IV. The Inauguration of the Gentile Mission

Chapter 10

The Vision of Cornelius.^{(A) 1 [a]}Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Cohort called the Italica,^{[b] 2} devout and God-fearing along with his whole household, who used to give alms generously^[c] to the Jewish people and pray to God constantly. ³ One afternoon about three o’clock,^[d] he saw plainly in a vision an angel of God come in to him and say to him, “Cornelius.” ⁴ He looked intently at him and, seized with fear, said, “What is it, sir?” He said to him, “Your prayers and almsgiving have ascended as a memorial offering before God. ⁵ Now send some men to Joppa and summon one Simon who is called Peter. ⁶ He is staying with another Simon, a tanner, who has a house by the sea.”^{(B) 7} When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier^[e] from his staff, ⁸ explained everything to them, and sent them to Joppa.

The Vision of Peter. ^9 [f]The next day, while they were on their way and nearing the city, Peter went up to the roof terrace to pray at about noontime.^{[g] 10} He was hungry and wished to eat, and while they were making preparations he fell into a trance. ^11 (C)He saw heaven opened and something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered to the ground by its four corners. ¹² In it were all the earth’s four-legged animals and reptiles and the birds of the sky. ¹³ A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “Certainly not, sir. For never have I eaten anything profane and unclean.”^{(D) 15} The voice spoke to him again, a second time, “What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.”^{(E) 16} This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into the sky.

^17 [h]While Peter was in doubt about the meaning of the vision he had seen, the men sent by Cornelius asked for Simon’s house and arrived at the entrance. ¹⁸ They called out inquiring whether Simon, who is called Peter, was staying there. ¹⁹ As Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said [to him], “There are three men here looking for you.^{(F) 20} So get up, go downstairs, and accompany them without hesitation, because I have sent them.” ²¹ Then Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your being here?” ²² They answered, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, respected by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear what you have to say.”^{(G) 23} So he invited them in and showed them hospitality.

The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him. ^24 [i]On the following day he entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ^25 (H)When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, paid him homage. ²⁶ Peter, however, raised him up, saying, “Get up. I myself am also a human being.” ²⁷ While he conversed with him, he went in and found many people gathered together ^28 (I)and said to them, “You know that it is unlawful for a Jewish man to associate with, or visit, a Gentile, but God has shown me that I should not call any person profane or unclean.^{[j] 29} And that is why I came without objection when sent for. May I ask, then, why you summoned me?”

³⁰ Cornelius replied, “Four days ago^[k] at this hour, three o’clock in the afternoon, I was at prayer in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling robes stood before me and said, ³¹ ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your almsgiving remembered before God. ³² Send therefore to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. He is a guest in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you immediately, and you were kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to listen to all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Peter’s Speech.^{[l] 34} Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,^[m] “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.^{(J) 35} Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. ^36 [n]You know the word [that] he sent to the Israelites^[o] as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all,^{(K) 37} what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached,^{(L) 38} how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth^[p] with the holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.^{(M) 39} We are witnesses^[q] of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and [in] Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. ⁴⁰ This man God raised [on] the third day and granted that he be visible, ⁴¹ not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.^{(N) 42} He commissioned us^(O) to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.^{[r] 43} To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.”

The Baptism of Cornelius. ^44 (P)While Peter was still speaking these things, the holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.^{[s] 45} The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, ⁴⁶ for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter responded, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the holy Spirit even as we have?”^{(Q) 48} He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. ⁴⁹ Then they invited him to stay for a few days.

Chapter 11

The Baptism of the Gentiles Explained.^{[t] 1} Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem the circumcised believers confronted him, ³ saying, “You entered^[u] the house of uncircumcised people and ate with them.” ⁴ Peter began and explained it to them step by step, saying, ^5 (R)“I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when in a trance I had a vision, something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered from the sky by its four corners, and it came to me. ⁶ Looking intently into it, I observed and saw the four-legged animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky. ⁷ I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘Certainly not, sir, because nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But a second time a voice from heaven answered, ‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’ ¹⁰ This happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into the sky. ¹¹ Just then three men appeared at the house where we were, who had been sent to me from Caesarea. ¹² The Spirit told me to accompany them without discriminating. These six brothers^[v] also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ He related to us how he had seen [the] angel standing in his house, saying, ‘Send someone to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,^{(S) 14} who will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.’ ¹⁵ As I began to speak, the holy Spirit fell upon them as it had upon us at the beginning,^{(T) 16} and I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.’^{(U) 17} If then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?”^{(V) 18} When they heard this, they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying, “God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.”

The Church at Antioch.^[w]