Acts of the Apostles 11

¹ Now the apostles and the brethren who were in 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,

³ saying, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?"

⁴ But Peter began and explained to them in order:

⁵ "I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, something descending, like a great sheet, let down from heaven by 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, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'

⁸ But I said, 'No, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

⁹ But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has cleansed you must not call common.'

¹⁰ This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.

¹¹ 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 brethren also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.

¹³ And he told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon 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, 'John baptized with water, but you shall 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 withstand God?"

¹⁸ When they heard this they were silenced. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance unto 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 none except Jews.

²⁰ But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

²¹ And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number that believed turned to the Lord.

²² News 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 large company was 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 large company of people; and in Antioch the disciples were for the first time 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; and this took place in the days of Claudius.

²⁹ And the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea;

³⁰ and they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.