliest and best manuscripts omit this verse, which is why the verse numbering here skips from 28 to 30.
- Acts 28:30a The verse numbering jumps from 28 to 30 because verse 29, which reads 'And when he had said these words, the Jews departed...', is omitted by the earliest manuscripts and is absent from the critical Greek text.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Greek and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Acts, is free to read here on the web.
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