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.’

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