Acts 10:24–48

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

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

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

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

²⁸And 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.”

³⁰Cornelius 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,

³¹and 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

^34aOpening his mouth, Peter said:

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

³⁵but ^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)—

³⁷you 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,

^41anot 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.”

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

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

⁴⁶For 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?”

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