Acts 9:20–12:25

20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus ain the synagogues, 1saying, “He is bthe Son of God.”

21 All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem adestroyed those who bcalled on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?”

22 But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the 1Christ.

23 When amany days had elapsed, bthe Jews plotted together to do away with him,

24 but atheir plot became known to Saul. bThey were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death;

25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

26 aWhen he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; 1but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.

27 But aBarnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had bseen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how cat Damascus he had dspoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.

28 And he was with them, 1moving about freely in Jerusalem, aspeaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.

29 And he was talking and arguing with the 1aHellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death.

30 But when athe brethren learned of it, they brought him down to bCaesarea and csent him away to dTarsus.

31 So athe church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria 1enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

Peter’s Ministry

32 Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to athe 1saints who lived at 2bLydda.

33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed.

34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.” Immediately he got up.

35 And all who lived at 1aLydda and bSharon saw him, and they cturned to the Lord.

36 Now in aJoppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called 1Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did.

37 And it happened 1at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an aupper room.

38 Since Lydda was near aJoppa, bthe disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”

39 So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the aupper room; and all the bwidows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the 1tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

40 But Peter asent them all out and bknelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “cTabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.

41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling athe 1saints and bwidows, he presented her alive.

42 It became known all over aJoppa, and bmany believed in the Lord.

43 And Peter stayed many days in aJoppa with ba tanner named Simon.

Chapter 10

Cornelius’s Vision

1 Now there was a man at aCaesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was bcalled the Italian 1cohort,

2 a devout man and aone who feared God with all his household, and bgave many 1alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.

3 About athe 1ninth hour of the day he clearly saw bin a vision can angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!”

4 And afixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and 1alms bhave ascended cas a memorial before God.

5 “Now dispatch some men to aJoppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;

6 he is staying with a tanner named aSimon, whose house is by the sea.”

7 When the angel who was speaking to him had left, he summoned two of his 1servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants,

8 and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to aJoppa.

9 On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, aPeter went up on bthe housetop about cthe 1sixth hour to pray.

10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he afell into a trance;

11 and he * saw athe 1sky opened up, and an 2object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,

12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and 1crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the 2air.

13 A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, 1kill and eat!”

14 But Peter said, “By no means, aLord, for bI have never eaten anything 1unholy and unclean.”

15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “aWhat God has cleansed, no longer consider 1unholy.”

16 This happened three times, and immediately the 1object was taken up into the 2sky.

17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in 1mind as to what athe vision which he had seen might be, behold, bthe men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate;

18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.

19 While Peter was reflecting on athe vision, bthe Spirit said to him, “Behold, 1three men are looking for you.

20 “But get up, go downstairs and aaccompany them 1without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.”

21 Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?”

22 They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and aGod-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, bwas divinely directed by a choly angel to send for you to come to his house and hear 1da message from you.”

23 So he invited them in and gave them lodging.

Peter at Caesarea

And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and asome of bthe brethren from cJoppa accompanied him.

24 On the following day he entered aCaesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and 1aworshiped him.

26 But Peter raised him up, saying, “aStand up; I too am just a man.”

27 As he talked with him, he entered and * found amany people assembled.

28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know how aunlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet bGod has shown me that I should not call any man 1unholy or unclean.

29 “That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.”

30 Cornelius said, “aFour days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during bthe 1ninth hour; and behold, ca man stood before me in shining garments,

31 and he * said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your 1alms have been remembered before God.

32 ‘Therefore send to aJoppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.’

33 “So I sent for you immediately, and you have 1been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Gentiles Hear Good News

34 aOpening his mouth, Peter said:

“I most certainly understand now that bGod is not one to show partiality,

35 but ain every nation the man who 1bfears Him and 2does what is right is welcome to Him.

36 “The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, apreaching 1bpeace through Jesus Christ (He is cLord of all)—

37 you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.

38 “1You know of aJesus of Nazareth, how God banointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, 2cand how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for dGod was with Him.

39 “We are awitnesses of all the things He did both in the 1land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also bput Him to death by hanging Him on a 2cross.

40 “aGod raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible,

41 anot to all the people, but to bwitnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us cwho ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

42 “And He aordered us to 1preach to the people, and solemnly to btestify that this is the One who has been cappointed by God as dJudge of the living and the dead.

43 “Of Him aall the prophets bear witness that through bHis name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

44 While Peter was still speaking these words, athe Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the 1message.

45 aAll the 1circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been bpoured out on the Gentiles also.

46 For they were hearing them aspeaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered,

47 “aSurely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who bhave received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”

48 And he aordered them to be baptized bin the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

Chapter 11

Peter Reports at Jerusalem

1 Now the apostles and athe brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

2 And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, 1athose who were circumcised took issue with him,

3 saying, “aYou 1went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

4 But Peter began speaking 1and proceeded to explain to them ain orderly sequence, saying,

5 “aI was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw ba vision, an 1object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from 2the sky; and it came right down to me,

6 and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it 1I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the 2crawling creatures and the birds of the 3air.

7 “I also heard a voice saying to me…