GENTILE SALVATION DEFENDED

11 The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 When Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him,v 3 saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”w

4 Peter began to explain to them step by step, 5 “Ix was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me. 6 When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. 7 I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’

8 “ ‘No, Lord!’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call impure.’

10 “Now this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven. 11 At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house.a 13 He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘SendA to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter. 14 He will speak a message to you by which you and all your householdb will be saved.’

15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.c 16 I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’d 17 If, then, God gave them the same gift that he also gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I possibly hinder God?”e

18 When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”f

THE CHURCH IN ANTIOCH

19 Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,g speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the GreeksB also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.h 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.i 22 News about them reachedC the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travelD as far as Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,j 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spiritk and of faith. And large numbers of people were addedl to the Lord.

25 Then heE went to Tarsus to search for Saul, 26 and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers. The disciplesm were first called Christians at Antioch.n

FAMINE RELIEF

27 In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.o 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world.F This took place during the reign of Claudius.p 29 Each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers and sisters who lived in Judea.q 30 They did this, sending it to the eldersr by means of Barnabas and Saul.