Acts 10–11

Cornelius’s Vision

10There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment. ^o2He 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. ^p3About three in the afternoon ^qhe distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, “Cornelius!” ^r

⁴Looking intently at him, he became afraid and said, “What is it, lord?”

The angel told him, “Your prayers and your acts of charity have come up as a memorial offering before God. ^s5Now 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.” ^t

⁷When the angel who spoke to him had gone, he called two of his household slaves 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 ^unext day, as they were traveling and nearing the city, Peter went up to pray on the housetop ^vabout noon. ^w10Then he became hungry and wanted to eat, but while they were preparing something, he went into a visionary state. ¹¹He saw heaven opened ^xand 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. ¹³Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!”

¹⁴“No, Lord!” Peter said. “For I have never eaten anything common ^yand ritually unclean!” ^z

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

Peter Visits Cornelius

¹⁷While Peter was deeply perplexed about what the vision he had seen might mean, 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. ^b20Get up, go downstairs, and accompany them with no doubts at all, because I have sent them.” ^c

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.” ^d23Peter 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. ^e24The 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 helped him up and said, “Stand up! I myself am also a man.” ^f27While talking with him, he went on in and found that many had come together there. ²⁸Peter said to them, “You know it’s forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a foreigner. ^gBut God has shown me that I must not call any person common or unclean. ^h29That’s why I came without any objection when I was sent for. So I ask: Why did you send for me?”

³⁰Cornelius replied, “Four days ago at this hour, at three in the afternoon, ⁱI was ^jpraying in my house. Just then a man in a dazzling robe stood before me ^k31and 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.’ ^l33Therefore I immediately sent for you, and you did the right thing in coming. So we are all present before God, to hear everything you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Good News for Gentiles

³⁴Then Peter began to speak: “Now I really understand that God doesn’t show favoritism, ^m35but in every nation the person who fears Him and does righteousness 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. ⁿ³⁷You know the events ^othat took place throughout 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. ^p39We ourselves are witnesses of everything He did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, yet they killed Him by hanging Him on a tree. ^q40God raised up this man on the third day and permitted Him to be seen, ⁴¹not by all the people, but by us, witnesses appointed beforehand by God, who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead. ^r42He commanded us to preach to the people and to solemnly testify that He is the One appointed by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead. ^s43All the prophets testify ^tabout Him that through His name ^ueveryone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins.” ^v

Gentile Conversion and Baptism

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came down ^won all those who heard the message. ⁴⁵The circumcised believers ^xwho had come with Peter were astounded because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ^y46For they heard them speaking in other languages and declaring the greatness of ^zGod.

Then Peter responded, ⁴⁷“Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” ^a48And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. ^bThen they asked him to stay for a few days.

Gentile Salvation Defended

11The apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had welcomed God’s message also. ²When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who stressed circumcision ^cargued with him, ^d3saying, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them!” ^e

⁴Peter began to explain to them in an orderly sequence, saying: ⁵“I ^fwas in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a visionary state, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. ⁶When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. ⁷Then I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat!’

⁸“ ‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing common or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!’ ⁹But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made ^•clean, you must not call common.’

¹⁰“Now this happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. ¹²Then the Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house. ^g13He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send ^hto Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. ¹⁴He will speak a message ⁱto you that you and all your household ^jwill be saved by.’

¹⁵“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning. ^k16Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ^{l 17}Therefore, if God gave them the same gift that He also gave to us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?” ^m

¹⁸When they heard this they became silent. Then they glorified God, saying, “So God has granted repentance resulting in life ⁿeven to the Gentiles!” ^o

The Church in Antioch

¹⁹Those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, ^pspeaking the message to no one except Jews. ²⁰But there were some of them, Cypriot and Cyrenian men, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Hellenists, ^qrproclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus. ^s21The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. ^t22Then the report about them was heard by the church that was at Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel ^uas far as Antioch. ²³When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with a firm resolve of the heart, ^v24for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit ^wand of faith. And large numbers of people were added ^xto the Lord. ²⁵Then he ^ywent to Tarsus to search for Saul, ²⁶and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciples ^zwere first called Christians at Antioch. ^a

Famine Relief

²⁷In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ^b28Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world. ^cThis took place during the time of Claudius. ^de29So each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea. ^f30They did this, sending it to the elders ^gby means of Barnabas and Saul.