Acts of Emissaries of Yeshua (Act) 10
10
1There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a Roman army officer in what was called the Italian Regiment. 2He was a devout man, a “God-fearer,” as was his whole household; he gave generously to help the Jewish poor and prayed regularly to God. 3One afternoon around three o’clock he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” 4Cornelius stared at the angel, terrified. “What is it, sir?” he asked. “Your prayers,” replied the angel, “and your acts of charity have gone up into God’s presence, so that he has you on his mind. 5Now send some men to Yafo to bring back a man named Shim‘on, also called Kefa. 6He’s staying with Shim‘on the leather-tanner, who has a house by the sea.” 7As the angel that had spoken to him went away, Cornelius called two of his household slaves and one of his military aides, who was a godly man; 8he explained everything to them and sent them to Yafo.
9The next day about noon, while they were still on their way and approaching the city, Kefa went up onto the roof of the house to pray. 10He began to feel hungry and wanted something to eat; but while they were preparing the meal, he fell into a trance 11in which he saw heaven opened, and something that looked like a large sheet being lowered to the ground by its four corners. 12In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, crawling creatures and wild birds. 13Then a voice came to him, “Get up, Kefa, slaughter and eat!” 14But Kefa said, “No, sir! Absolutely not! I have never eaten food that was unclean or treif.” 15The voice spoke to him a second time: “Stop treating as unclean what God has made clean.” 16This happened three times, and then the sheet was immediately taken back up into heaven.
17Kefa was still puzzling over the meaning of the vision he had seen, when the men Cornelius had sent, having inquired for Shim‘on’s house, stood at the gate 18and called out to ask if the Shim‘on known as Kefa was staying there. 19While Kefa’s mind was still on the vision, the Spirit said, “Three men are looking for you. 20Get up, go downstairs, and have no misgivings about going with them, because I myself have sent them.”
21So Kefa went down and said to the men, “You were looking for me? Here I am. What brings you here?” 22They answered, “Cornelius. He’s a Roman army officer, an upright man and a God-fearer, a man highly regarded by the whole Jewish nation; and he was told by a holy angel to have you come to his house and listen to what you have to say.” 23So Kefa invited them to be his guests.
The next day, he got up and went with them, accompanied by some of the brothers from Yafo; 24and he arrived at Caesarea the day after that. Cornelius was expecting them — he had already called together his relatives and close friends. 25As Kefa entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell prostrate at his feet. 26But Kefa pulled him to his feet and said, “Stand up! I myself am just a man.”
27As he talked with him, Kefa went inside and found many people gathered. 28He said to them, “You are well aware that for a man who is a Jew to have close association with someone who belongs to another people, or to come and visit him, is something that just isn’t done. But God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean; 29so when I was summoned, I came without raising any questions. Tell me, then, why did you send for me?”
30Cornelius answered, “Three days ago around this time, I was at minchah prayers in my house, when suddenly a man in shining clothes stood in front of me 31and said, ‘God has heard your prayer and remembered your acts of charity. 32Now send to Yafo and ask for Shim‘on, known as Kefa; he is staying in the house of Shim‘on, a leather-tanner, by the sea.’ 33So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now all of us are here in the presence of God to hear everything the Lord has ordered you to say.”
34Then Kefa addressed them: “I now understand that God does not play favorites, 35but that whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him, no matter what people he belongs to.
36“Here is the message that he sent to the sons of Isra’el announcing shalom through Yeshua the Messiah, who is Lord of everything. 37You know what has been going on throughout Y’hudah, starting from the Galil after the immersion that Yochanan proclaimed; 38how God anointed Yeshua from Natzeret with the Ruach HaKodesh and with power; how Yeshua went about doing good and healing all the people oppressed by the Adversary, because God was with him.
39“As for us, we are witnesses of everything he did, both in the Judean countryside and in Yerushalayim. They did away with him by hanging him on a stake; 40but God raised him up on the third day and let him be seen, 41not by all the people, but by witnesses God had previously chosen, that is, by us, who ate and drank with him after he had risen again from the dead.
42“Then he commanded us to proclaim and attest to the Jewish people that this man has been appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43All the prophets bear witness to him, that everyone who puts his trust in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
44Kefa was still saying these things when the Ruach HaKodesh fell on all who were hearing the message. 45All the believers from the Circumcision faction who had accompanied Kefa were amazed that the gift of the Ruach HaKodesh was also being poured out 46on the Goyim, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Kefa’s response was, 47“Is anyone prepared to prohibit these people from being immersed in water? After all, they have received the Ruach HaKodesh, just as we did.” 48And he ordered that they be immersed in the name of Yeshua the Messiah. Then they asked Kefa to stay on with them for a few days.
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Acts of Emissaries of Yeshua (Act) 10: CJB
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10
Peter’s Vision
1-3There was a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea, captain of the Italian Guard stationed there. He was a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to live worshipfully before God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer. One day about three o’clock in the afternoon he had a vision. An angel of God, as real as his next-door neighbor, came in and said, “Cornelius.”
4-6Cornelius stared hard, wondering if he was seeing things. Then he said, “What do you want, sir?”
The angel said, “Your prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God’s attention. Here’s what you are to do. Send men to Joppa to get Simon, the one everyone calls Peter. He is staying with Simon the Tanner, whose house is down by the sea.”
7-8As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two servants and one particularly devout soldier from the guard. He went over with them in great detail everything that had just happened, and then sent them off to Joppa.
9-13The next day as the three travelers were approaching the town, Peter went out on the balcony to pray. It was about noon. Peter got hungry and started thinking about lunch. While lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw the skies open up. Something that looked like a huge blanket lowered by ropes at its four corners settled on the ground. Every kind of animal and reptile and bird you could think of was on it. Then a voice came: “Go to it, Peter—kill and eat.”
14Peter said, “Oh, no, Lord. I’ve never so much as tasted food that was not kosher.”
15The voice came a second time: “If God says it’s okay, it’s okay.”
16This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the skies.
17-20As Peter, puzzled, sat there trying to figure out what it all meant, the men sent by Cornelius showed up at Simon’s front door. They called in, asking if there was a Simon, also called Peter, staying there. Peter, lost in thought, didn’t hear them, so the Spirit whispered to him, “Three men are knocking at the door looking for you. Get down there and go with them. Don’t ask any questions. I sent them to get you.”
21Peter went down and said to the men, “I think I’m the man you’re looking for. What’s up?”
22-23a They said, “Captain Cornelius, a God-fearing man well-known for his fair play—ask any Jew in this part of the country—was commanded by a holy angel to get you and bring you to his house so he could hear what you had to say.” Peter invited them in and made them feel at home.
God Plays No Favorites
23b-26 The next morning he got up and went with them. Some of his friends from Joppa went along. A day later they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had his relatives and close friends waiting with him. The minute Peter came through the door, Cornelius was up on his feet greeting him—and then down on his face worshiping him! Peter pulled him up and said, “None of that—I’m a man and only a man, no different from you.”
27-29Talking things over, they went on into the house, where Cornelius introduced Peter to everyone who had come. Peter addressed them, “You know, I’m sure that this is highly irregular. Jews just don’t do this—visit and relax with people of another race. But God has just shown me that no race is better than any other. So the minute I was sent for, I came, no questions asked. But now I’d like to know why you sent for me.”
30-32Cornelius said, “Four days ago at about this time, midafternoon, I was home praying. Suddenly there was a man right in front of me, flooding the room with light. He said, ‘Cornelius, your daily prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God’s attention. I want you to send to Joppa to get Simon, the one they call Peter. He’s staying with Simon the Tanner down by the sea.’
33“So I did it—I sent for you. And you’ve been good enough to come. And now we’re all here in God’s presence, ready to listen to whatever the Master put in your heart to tell us.”
34-36Peter fairly exploded with his good news: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open. The Message he sent to the children of Israel—that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again—well, he’s doing it everywhere, among everyone.
37-38“You know the story of what happened in Judea. It began in Galilee after John preached a total life-change. Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him.
39-43“And we saw it, saw it all, everything he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem where they killed him, hung him from a cross. But in three days God had him up, alive, and out where he could be seen. Not everyone saw him—he wasn’t put on public display. Witnesses had been carefully handpicked by God beforehand—us! We were the ones, there to eat and drink with him after he came back from the dead. He commissioned us to announce this in public, to bear solemn witness that he is in fact the One whom God destined as Judge of the living and dead. But we’re not alone in this. Our witness that he is the means to forgiveness of sins is backed up by the witness of all the prophets.”
44-46a No sooner were these words out of Peter’s mouth than the Holy Spirit came on the listeners. The believing Jews who had come with Peter couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on “outsider” non-Jews, but there it was—they heard them speaking in tongues, heard them praising God.
46b-48 Then Peter said, “Do I hear any objections to baptizing these friends with water? They’ve received the Holy Spirit exactly as we did.” Hearing no objections, he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Then they asked Peter to stay on for a few days.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.