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.

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