Acts 28:4

Plain English Version

The people saw it hanging from Paul’s hand, and they knew that it was a cheeky snake, so they said to each other, “I reckon that prisoner murdered somebody. He was lucky in the sea, and he didn’t drown, but the god that punishes people will not let him stay alive. That snake will kill him dead.”

Cross References

Genesis 3:1

You know, God made lots of animals, but the snake was more smart than all the other animals. He was really smart and tricky. One day, the snake went to the woman and said to her, “Did God say, ‘You can’t eat fruit from any of the trees in the garden’? Is that true?”

Luke 13:2

Jesus said, “Do you reckon those men that died did more bad things than all the other men from Galilee? Is that why God let Pilate kill them?

Luke 13:4

And you know about the high building in Jerusalem city, at the place called Siloam. It fell down on top of 18 people and killed them. Do you think those people did more bad things than the other people in Jerusalem, and that is the reason why God let them die like that?

Acts 28:2

The people that lived there were good to us. It was raining, and it was cold, so those people lit a fire and told us, “Come and get warm at this fire.”

Acts 28:3

Paul walked around and picked up some sticks and put them on the fire. But a cheeky snake jumped out from those sticks to get away from the fire, and it bit Paul’s hand and just hung on there.

Acts 28:5

But Paul just shook the snake until it fell off into the fire, and nothing happened to him.