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

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Footnotes

y10:14 Perhaps profane, or non-sacred; Jews ate distinctive food according to OT law and their traditions, similar to modern kosher or non-kosher foods.
•When something is clean, it is holy or acceptable to God. When it is unclean, it is unholy (such as an unclean spirit). The term can be used in a ritual sense to apply to moral standards for living.

Cross references

x10:10–11 Jn 1:51; Ac 22:17
z10:14 Lv 11:4; 20:25; Dt 4:4–20; Ezk 4:14; Dn 1:8; Ac 9:5
a10:15 Mt 15:11; Mk 7:19; Rm 14:14; 1Co 10:25; 1Tm 4:4; Ti 1:15

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”

NIVNew International Version (2011)

He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

“Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”

The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

He saw heaven opened and an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the earth. In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth, and the birds of the sky. A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.”

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

Again, a second time, the voice said to him, “What God has made clean, do not call impure.”

NLTNew Living Translation

He saw the sky open, and something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners. In the sheet were all sorts of animals, reptiles, and birds. Then a voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.”

“No, Lord,” Peter declared. “I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure and unclean.”

But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And he saw heaven opened and an object something like a large sheet coming down, being let down to the earth by its four corners, in which were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and birds of the sky. And a voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!” But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common and unclean!” And the voice came again to him for the second time: “The things which God has made clean, you must not consider unclean!”

KJV 1900King James Version

And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

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