Acts 11:2–23

²And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, ^athose of the circumcision contended with him, ³saying, ^b“You went in to uncircumcised men ^cand ate with them!”

⁴But Peter explained it to them ^din order from the beginning, saying: ^5e“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. ⁶When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ⁷And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ ⁹But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ ¹⁰Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. ¹²Then ^fthe Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover ^gthese six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. ^13hAnd he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, ¹⁴who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ ¹⁵And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, ⁱas upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ^j‘John indeed baptized with water, but ^kyou shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ^17lIf therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, ^mwho was I that I could withstand God?”

¹⁸When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ⁿ“Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

Barnabas and Saul at Antioch

^19oNow those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. ²⁰But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to ^pthe Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹And ^qthe hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and ^rturned to the Lord.

²²Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out ^sBarnabas to go as far as Antioch. ²³When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and ^tencouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.