Acts - Chapter 11 | English Standard Version

  • 1. Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
  • 2. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying,
  • 3. "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them."
  • 4. But Peter began and explained it to them in order:
  • 5. "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me.
  • 6. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air.
  • 7. And I heard a voice saying to me, {cf6 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'}
  • 8. But I said, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'
  • 9. But the voice answered a second time from heaven, {cf6 'What God has made clean, do not call common.'}
  • 10. This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.
  • 11. And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea.
  • 12. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.
  • 13. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter;
  • 14. he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.'
  • 15. As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.
  • 16. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, {cf6 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'}
  • 17. If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?"
  • 18. When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."
  • 19. Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.
  • 20. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.
  • 21. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
  • 22. The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
  • 23. When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,
  • 24. for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
  • 25. So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
  • 26. and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
  • 27. Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
  • 28. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).
  • 29. So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.
  • 30. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
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