Acts — Chapter 11

1The apostles and brothers throughout Judea soon heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him

3and said, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

4But Peter began and explained to them the whole sequence of events:

5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision of something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came right down to me.

6I looked at it closely and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air.

7Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat.’

8‘No, Lord,’ I said, ‘for nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

9But the voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’

10This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into heaven.

11Just then three men sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying.

12The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s home.

13He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.

14He will convey to you a message by which you and all your household will be saved.’

15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He had fallen upon us at the beginning.

16Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the work of God?”

18When they heard this, they had no further objections, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

19Meanwhile those scattered by the persecution that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews.

20But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.

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

22When news of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

23When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with all their hearts.

24Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,

26and when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. So for a full year they met together with the church and taught large numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

27In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted through the Spirit that a great famine would sweep across the whole world. (This happened under Claudius.)

29So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.

30This they did, sending their gifts to the elders with Barnabas and Saul.

1And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

2And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,

3Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.

4But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying,

5I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:

6Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

7And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat.

8But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.

9But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

10And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven.

11And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.

12And the spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house:

13And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;

14Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved.

15And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.

16Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

17Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

18When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

19Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to none but unto the Jews only.

20And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus.

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

22Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch.

23Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.

24For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.

25Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:

26And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

27And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.

28And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar.

29Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:

30Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.

1Now the apostles and the brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

2And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,

3saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them.

4But Peter began, and expounded [the matter] unto them in order, saying,

5I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, a certain vessel descending, as it were a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even unto me:

6upon which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw the fourfooted beasts of the earth and wild beasts and creeping things and birds of the heaven.

7And I heard also a voice saying unto me, Rise, Peter; kill and eat.

8But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath ever entered into my mouth.

9But a voice answered the second time out of heaven, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common.

10And this was done thrice: and all were drawn up again into heaven.

11And behold, forthwith three men stood before the house in which we were, having been sent from Caesarea unto me.

12And the Spirit bade me go with them, making no distinction. And these six brethren also accompanied me; and we entered into the man`s house:

13and he told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, Send to Joppa, and fetch Simon, whose surname is Peter;

14who shall speak unto thee words, whereby thou shalt be saved, thou and all thy house.

15And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning.

16And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

17If then God gave unto them the like gift as [he did] also unto us, when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?

18And when they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life.

19They therefore that were scattered abroad upon the tribulation that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to none save only to Jews.

20But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

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

22And the report concerning them came to the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas as far as Antioch:

23who, when he was come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad; and he exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord:

24for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.

25And he went forth to Tarsus to seek for Saul;

26and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that even for a whole year they were gathered together with the church, and taught much people, and that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

27Now in these days there came down prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch.

28And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be a great famine over all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius.

29And the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren that dwelt in Judea:

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

1Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.

2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him,

3saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and shared a meal with them.”

4But Peter began and explained it to them point by point, saying,

5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, an object something like a large sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me.

6As I stared I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds.

7I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!’

8But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth!’

9But the voice replied a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!’

10This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven again.

11At that very moment, three men sent to me from Caesarea approached the house where we were staying.

12The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.

13He informed us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,

14who will speak a message to you by which you and your entire household will be saved.’

15Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us at the beginning.

16And I remembered the word of the Lord, as he used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17Therefore if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God?”

18When they heard this, they ceased their objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted the repentance that leads to life even to the Gentiles.”

19Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one but Jews.

20But there were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene among them who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus.

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

22A report about them came to the attention of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

23When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,

24because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a significant number of people were brought to the Lord.

25Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to look for Saul,

26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught a significant number of people. Now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

27At that time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28One of them, named Agabus, got up and predicted by the Spirit that a severe famine was about to come over the whole inhabited world. (This took place during the reign of Claudius.)

29So the disciples, each in accordance with his financial ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.

30They did so, sending their financial aid to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

1Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

2When Peter had come up to Jerusalem, those who were of the circumcision contended with him,

3saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men, and ate with them!”

4But Peter began, and explained to them in order, saying,

5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: a certain container descending, like it was a great sheet let down from heaven by four corners. It came as far as me.

6When I had looked intently at it, I considered, and saw the four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky.

7I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter, kill and eat!’

8But I said, ‘Not so, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered into my mouth.’

9But a voice answered me the second time out of heaven, ‘What God has cleansed, don’t you call unclean.’

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

11Behold, immediately three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent from Caesarea to me.

12The Spirit told me to go with them, without discriminating. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house.

13He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying to him, ‘Send to Joppa, and get Simon, who is called Peter,

14who will speak to you words by which you will be saved, you and all your house.’

15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning.

16I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.’

17If then God gave to them the same gift as us, when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?”

18When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life!”

19They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only.

20But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.

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

22The report concerning them came to the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem. They sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch,

23who, when he had come, and had seen the grace of God, was glad. He exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they should remain near to the Lord.

24For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord.

25Barnabas went out to Tarsus to look for Saul.

26When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they were gathered together with the assembly, and taught many people. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

27Now in these days, prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28One of them named Agabus stood up, and indicated by the Spirit that there should be a great famine all over the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius.

29As any of the disciples had plenty, each determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea;

30which they also did, sending it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.