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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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