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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Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
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Acts 10
10
1In Caesarea lived a man named Cornelius who was a Roman centurion of the Italian battalion. 2He was a religious man who, together with everyone in his household, had great reverence for God. He gave generously to the poor, and prayed regularly to God. 3At about 3 p.m. one day he had a vision in which he saw very clearly an angel of God who came to him and called to him, “Cornelius!”
4Frightened, Cornelius stared at him and asked, “What do you want, Lord?”
“God has paid attention to your prayers, and recognized your generosity to the poor,” he told Cornelius. 5“Now send some men to Joppa, and fetch Simon, also called Peter, 6who is staying at Simon the tanner's house down by the sea shore.”
7When the angel who had spoken to him had left, Cornelius called in two of his house-servants and a soldier of his personal guard, a religious man. 8After he'd explained to them all that had happened he sent them to Joppa.
9The next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up onto the top of the house#10:9. Houses of the time had flat roofs that served as open-air rooms. to pray. It was about noon, 10and he was getting hungry, wanting to eat. But while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance, and 11he saw heaven opened. He saw something coming down that looked like a large sheet held by its four corners, being lowered onto the earth. 12Inside were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds. 13He heard a voice say, “Get up Peter, kill and eat!”
14But Peter replied, “Certainly not, Lord! I have never eaten anything that is impure and unclean.”
15He heard the voice speak again, “Don't you call unclean what God has made clean!” 16This happened three times, and then the sheet was quickly taken back into heaven.
17While Peter was puzzling over what the vision he'd seen really meant, the men sent by Cornelius had found out where Simon's house was and were standing at the gate. 18They called out, asking whether Simon, also called Peter, was staying there. 19While Peter was still wondering about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look, there are three men looking for you. 20Get up, go downstairs, and go with them. Don't worry at all because I'm the one who sent them.”
21So Peter went downstairs to meet the men. “I'm the one you're looking for,” he said. “Why are you here?”
22“We come from Cornelius, a good, religious man who has reverence for God and is widely respected among the Jewish people,” they replied. “A holy angel instructed him to send for you to come to his house so he can hear what you have to tell him.” 23So he invited them in and they stayed there.
The next day he got up and left with them. Some of the brothers from Joppa went with them too. 24The following day they arrived in Caesarea where Cornelius was waiting for them with his relatives and close friends whom he'd called together. 25When Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. 26But Peter pulled him back up, telling him, “Stand up! I'm only a man!”
27Peter spoke with Cornelius, and then went on in where he found many other people waiting for him. 28He said to them, “You certainly know that it's not permitted for a Jew to be associated with or to visit foreigners. But God has shown me that it's not for me to call anyone impure or unclean. 29That's why I came without any argument when I was sent for. So now I want to know the reason why you sent for me.”
30“Four days ago, at about this time—three in the afternoon—I was praying in my house,” Cornelius explained. “Suddenly I saw a man standing in front of me, dressed in clothes that shone brightly. 31He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayers have been heard, and God has recognized your generosity to the poor. 32Send someone to Joppa for Simon Peter. He's staying at Simon the tanner's house, down by the sea shore.’ 33So immediately I sent for you, and it was good of you to come. That's why we're all here, meeting together before God, ready to hear everything the Lord has told you.”
34Peter replied, “I'm totally convinced that God has no favorites. 35In every nation God accepts those who respect him, and do what is good and right. 36You know the message he sent to Israel, sharing the good news of peace that comes from Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37You know that this good news spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, following John's call to baptism. 38It's about Jesus of Nazareth—how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went around doing good, healing all those who were under the devil's control, for God was with him.
39We can testify to all that he did in Judea and Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross. 40But God raised him back to life on the third day, and had him appear, 41not to everyone, but to those witnesses chosen by God—including us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He gave us the responsibility of publicly telling this to the people, to testify that he is the one God chose as the Judge of the living and the dead. 43He is the one all the prophets spoke about, that everyone who trusts in him will receive forgiveness through his name.”
44While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on all of them who were listening to the message. 45The Jewish believers#10:45. Literally, “those of the circumcision that believed.” who had come with Peter were astonished, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the foreigners. 46They heard them speaking in tongues, glorifying God. 47Then Peter asked, “Is anybody going to prevent them being baptized in water, since they have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” 48He gave orders for them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they pleaded with him to spend some time with them.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com