28When we were safe on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. ²The people of the island were unusually kind. It was raining and cold. So they built a fire and welcomed all of us.

³Paul gathered some sticks and put them on the fire. A poisonous snake was driven out by the heat. It fastened itself on Paul’s hand. ⁴The people of the island saw the snake hanging from his hand. They said to each other, “This man must be a murderer. He escaped from the sea. But Justice won’t let him live.” Justice was the name of a goddess.

⁵Paul shook the snake off into the fire. He was not harmed. ⁶The people expected him to swell up. They thought he would suddenly fall dead. They waited for a long time. But they didn’t see anything unusual happen to him. So they changed their minds. They said he was a god.

⁷Publius owned property nearby. He was the chief official on the island. He welcomed us to his home. For three days he took care of us. He treated us with kindness. ⁸His father was sick in bed. The man suffered from fever and dysentery. So Paul went in to see him. Paul prayed for him. He placed his hands on him and healed him.

⁹Then the rest of the sick people on the island came. They too were healed. ¹⁰The people of the island honored us in many ways. When we were ready to sail, they gave us the supplies we needed.

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