Acts 9–10

Saul Becomes a Believer

9Meanwhile, Saul continued to oppose the Lord’s followers. He said they would be put to death. He went to the high priest. ²He asked the priest for letters to the synagogues in Damascus. He wanted to find men and women who belonged to the Way of Jesus. The letters would allow him to take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

³On his journey, Saul approached Damascus. Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground. He heard a voice speak to him. “Saul! Saul!” the voice said. “Why are you opposing me?”

⁵“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus,” he replied. “I am the one you are opposing. ⁶Now get up and go into the city. There you will be told what you must do.”

⁷The men traveling with Saul stood there. They weren’t able to speak. They had heard the sound. But they didn’t see anyone. ⁸Saul got up from the ground. He opened his eyes, but he couldn’t see. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was blind. He didn’t eat or drink anything.

¹⁰In Damascus there was a believer named Ananias. The Lord called out to him in a vision. “Ananias!” he said.

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street. Ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying. ¹²In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias. The man has come and placed his hands on him. Now he will be able to see again.”

¹³“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I’ve heard many reports about this man. They say he has done great harm to God’s people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴Now he has come here to arrest all those who worship you. The chief priests have given him authority to do this.”

¹⁵But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! I have chosen this man to work for me. He will carry my name to those who aren’t Jews and to their kings. He will bring my name to the people of Israel. ¹⁶I will show him how much he must suffer for me.”

¹⁷Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. He placed his hands on Saul. “Brother Saul,” he said, “you saw the Lord Jesus. He appeared to you on the road as you were coming here. He has sent me so that you will be able to see again. You will be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

¹⁸Right away something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes. And he could see again. He got up and was baptized. ¹⁹After eating some food, he got his strength back.

Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem

Saul spent several days with the believers in Damascus. ²⁰At once he began to preach in the synagogues. He taught that Jesus is the Son of God. ²¹All who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Isn’t he the man who caused great trouble in Jerusalem for those who worship Jesus? Hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” ²²But Saul grew more and more powerful. The Jews living in Damascus couldn’t believe what was happening. Saul proved to them that Jesus is the Christ.

²³After many days, the Jews had a meeting. They planned to kill Saul. ²⁴But he learned about their plan. Day and night they watched the city gates closely in order to kill him. ²⁵But his followers helped him escape by night. They lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

²⁶When Saul came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the believers. But they were all afraid of him. They didn’t believe he was really one of Jesus’ followers. ²⁷But Barnabas took him to the apostles. He told them about Saul’s journey. He said that Saul had seen the Lord. He told how the Lord had spoken to Saul. Barnabas also said that Saul had preached without fear in Jesus’ name in Damascus.

²⁸So Saul stayed with the believers. He moved about freely in Jerusalem. He spoke boldly in the Lord’s name. ²⁹He talked and argued with Jews who followed Greek practices. But they tried to kill him. ³⁰The other believers heard about this. They took Saul down to Caesarea. From there they sent him off to Tarsus.

³¹Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. The Holy Spirit gave the church strength and boldness. So they grew in numbers. And they worshiped the Lord.

Peter Goes to Lydda and Joppa

³²As Peter traveled around the country, he went to visit God’s people in Lydda. ³³There he found a disabled man named Aeneas. For eight years the man had spent most of his time in bed. ³⁴“Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up! Take care of your mat!” So Aeneas got up right away. ³⁵Everyone who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him. They turned to the Lord.

³⁶In Joppa there was a believer named Tabitha. Her name in the Greek language was Dorcas. She was always doing good and helping poor people.

³⁷About that time she became sick and died. Her body was washed and placed in a room upstairs. ³⁸Lydda was near Joppa. The believers heard that Peter was in Lydda. So they sent two men to him. They begged him, “Please come at once!”

³⁹Peter went with them. When he arrived, he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him crying. They showed him the robes and other clothes Dorcas had made while she was still alive.

⁴⁰Peter sent them all out of the room. Then he got down on his knees and prayed. He turned toward the dead woman. He said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes. When she saw Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows. He brought her to them. They saw that she was alive. ⁴²This became known all over Joppa. Many people believed in the Lord. ⁴³Peter stayed in Joppa for some time. He stayed with Simon, a man who worked with leather.

Cornelius Calls for Peter

10A man named Cornelius lived in Caesarea. He was a Roman commander in the Italian Regiment. ²Cornelius and all his family were faithful and worshiped God. He gave freely to people who were in need. He prayed to God regularly. ³One day about three o’clock in the afternoon he had a vision. He saw an angel of God clearly. The angel came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

⁴Cornelius was afraid. He stared at the angel. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to poor people have come up like an offering to God. So he has remembered you. ⁵Now send men to Joppa. Have them bring back a man named Simon. He is also called Peter. ⁶He is staying with another Simon, a man who works with leather. His house is by the sea.”

⁷The angel who spoke to him left. Then Cornelius called two of his servants. He also called a godly soldier who was one of his attendants. ⁸He told them everything that had happened. Then he sent them to Joppa.

Peter Has a Vision

⁹It was about noon the next day. The men were on their journey and were approaching the city. Peter went up on the roof to pray. ¹⁰He became hungry. He wanted something to eat. While the meal was being prepared, Peter had a vision. ¹¹He saw heaven open up. There he saw something that looked like a large sheet. It was being let down to earth by its four corners. ¹²It had all kinds of four-footed animals in it. It also had reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. ¹³Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

¹⁴“No, Lord! I will not!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything that is not pure and ‘clean.’ ”

¹⁵The voice spoke to him a second time. “Do not say anything is not pure that God has made ‘clean,’ ” it said.

¹⁶This happened three times. Right away the sheet was taken back up to heaven.

¹⁷Peter was wondering what the vision meant. At that very moment the men sent by Cornelius found Simon’s house. They stopped at the gate ¹⁸and called out. They asked if Simon Peter was staying there.

¹⁹Peter was still thinking about the vision. The Holy Spirit spoke to him. “Simon,” he said, “three men are looking for you. ²⁰Get up and go downstairs. Don’t let anything keep you from going with them. I have sent them.”

²¹Peter went down and spoke to the men. “I’m the one you’re looking for,” he said. “Why have you come?”

²²The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius, the Roman commander. He is a good man who worships God. All the Jewish people respect him. A holy angel told him to invite you to his house. Cornelius wants to hear what you have to say.” ²³Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

Peter Goes to the House of Cornelius

The next day Peter went with the three men. Some of the believers from Joppa went along. ²⁴The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them. He had called together his relatives and close friends.

²⁵When Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him. As a sign of respect, he fell at Peter’s feet. ²⁶But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said. “I am only a man myself.”

²⁷Talking with Cornelius, Peter went inside. There he found a large group of people. ²⁸He said to them, “You know that it is against our law for a Jew to have anything to do with those who aren’t Jews. But God has shown me that I should not say anyone is not pure and ‘clean.’ ²⁹So when you sent for me, I came without asking any questions. May I ask why you sent for me?”

³⁰Cornelius answered, “Four days ago at this very hour I was in my house praying. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood in front of me. ³¹He said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer. He has remembered your gifts to poor people. ³²Send someone to Joppa to get Simon Peter. He is a guest in the home of another Simon, who works with leather. He lives by the sea.’ ³³So I sent for you right away. It was good of you to come. Now we are all here. And God is here with us. We are ready to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

³⁴Then Peter began to speak. “I now realize how true it is that God treats everyone the same,” he said. ³⁵“He accepts people from every nation. He accepts all who have respect for him and do what is right.

³⁶“You know the message God sent to the people of Israel. It is the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. ³⁷You know what has happened all through Judea. It started in Galilee after John preached about…