⁴And he, beholding him being seized with fear, said: What is it, Lord? And he said to him: Thy prayers and thy alms are ascended for a memorial in the sight of God.

⁵And now send men to Joppe: and call hither one Simon, who is surnamed Peter.

⁶He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side. He will tell thee what thou must do.

⁷And when the angel who spoke to him was departed, he called two of his household servants and a soldier who feared the Lord, of them that were under him.

⁸To whom when he had related all, he sent them to Joppe.

⁹And on the next day, whilst they were going on their journey and drawing nigh to the city, Peter went up to the higher parts of the house to pray, about the sixth hour.

¹⁰And being hungry, he was desirous to taste somewhat. And as they were preparing, there came upon him an ecstasy of mind.

¹¹And he saw the heaven opened and a certain vessel descending, as it were a great linen sheet let down by the four corners from heaven to the earth:

¹²Wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts and creeping things of the earth and fowls of the air.

¹³And there came a voice to him: Arise, Peter. Kill and eat.

¹⁴But Peter said: Far be it from me. For I never did eat any thing that is common and unclean.

¹⁵And the voice spoke to him again the second time: That which God hath cleansed, do not thou call common.

¹⁶And this was done thrice. And presently the vessel was taken up into heaven.

¹⁷Now, whilst Peter was doubting within himself what the vision that he had seen should mean, behold the men who were sent from Cornelius, inquiring for Simon’s house, stood at the gate.

¹⁸And when they had called, they asked if Simon, who is surnamed Peter, were lodged there.

¹⁹And as Peter was thinking of the vision, the Spirit said to him: Behold three men seek thee.

²⁰Arise, therefore: get thee down and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

²¹Then Peter, going down to the men, said: Behold, I am he whom you seek. What is the cause for which you are come?

²²Who said: Cornelius, a centurion, a just man and one that feareth God, and having good testimony from all the nation of the Jews, received an answer of an holy angel, to send for thee into his house and to hear words of thee.

²³Then bringing them in, he lodged them. And the day following, he arose and went with them: and some of the brethren from Joppe accompanied him.

²⁴And the morrow after, he entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, having called together his kinsmen and special friends.

²⁵And it came to pass that when Peter was come in, Cornelius came to meet him and falling at his feet adored.

²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying: Arise: I myself also am a man.

²⁷And talking with him, he went in and found many that were come together.

²⁸And he said to them: you know how abominable it is for a man that is a Jew to keep company or to come unto one of another nation: but God hath shewed to me, to call no man common or unclean.

²⁹For which cause, making no doubt, I came when I was sent for. I ask, therefore, for what cause you have sent for me?

³⁰And Cornelius said: Four days ago, unto this hour, I was praying in my house, at the ninth hour and behold a man stood before me in white apparel and said:

³¹Cornelius, thy prayer is heard and thy alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.

³²Send therefore to Joppe: and call hither Simon, who is surnamed Peter. He lodgeth in the house of Simon a tanner, by the sea side.

³³Immediately therefore I sent to thee: and thou hast done well in coming. Now, therefore, all we are present in thy sight to hear all things whatsoever are commanded thee by the Lord.

³⁴And Peter opening his mouth, said: in very deed I perceive that God is not a respecter of persons.

³⁵But in every nation, he that feareth him and worketh justice is acceptable to him.

³⁶God sent the word to the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all).

³⁷You know the word which hath been published through all Judea: for it began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached.

³⁸Jesus of Nazareth: how God anointed him with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

³⁹And we are witnesses of all things that he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem: whom they killed, hanging him upon a tree.

⁴⁰Him God raised up the third day and gave him to be made manifest,

⁴¹Not to all the people, but to witnesses preordained by God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him, after he arose again from the dead.

⁴²And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he who was appointed by God to be judge of the living and of the dead.

⁴³To him all the prophets give testimony, that by his name all receive remission of sins, who believe in him.

⁴⁴While Peter was yet speaking these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word.

⁴⁵And the faithful of the circumcision, who came with Peter, were astonished for that the grace of the Holy Ghost was poured out upon the Gentiles also.

⁴⁶For they heard them speaking with tongues and magnifying God.

⁴⁷Then Peter answered: Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost, as well as we?

⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then they desired him to tarry with them some days.

Chapter 11

And the apostles and brethren, who were in Judea, heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

²And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,

³Saying: Why didst thou go in to men uncircumcised and didst eat with them?

⁴But Peter began and declared to them the matter in order, saying:

⁵I was in the city of Joppe praying: and I saw in an ecstasy of mind a vision, a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners. And it came even unto me.

⁶Into which looking, I considered and saw fourfooted creatures of the earth and beasts and creeping things and fowls of the air.

⁷And I heard also a voice saying to me: Arise, Peter. Kill and eat.

⁸And I said: Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath ever entered into my mouth.

⁹And the voice answered again from heaven: What God hath made clean, do not thou call common.

¹⁰And this was done three times. And all were taken up again into heaven.

¹¹And behold, immediately there were three men come to the house wherein I was, sent to me from Caesarea.

¹²And the Spirit said to me that I should go with them, nothing doubting. And these six brethren went with me also: and we entered into the man’s house.

¹³And he told us how he had seen an angel in his house, standing and saying to him: Send to Joppe and call hither Simon, who is surnamed Peter,

¹⁴Who shall speak to thee words whereby thou shalt be saved, and all thy house.

¹⁵And when I had begun to speak, the Holy Ghost fell upon them, as upon us also in the beginning.

¹⁶And I remembered the word of the Lord, how that he said: John indeed baptized with water but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

¹⁷If then God gave them the same grace as to us also who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ: who was I, that could withstand God?

¹⁸Having heard these things, they held their peace and glorified God, saying: God then hath also to the Gentiles given repentance, unto life.

¹⁹Now they who had been dispersed by the persecution that arose on occasion of Stephen went about as far as Phenice and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none, but to the Jews only.

²⁰But some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they were entered into Antioch, spoke also to the Greeks, preaching the Lord Jesus.

²¹And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believing, were converted to the Lord.

²²And the tidings came to the ears of the church that was at Jerusalem, touching these things: and they sent Barnabas as far as Antioch.

²³Who, when he was come and had seen the grace of God, rejoiced. And he exhorted them all with purpose of heart to continue in the Lord.

²⁴For he was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. And a great multitude was added to the Lord.

²⁵And Barnabas went to Tarsus to seek Saul: whom, when he had found, he brought to Antioch.

²⁶And they conversed there in the church a whole year: and they taught a great multitude, so that at Antioch the disciples were first named Christians.

²⁷And in these days there came prophets from Jerusalem to Antioch.

²⁸And one of them named Agabus, rising up, signified by the Spirit that there should be a great famine over the whole world, which came to pass under Claudius.

²⁹And the disciples, every man according to his ability, purposed to send relief to the brethren who dwelt in Judea.

³⁰Which also they did, sending it to the ancients, by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

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