1 When we were safe on land, we learned that the island was called Malta.
2 The people who lived there were very good to us. Because it was raining and very cold, they made a fire and welcomed all of us.
3 Paul gathered a pile of sticks and was putting them on the fire when a poisonous snake came out because of the heat and bit him on the hand.
4 The people living on the island saw the snake hanging from Paul’s hand and said to each other, “This man must be a murderer! He did not die in the sea, but Justice does not want him to live.”
5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and was not hurt.
6 The people thought that Paul 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 minds and said, “He is a god!”
7 There were some fields around there owned by Publius, an important man on the island. He welcomed us into his home and was very good to us for three days.