Acts 11:1-21 ▼

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

2 But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who emphasized circumcision disagreed with him.

3 They said, |You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!|

4 Then Peter began to explain to them point by point what had happened. He said,

5 |I was in the town of Joppa praying when in a trance I saw a vision: Something like a large linen sheet descended down from heaven, lowered by its four corners, and it came right down to me.

6 When I examined it closely, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the air.

7 I also heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter! Kill something and eat it.'

8 But I replied, 'Absolutely not, Lord, for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth!'

9 Then the voice from heaven answered a second time, 'You must stop calling common what God has made clean!'

10 This happened three times. Then everything was pulled back up to heaven.

11 |At that very moment three men arrived at the house where we were staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea.

12 The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitating. These six brothers went with me, too, and we entered the house of the man from Caesarea.

13 Then he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his home and saying, 'Send messengers to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter.

14 He will discuss with you how you and your entire household will be saved.'

15 |When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he was first given to us.

16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

17 Now if God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, who was I to try to stop God?|

18 When they heard this, they calmed down, and praised God by saying, |So God has given repentance that leads to life even to gentiles.|

19 Now the people who were scattered by the persecution that started because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

20 But among them were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began proclaiming the Lord Jesus even to the Hellenistic Jews.

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