Acts 10:1-23 ▼

1 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort,

2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the people and prayed to God continually.

3 About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had come in and said to him, “Cornelius!”

4 And looking intently on him and becoming afraid, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.

5 Now send some men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;

6 he is lodging with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.”

7 And when the angel who was speaking to him had left, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who were his personal attendants,

8 and after he explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

9 And on the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.

10 But he became hungry and was desiring to eat. And while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance

11 and saw heaven opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,

12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky.

13 And a voice came to him, “Rise up, Peter, slaughter and eat!”

14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything defiled and unclean.”

15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider defiled.”

16 And this happened three times and immediately the object was taken up into heaven.

17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate;

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

19 And while Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.

20 But rise up, go down and accompany them without taking issue at all, for I have sent them Myself.”

21 And 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?”

22 And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and hear a message from you.”

23 So he invited them in and gave them lodging. And on the next day he rose up and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him.