Acts 10:24–48

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 baptism. ³⁸You know how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Jesus went around doing good. He healed all who were under the devil’s power. God was with him.

³⁹“We are witnesses of everything he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by nailing him to a cross. ⁴⁰But on the third day God raised him from the dead. God allowed Jesus to be seen. ⁴¹But he wasn’t seen by all the people. He was seen only by us. We are witnesses whom God had already chosen. We ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

⁴²“He commanded us to preach to the people. He told us to give witness that he is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets give witness about him. They say that all who believe in him have their sins forgiven through his name.”

⁴⁴While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. ⁴⁵Some Jewish believers had come with Peter. They were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on those who weren’t Jews. ⁴⁶They heard them speaking in languages they had not known before. They also heard them praising God.

Then Peter said, ⁴⁷“Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” ⁴⁸So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.