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10 But a certain man in Caesarea,—by name Cornelius, a centurion of the band called Italic,

pious, and fearing God with all his house, [both] giving much alms to the people, and supplicating God continually,

—saw plainly in a vision, about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming unto him, and saying to him, Cornelius.

But he, having fixed his eyes upon him, and become full of fear, said, What is it, Lord? And he said to him, Thy prayers and thine alms have gone up for a memorial before God.

And now send men to Joppa and fetch Simon, who is surnamed Peter.

He lodges with a certain Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.

And when the angel who was speaking to him had departed, having called two of his household and a pious soldier of those who were constantly with him,

and related all things to them, he sent them to Joppa.

And on the morrow, as these were journeying and drawing near to the city, Peter went up on the house to pray, about the sixth hour.

10 And he became hungry and desired to eat. But as they were making ready an ecstasy came upon him:

11 and he beholds the heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending, as a great sheet, [bound] by [the] four corners [and] let down to the earth;

12 in which were all the quadrupeds and creeping things of the earth, and the fowls of the heaven.

13 And there was a voice to him, Rise, Peter, slay and eat.

14 And Peter said, In no wise, Lord; for I have never eaten anything common or unclean.

15 And [there was] a voice again the second time to him, What God has cleansed, do not *thou* make common.

16 And this took place thrice, and the vessel was straightway taken up into heaven.

17 And as Peter doubted in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold also the men who were sent by Cornelius, having sought out the house of Simon, stood at the gate,

18 and having called [some one], they inquired if Simon who was surnamed Peter was lodged there.

19 But as Peter continued pondering over the vision, the Spirit said to him, Behold, three men seek thee;

20 but rise up, go down, and go with them, nothing doubting, because *I* have sent them.

21 And Peter going down to the men said, Behold, *I* am he whom ye seek: what is the cause for which ye come?

22 And they said, Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man, and fearing God, and borne witness to by the whole nation of the Jews, has been divinely instructed by a holy angel to send for thee to his house, and hear words from thee.

23 Having therefore invited them in, he lodged them. And on the morrow, rising up he went away with them, and certain of the brethren from Joppa went with him.

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Cornelius Calls for Peter

10 At Caesarea(A) there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. He and all his family were devout and God-fearing;(B) he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. One day at about three in the afternoon(C) he had a vision.(D) He distinctly saw an angel(E) of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering(F) before God.(G) Now send men to Joppa(H) to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. He is staying with Simon the tanner,(I) whose house is by the sea.”

When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.(J)

Peter’s Vision(K)

About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof(L) to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.(M) 11 He saw heaven opened(N) and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

14 “Surely not, Lord!”(O) Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”(P)

15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”(Q)

16 This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

17 While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision,(R) the men sent by Cornelius(S) found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. 18 They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision,(T) the Spirit said(U) to him, “Simon, three[a] men are looking for you. 20 So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”(V)

21 Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

22 The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man,(W) who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.”(X) 23 Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

Peter at Cornelius’s House

The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers(Y) from Joppa went along.(Z)

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 10:19 One early manuscript two; other manuscripts do not have the number.