Acts
There was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was
called the Italian cohort.
He was a devout man who feared God along with all his
household, who gave gifts generously to the needy, and who was constantly in
prayer to God.
At about 3 p.m. he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God
come in and say, “Cornelius!”
Alarmed, Cornelius fixed his eyes on him and
responded, “What is it, lord?” The angel said to him, “Your prayers and your gifts to the
needy have gone up and been remembered in God’s presence.
Now send
men to Joppa, and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter.
He
is staying with a tanner named Simon whose house is by the sea.”
When the
angel who had spoken to him had departed, Cornelius summoned two of his
servants and a devout soldier, one of his personal attendants.
After
explaining everything to them he sent them to Joppa.
The next day, as they were on their journey and nearing the city, Peter
went up on the housetop at about noon to pray.
He became hungry and
wanted to eat, but while they were preparing food he went into a trance.
He
saw heaven opened and descending to him something like a large sheet let
down by four corners to the earth.
In it were all kinds of four-footed
animals, crawling creatures and birds.
A voice came to him: “Get up, Peter,
kill and eat!”
But Peter said, “No, lord! I have never eaten anything unholy
or unclean.”
A voice came to him again: “What God has cleansed, do not
consider unclean!”
This happened three times, and immediately the sheet
was taken up into heaven.
While Peter was at a loss to know what the vision might mean, right then
the men who had been sent by Cornelius arrived at the gate, after asking for
directions to Simon’s house.
They asked whether Simon, also called Peter,
was staying there.
While Peter was still pondering the vision, the spirit said
to him, “Look, three men are asking for you.
Get up, go down and go with
them without hesitation, because I have sent them.”
So Peter went down to the
men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. Why have you come?”
They replied, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright man who fears God and is
well spoken of by all the Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to invite
you to his house and to listen to what you have to say.”
So Peter invited them
in as guests and showed them hospitality. The next day Peter got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
The next day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them,
having called together his relatives and close friends.
When Peter entered
the house, Cornelius met him, fell at his feet and bowed down to him.
But Peter
lifted him to his feet and said, “Stand up! I am also a man.”
As Peter talked
with him, he went in and found many others gathered there.
He said to
them, “You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or
visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call
anyone unholy or unclean.
That is why I came without any objection when I
was sent for. So I ask, Why did you send for me?”
Cornelius explained, “Four days ago to the hour, I was praying in my house at
three o’clock in the afternoon. Suddenly a man stood in front of me in shining
clothes.
He said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to
the needy have been remembered before God.
So send someone to Joppa
and invite Simon, who is also called Peter. He is staying in the house of a
tanner named Simon by the sea.’
So I immediately sent for you, and it was
kind of you to come. And so now we are all here present in the sight of God,
to listen to everything that you have been commanded by the lord to say.”
Opening his mouth, Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that
God does not show favoritism,
but He welcomes from every nation the
person who fears Him and does what is right.
You know the Gospel-word which He sent to
the Israelites, proclaiming the Gospel of peace through Jesus Messiah
— he is lord of all.
And you know what happened throughout
Judea, beginning in Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed —
Jesus from Nazareth, whom God anointed with holy spirit and
with power, went around doing good and healing all who were
oppressed by the Devil, because God was with him.
We are witnesses of everything he did, both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross.
But God resurrected him on the third day,
and allowed him to be revealed,
not to all the people, but to eyewitnesses
who were chosen ahead of time by God — to us who ate and drank with him
after he rose from the dead.
And he commanded us to herald to the
people, and to testify solemnly that this is the one appointed by God as the
judge of the living and the dead.
All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.”
While Peter was still speaking these words, the holy spirit fell on all
those who were listening to the Gospel-word.
The Jewish believers who
had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the holy spirit was
poured out on the Gentiles.
For they heard them speaking foreign
languages
and praising God.
Then Peter said, “Surely no one can refuse the water for these people to be baptized, since they have received the holy spirit just as we did?”
And he commanded that they be baptized in the name
of Jesus Messiah. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
Acts