Acts 10
10
Cornelius Calls for Peter
1A man named Cornelius lived in Caesarea. He was a Roman commander in the Italian Regiment. 2Cornelius and all his family were faithful and worshiped God. He gave freely to people who were in need. He prayed to God regularly. 3One day about three o’clock in the afternoon he had a vision. He saw clearly an angel of God. The angel came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
4Cornelius was afraid. He stared at the angel. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.
The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to poor people are like an offering to God. So he has remembered you. 5Now send men to Joppa. Have them bring back a man named Simon. He is also called Peter. 6He is staying with another Simon, a man who works with leather. His house is by the sea.”
7The angel who spoke to him left. Then Cornelius called two of his servants. He also called a godly soldier who was one of his attendants. 8He told them everything that had happened. Then he sent them to Joppa.
Peter Has a Vision
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 and birds in it. 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. It said, “Do not say anything is not pure that God has made ‘clean.’ ”
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. Then Cornelius can 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.”
27As he was talking 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 enter a Gentile home. A Jew shouldn’t have any close contact with a Gentile. 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, “Three 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.’ 33So I sent for you right away. It was good of you to come. Now we are all here. And God is here with us. We are ready to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”
34Then Peter began to speak. “I now realize how true it is that God treats everyone the same,” he said. 35“He accepts people from every nation. He accepts anyone who has respect for him and does what is right. 36You know the message God sent to the people of Israel. It is the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all. 37You know what has happened all through the area of Judea. It started in Galilee after John preached about baptism. 38You know how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Jesus went around doing good. He healed all who were under the devil’s power. God was with him.
39“We are witnesses of everything he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by nailing him to a cross. 40But on the third day God raised him from the dead. God allowed Jesus to be seen. 41But he wasn’t seen by all the people. He was seen only by us. We are witnesses whom God had already chosen. We ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people. He told us to tell people that he is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43All the prophets tell about him. They say that all who believe in him have their sins forgiven through his name.”
44While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45Some Jewish believers had come with Peter. They were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46They heard them speaking in languages they had not known before. They also heard them praising God.
Then Peter said, 47“Surely no one can keep these people from being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
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Acts 10: NIrV
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Acts 10
10
1And there was a certain man in Caesarea, by name Cornelius, a centurion from a band called Italian,
2pious, and fearing God with all his house, doing also many kind acts to the people, and beseeching God always,
3he saw in a vision manifestly, as it were the ninth hour of the day, a messenger of God coming in unto him, and saying to him, ‘Cornelius;’
4and he having looked earnestly on him, and becoming afraid, said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ And he said to him, ‘Thy prayers and thy kind acts came up for a memorial before God,
5and now send men to Joppa, and send for a certain one Simon, who is surnamed Peter,
6this one doth lodge with a certain Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea; this one shall speak to thee what it behoveth thee to do.’
7And when the messenger who is speaking to Cornelius went away, having called two of his domestics, and a pious soldier of those waiting on him continually,
8and having declared to them all things, he sent them to Joppa.
9And on the morrow, as these are proceeding on the way, and are drawing nigh to the city, Peter went up upon the house-top to pray, about the sixth hour,
10and he became very hungry, and wished to eat; and they making ready, there fell upon him a trance,
11and he doth behold the heaven opened, and descending unto him a certain vessel, as a great sheet, bound at the four corners, and let down upon the earth,
12in which were all the four-footed beasts of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the heaven,
13and there came a voice unto him: ‘Having risen, Peter, slay and eat.’
14And Peter said, ‘Not so, Lord; because at no time did I eat anything common or unclean;’
15and [there is] a voice again a second time unto him: ‘What God did cleanse, thou, declare not thou common;’
16and this was done thrice, and again was the vessel received up to the heaven.
17And as Peter was perplexed in himself what the vision that he saw might be, then, lo, the men who have been sent from Cornelius, having made inquiry for the house of Simon, stood at the gate,
18and having called, they were asking if Simon, who is surnamed Peter, doth lodge here?
19And Peter thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Lo, three men do seek thee;
20but having risen, go down and go on with them, nothing doubting, because I have sent them;’
21and Peter having come down unto the men who have been sent from Cornelius unto him, said, ‘Lo, I am he whom ye seek, what [is] the cause for which ye are present?’
22And they said, ‘Cornelius, a centurion, a man righteous and fearing God, well testified to, also, by all the nation of the Jews, was divinely warned by a holy messenger to send for thee, to his house, and to hear sayings from thee.’
23Having called them in, therefore, he lodged them, and on the morrow Peter went forth with them, and certain of the brethren from Joppa went with him,
24and on the morrow they did enter into Caesarea; and Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his kindred and near friends,
25and as it came that Peter entered in, Cornelius having met him, having fallen at [his] feet, did bow before [him];
26and Peter raised him, saying, ‘Stand up; I also myself am a man;’
27and talking with him he went in, and doth find many having come together.
28And he said unto them, ‘Ye know how it is unlawful for a man, a Jew, to keep company with, or to come unto, one of another race, but to me God did shew to call no man common or unclean;
29therefore also without gainsaying I came, having been sent for; I ask, therefore, for what matter ye did send for me?’
30And Cornelius said, ‘Four days ago till this hour, I was fasting, and [at] the ninth hour praying in my house, and, lo, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31and he said, Cornelius, thy prayer was heard, and thy kind acts were remembered before God;
32send, therefore, to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is surnamed Peter; this one doth lodge in the house of Simon a tanner, by the sea, who having come, shall speak to thee;
33at once, therefore, I sent to thee; thou also didst do well, having come; now, therefore, are we all before God present to hear all things that have been commanded thee by God.’
34And Peter having opened his mouth, said, ‘Of a truth, I perceive that God is no respecter of persons,
35but in every nation he who is fearing Him, and is working righteousness, is acceptable to Him;
36the word that he sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming good news — peace through Jesus Christ (this one is Lord of all,)
37ye — ye have known; — the word that came throughout all Judea, having begun from Galilee, after the baptism that John preached;
38Jesus who [is] from Nazareth — how God did anoint him with the Holy Spirit and power; who went through, doing good, and healing all those oppressed by the devil, because God was with him;
39and we — we are witnesses of all things that he did, both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem, — whom they did slay, having hanged upon a tree.
40‘This one God did raise up the third day, and gave him to become manifest,
41not to all the people, but to witnesses, to those having been chosen before by God — to us who did eat with [him], and did drink with him, after his rising out of the dead;
42and he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify fully that it is he who hath been ordained by God judge of living and dead —
43to this one do all the prophets testify, that through his name every one that is believing in him doth receive remission of sins.’
44While Peter is yet speaking these sayings, the Holy spirit fell upon all those hearing the word,
45and those of the circumcision believing were astonished — as many as came with Peter — because also upon the nations the gift of the Holy Spirit hath been poured out,
46for they were hearing them speaking with tongues and magnifying God.
47Then answered Peter, ‘The water is any one able to forbid, that these may not be baptized, who the Holy Spirit did receive — even as also we?’
48he commanded them also to be baptized in the name of the Lord; then they besought him to remain certain days.
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