Acts 10

¹Now there was a certain man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of the cohort called the Italian Cohort,

²devout and God-fearing with all his household, giving many alms to the people and praying to God continually.

³He saw clearly in a vision, at about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming in to him and saying to him: 'Cornelius!'

⁴And he, staring at him and becoming afraid, said: 'What is it, Lord?' And he said to him: 'Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.'

⁵And now send men to Joppa and summon a certain Simon who is called Peter;

⁶He is lodging with a certain Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.

⁷And when the angel who was speaking with him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who served him,

⁸and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

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

¹⁰And he became very hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were preparing, a trance came upon him,

¹¹and he sees heaven opened and something descending upon him like a great sheet, bound at the four corners and being let down to the earth;

¹²In it were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and birds of the sky.

¹³And a voice came to him: 'Rise, Peter; slaughter and eat.'

¹⁴But Peter said: 'By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything common or unclean.'

¹⁵And the voice came to him again a second time: 'What God has cleansed, you must not call common.'

¹⁶This happened three times, and immediately the vessel was taken up into heaven.

¹⁷Now while Peter was perplexed within himself as to what the vision he had seen might mean, and behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having inquired out the house of Simon, stood at the gate.

¹⁸And calling out, they were inquiring whether Simon who is called Peter was lodging there.

¹⁹And while Peter was earnestly pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, 'Behold, three men are seeking you.'

²⁰But having risen, go down and proceed with them, doubting nothing, for I myself have sent them.'

²¹Then Peter, having gone down to the men who had been sent from Cornelius, said to them, 'Behold, I am he whom you seek; what is the reason for which you are here?'

²²And they said, 'Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, well attested by the whole nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to send for you to his house and to hear words from you.'

²³So having invited them in, he entertained them as guests. And on the next day, having risen, Peter set out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.

²⁴And on the following day he entered into Caesarea. Now Cornelius was awaiting them, having called together his relatives and his close friends.

²⁵Now when it came about that Peter entered, Cornelius, having met him, fell at his feet and prostrated himself in homage.

²⁶But Peter raised him up, saying, 'Rise; I myself also am a man.'

²⁷And conversing with him, he entered and found many who had gathered together.

²⁸And he said to them, 'You yourselves know how it is forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or to approach a foreigner; yet God has shown me that I should call no one common or unclean.',

²⁹Therefore also I came without objection when summoned. I inquire, then, for what reason you sent for me.'

³⁰And Cornelius said, 'Four days ago until this hour I was fasting, and at the ninth hour I was praying in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

³¹and he says, 'Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.

³²Send therefore to Joppa and summon Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging in the house of Simon a tanner, by the sea.'

³³At once therefore I sent to you, and you have done well in coming. Now therefore we are all here present before God to hear all that has been commanded you by the Lord.'

³⁴Then Peter, opening his mouth, said, 'In truth I perceive that God is not a respecter of persons,

³⁵but in every nation the one who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.

³⁶the word that he sent to the sons of Israel, proclaiming peace through Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all —

³⁷you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed,

³⁸Jesus of Nazareth — how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

³⁹And we are witnesses of all things that he did both in the region of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they also killed by hanging him on a tree.

⁴⁰This one God raised on the third day and granted that he should become visible,

⁴¹not to all the people, but to witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God — to us, who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead.

⁴²And he commanded us to proclaim to the people and to testify solemnly that this is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.

⁴³To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.'

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those hearing the word.

⁴⁵And the believers from the circumcision, as many as had come with Peter, were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even upon the Gentiles.

⁴⁶for they were hearing them speaking in tongues and magnifying God. Then Peter answered,

⁴⁷'Can anyone withhold the water so that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we also did?'

⁴⁸And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.