Chapter 11

1  And the apostles and the brethren who were in Judaea heard that the nations also had received the word of God; 2  and when Peter went up to Jerusalem, they of the circumcision contended with him, 3  saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised and hast eaten with them. 4  But Peter began and set forth the matter to them in order, saying, 5  I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in an ecstasy I saw a vision, a certain vessel descending like a great sheet, let down by four corners out of heaven, and it came even to me: 6  on which having fixed mine eyes, I considered, and saw the quadrupeds of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the heaven. 7  And I heard also a voice saying to me, Rise up, Peter, slay and eat. 8  And I said, In no wise, Lord, for common or unclean has never entered into my mouth. 9  And a voice answered the second time out of heaven, What God has cleansed, do not thou make common. 10  And this took place thrice, and again all was drawn up into heaven; 11  and lo, immediately three men were at the house in which I was, sent to me from Caesarea. 12  And the Spirit said to me to go with them, nothing doubting. And there went with me these six brethren also, and we entered into the house of the man, 13  and he related to us how he had seen the angel in his house, standing and saying to him, Send men to Joppa and fetch Simon, who is surnamed Peter, 14  who shall speak words to thee whereby thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house. 15  And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them even as upon us also at the beginning. 16  And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John baptised with water, but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Spirit. 17  If then God has given them the same gift as also to us when we had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who indeed was I to be able to forbid God? 18  And when they heard these things they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then indeed God has to the nations also granted repentance to life.

19  They then who had been scattered abroad through the tribulation that took place on the occasion of Stephen, passed through the country to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one but to Jews alone. 20  But there were certain of them, Cyprians and Cyrenians, who entering into Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, announcing the glad tidings of the Lord Jesus. 21  And the Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22  And the report concerning them reached the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go through as far as Antioch: 23  who, having arrived and seeing the grace of God, rejoiced, and exhorted all with purpose of heart to abide with the Lord; 24  for he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith; and a large crowd of people were added to the Lord. 25  And he went away to Tarsus to seek out Saul. 26  And having found him, he brought him to Antioch. And so it was with them that for a whole year they were gathered together in the assembly and taught a large crowd: and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

27  Now in these days prophets went down from Jerusalem to Antioch; 28  and one from among them, by name Agabus, rose up and signified by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine over all the inhabited earth, which also came to pass under Claudius. 29  And they determined, according as any one of the disciples was well off, each of them to send to the brethren who dwelt in Judaea, to minister to them; 30  which also they did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.