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Now there was a man in ^(C1)Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was ^(C2)called the Italian ^(F1)cohort,

a devout man and ^(C1)one who feared God with all his household, and ^(C2)made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.

About ^(C1)the ^(F1)ninth hour of the day he clearly saw ^(C2)in a vision ^(C3)an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, "Cornelius!"

And he ^(C1)looked at him intently and became terrified, and said, "What is it, lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and charitable gifts ^(C2)have ascended ^(C3)as a memorial offering before God.

"Now dispatch some men to ^(C1)Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;

he is staying with a tanner named ^(C1)Simon, whose house is by the sea."

When the angel who ^(*)spoke to him left, he summoned two of his ^(F1)servants and a devout soldier from his personal attendants,

and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to ^(C1)Joppa.

On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, ^(C1)Peter went up on ^(C2)the ^(F1)housetop about ^(F2)(C3)the sixth hour to pray.

But he became hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were making preparations, he ^(C1)fell into a trance;

and he ^(*)saw ^(C1)the sky opened up, and an ^(F1)object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,

and on it were all kinds of four-footed animals and ^(F1)crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky.

A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, ^(F1)kill and eat!"

But Peter said, "By no means, ^(C1)Lord, for ^(C2)I have never eaten anything ^(F1)unholy and unclean."

Again a voice came to him a second time, "^(C1)What God has cleansed, no longer ^(F1)consider unholy."

This happened three times, and immediately the ^(F1)object was taken up into the sky.

Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in ^(F1)mind as to what ^(C1)the vision which he had seen might ^(F2)mean, behold, ^(C2)the men who had been sent by Cornelius had asked directions to Simon's house, and they appeared at the gate;

and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.

While Peter was reflecting on ^(C1)the vision, ^(C2)the Spirit said to him, "Behold, ^(F1)three men are looking for you.

"But get up, go downstairs and ^(C1)accompany them ^(F1)without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself."

Peter went down to the men and said, "Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?"

They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and ^(C1)God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, ^(C2)was divinely directed by a ^(C3)holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear ^(F1)(C4)a message from you."

So he invited them in and gave them lodging. Peter in Caesarea Now on the next day he got ready and went away with them, and ^(C1)some of ^(C2)the brothers from ^(C3)Joppa accompanied him.

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On the following day he entered ^(C1)Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and ^(F1)(C1)worshiped him.

But Peter helped him up, saying, "^(C1)Stand up; I, too, am just a man."

As he talked with him, he entered and ^(*)found ^(C1)many people assembled.

And he said to them, "You yourselves know that it is ^(C1)forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a ^(F1)foreigner; and yet ^(C2)God has shown me that I am not to call any person ^(F2)unholy or unclean.

"That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask, for what reason did you send for me?"

Cornelius said, "^(C1)Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during ^(C2)the ^(F1)ninth hour; and behold, ^(C3)a man stood before me in shining clothing,

and he ^(*)said, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your charitable gifts have been remembered before God.

'Therefore send some men to ^(C1)Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.'

"So I sent men to you immediately, and you have ^(F1)been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear everything that you have been commanded by the Lord."

^(C1)Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that ^(C2)God is not one to show partiality,

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but ^(C1)in every nation the one who ^(F1)(C2)fears Him and ^(F2)does what is right is acceptable to Him.

"The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, ^(C1)preaching ^(F1)(C2)peace through Jesus Christ (He is ^(C3)Lord of all)—

you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.

"^(F1)You know of ^(C1)Jesus of Nazareth, how God ^(C2)anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, ^(F2)(C3)and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for ^(C4)God was with Him.

"We are ^(C1)witnesses of all the things that He did both in the ^(F1)country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on ^(F2)(C2)a cross.

"^(C1)God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He ^(F1)be revealed,

^(C1)not to all the people, but to ^(C2)witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us ^(C3)who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

"And He ^(C1)ordered us to ^(F1)preach to the people, and to ^(C2)testify solemnly that this is the One who has been ^(C3)appointed by God as ^(C4)Judge of the living and the dead.

"^(C1)All the prophets testify of Him, that through ^(C2)His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."

While Peter was still speaking these words, ^(C1)the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the ^(F1)message.

^(C1)All the ^(F1)Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been ^(C2)poured out on the Gentiles.

For they were hearing them ^(C1)speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter responded,

"^(C1)Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who ^(C2)have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?"

And he ^(C1)ordered them to be baptized ^(C2)in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.

Now the apostles and ^(C1)the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, ^(F1)(C1)the Jewish believers took issue with him,

saying, "^(C1)You ^(F1)went to ^(F2)uncircumcised men and ate with them."

But Peter began and explained at length to them ^(C1)in an orderly sequence, saying,

"^(C1)I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw ^(C2)a vision, an ^(F1)object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came to where I was,

and I stared at it and was thinking about it, and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild animals, the ^(F1)crawling creatures, and the birds of the sky.

"I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; ^(F1)kill and eat.'

"But I said, 'By no means, Lord, for nothing ^(F1)unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

"But a voice from heaven answered a second time, '^(C1)What God has cleansed, no longer ^(F1)consider unholy.'

"This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into the sky.

"And behold, at that moment three men who had been sent to me from ^(C1)Caesarea came up to the house where we were staying.

"^(C1)And the Spirit told me to go with them ^(C2)without ^(F1)misgivings. ^(C3)These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house.

"And he reported to us how he had seen the angel ^(F1)standing in his house, and saying, 'Send some men to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here;

and he will speak ^(C1)words to you by which you will be saved, you and ^(C2)all your household.'

"And as I began to speak, ^(C1)the Holy Spirit fell upon them just ^(C2)as He did upon us at the beginning.

"And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, '^(C1)John baptized with water, but you will be baptized ^(F1)with the Holy Spirit.'

"Therefore, if ^(C1)God gave them the same gift as He also gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(C2)who was I that I could ^(F1)stand in God's way?"

When they heard this, they ^(F1)quieted down and ^(C1)glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has also granted to the Gentiles the ^(C2)repentance that leads to life."

^(C1)So then those who were scattered because of the ^(F1)persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way ^(F2)to ^(C2)Phoenicia, ^(C3)Cyprus, and ^(C4)Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone.

But there were some of them, men of ^(C1)Cyprus and ^(C2)Cyrene, who came to ^(C3)Antioch and began speaking to the ^(F1)(C4)Greeks as well, ^(C5)preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus.

And ^(C1)the hand of the Lord was with them, and ^(C2)a large number who believed turned to the Lord.

The ^(F1)news about them ^(F2)reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent ^(C1)Barnabas off ^(F3)to ^(C2)Antioch.

Then when he arrived and ^(F1)witnessed ^(C1)the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with ^(F2)resolute heart to remain true to the Lord;

for he was a good man, and ^(C1)full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And ^(F1)(C2)considerable numbers were added to the Lord.

And he left for ^(C1)Tarsus to look for Saul;

and when he had found him, he brought him to ^(C1)Antioch. And for an entire year they ^(F1)met with the church and taught ^(F2)considerable numbers of people; and ^(C2)the disciples were first called ^(C3)Christians in ^(C1)Antioch.

Now ^(F1)at this time some ^(C1)prophets came down from Jerusalem to ^(C2)Antioch.

One of them, named ^(C1)Agabus, stood up and ^(F1)indicated ^(F2)by the Spirit that there would definitely be a severe famine ^(C2)all over the ^(F3)world. ^(F4)And this took place in the reign of ^(C3)Claudius.

And to the extent that any of ^(C1)the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the ^(F1)relief of ^(C2)the brothers and sisters living in Judea.

^(C1)And they did this, sending it ^(F1)with ^(C2)Barnabas and Saul to the ^(C3)elders.