Acts 9–10

THE DAMASCUS ROAD

9Now Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples^d of the Lord. He went to the high priest^{e 2}and requested letters^f from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way,^g he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³As^h he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. ⁴Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

⁵“Who are you, Lord?” Saul said.

“I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶“But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the sound but seeing no one.^{i 8}Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus. ⁹He was unable to see for three days and did not eat or drink.

SAUL’S BAPTISM

¹⁰There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.”

“Here I am, Lord,” he replied.^j

¹¹“Get up and go to the street called Straight,” the Lord said to him, “to the house of Judas, and ask for a man from Tarsus^k named Saul, since he is praying there. ¹²In a vision^A he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him so that he may regain his sight.”^l

¹³“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard from many people about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.^{m 14}And he has authority here from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”ⁿ

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is my chosen instrument^o to take my name to Gentiles,^p kings, and Israelites.^{q 16}I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”^r

¹⁷Ananias went and entered the house. He placed his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road you were traveling, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”^s

¹⁸At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized. ¹⁹And after taking some food, he regained his strength.^t

SAUL PROCLAIMING THE MESSIAH

Saul was with the disciples in Damascus for some time. ²⁰Immediately he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues: “He is the Son of God.”^u

²¹All who heard him were astounded and said, “Isn’t this the man in Jerusalem who was causing havoc for those who called on this name and came here for the purpose of taking them as prisoners to the chief priests?”^v

²²But Saul grew stronger and kept confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.

²³After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, ²⁴but Saul learned of their plot. So they were watching the gates day and night intending to kill him,^{w 25}but his disciples took him by night and lowered him in a large basket through an opening in the wall.^x

SAUL IN JERUSALEM

²⁶When he arrived in Jerusalem,^y he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple. ²⁷Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly^a in the name of Jesus.^{b 28}Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹He conversed and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him.^{c 30}When the brothers found out, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.^d

THE CHURCH’S GROWTH

³¹So the church^e throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

THE HEALING OF AENEAS

³²As Peter was traveling from place to place, he also came down to the saints^f who lived in Lydda.^{g 33}There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. ³⁴Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed,”^A and immediately he got up.^{h 35}So all who lived in Lydda and Sharonⁱ saw him and turned to the Lord.

DORCAS RESTORED TO LIFE

³⁶In Joppa^j there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated Dorcas). She was always doing good works^k and acts of charity. ³⁷About that time she became sick and died. After washing her, they placed her in a room upstairs. ³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples heard that Peter was there and sent two men to him who urged him, “Don’t delay in coming with us.” ³⁹Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they led him to the room upstairs. And all the widows approached him, weeping and showing him the robes and clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰Peter sent them all out of the room. He knelt down, prayed, and turning toward the body said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, saw Peter, and sat up.^{l 41}He gave her his hand and helped her stand up. He called the saints and widows and presented her alive. ⁴²This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³Peter stayed for some time in Joppa with Simon,^m a leather tanner.

CORNELIUS’S VISION

10There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment.^{n 2}He was a devout man and feared God along with his whole household. He did many charitable deeds for the Jewish people and always prayed to God.^{o 3}About three in the afternoon^B he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius.”^p

⁴Staring at him in awe, he said, “What is it, Lord?”

The angel told him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have ascended as a memorial offering before God.^{q 5}Now send men to Joppa and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. ⁶He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.”^r

⁷When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household servants and a devout soldier, who was one of those who attended him. ⁸After explaining everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

PETER’S VISION

⁹The^s next day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the roof^t about noon.^{C 10}He became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he fell into a trance. ¹¹He saw heaven opened^u and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. ¹²In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. ¹³A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴“No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything impure and ritually unclean.”^v

¹⁵Again, a second time, the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.”^{w 16}This happened three times, and suddenly the object was taken up into heaven.

PETER VISITS CORNELIUS

¹⁷While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, right away the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions to Simon’s house, stood at the gate. ¹⁸They called out, asking if Simon, who was also named Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹While Peter was thinking about the vision, the Spirit told him, “Three men are here looking for you.^{a 20}Get up, go downstairs, and go with them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.”^b

²¹Then Peter went down to the men and said, “Here I am, the one you’re looking for. What is the reason you’re here?”

²²They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who has a good reputation with the whole Jewish nation, was divinely directed by a holy angel to call you to his house and to hear a message from you.”^{c 23}Peter then invited them in and gave them lodging.

The next day he got up and set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him.^{d 24}The following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet, and worshiped him.

²⁶But Peter lifted him up and said, “Stand up. I myself am also a man.”^{e 27}While talking with him, he went in and found a large gathering of people. ²⁸Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner,^f but God has shown me that I must not call any person impure or unclean.^{g 29}That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So may I ask why you sent for me?”

³⁰Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon,^A I was^B praying in my house. Just then a man in dazzling clothing stood before me^{h 31}and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your acts of charity have been remembered in God’s sight. ³²Therefore send someone to Joppa and invite Simon here, who is also named Peter. He is lodging in Simon the tanner’s house by the sea.’^{C 33}So I immediately sent for you, and it was good of you to come. So now we are all in the presence of God to hear everything you have been commanded by the Lord.”

GOOD NEWS FOR GENTILES

³⁴Peter began to speak: “Now I truly understand that God doesn’t show favoritism,^{i 35}but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.^{j 37}You know the events that took place throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the devil, because God was with him.^{k 39}We ourselves are witnesses of everything he did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, and yet they killed him by hanging him on a tree.^{l 40}God raised up this man on the third day and caused him to be seen, …