Thematic Bible: Shaking off vipers

After our escape we learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us remarkable kindness, for they made a fire and welcomed us, because of the rain that had come on and the cold. Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, when a viper crawled out of them because of the heat and fastened on his hand. read more.
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "This man is undoubtedly a murderer, for though he has been saved from the sea, justice will not let him live." But he only shook the creature off into the fire and was unharmed. They expected to see him swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.