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11 And the apostles and the brethren who were in Judaea heard that the nations also had received the word of God;

and when Peter went up to Jerusalem, they of the circumcision contended with him,

saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised and hast eaten with them.

But Peter began and set forth [the matter] to them in order, saying,

I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in an ecstasy I saw a vision, a certain vessel descending like a great sheet, let down by four corners out of heaven, and it came even to me:

on which having fixed mine eyes, I considered, and saw the quadrupeds of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the heaven.

And I heard also a voice saying to me, Rise up, Peter, slay and eat.

And I said, In no wise, Lord, for common or unclean has never entered into my mouth.

And a voice answered the second time out of heaven, What God has cleansed, do not *thou* make common.

10 And this took place thrice, and again all was drawn up into heaven;

11 and lo, immediately three men were at the house in which I was, sent to me from Caesarea.

12 And the Spirit said to me to go with them, nothing doubting. And there went with me these six brethren also, and we entered into the house of the man,

13 and he related to us how he had seen the angel in his house, standing and saying [to him], Send [men] to Joppa and fetch Simon, who is surnamed Peter,

14 who shall speak words to thee whereby *thou* shalt be saved, thou and all thy house.

15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them even as upon us also at the beginning.

16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, John baptised with water, but *ye* shall be baptised with [the] Holy Spirit.

17 If then God has given them the same gift as also to us when we had believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who indeed was *I* to be able to forbid God?

18 And when they heard these things they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then indeed God has to the nations also granted repentance to life.

19 They then who had been scattered abroad through the tribulation that took place on the occasion of Stephen, passed through [the country] to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one but to Jews alone.

20 But there were certain of them, Cyprians and Cyrenians, who entering into Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, announcing the glad tidings of the Lord Jesus.

21 And [the] Lord's hand was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

22 And the report concerning them reached the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go through as far as Antioch:

23 who, having arrived and seeing the grace of God, rejoiced, and exhorted all with purpose of heart to abide with the Lord;

24 for he was a good man and full of [the] Holy Spirit and of faith; and a large crowd [of people] were added to the Lord.

25 And he went away to Tarsus to seek out Saul.

26 And having found [him], he brought him to Antioch. And so it was with them that for a whole year they were gathered together in the assembly and taught a large crowd: and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

27 Now in these days prophets went down from Jerusalem to Antioch;

28 and one from among them, by name Agabus, rose up and signified by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine over all the inhabited earth, which also came to pass under Claudius.

29 And they determined, according as any one of the disciples was well off, each of them to send to the brethren who dwelt in Judaea, to minister [to them];

30 which also they did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

12 At that time Herod the king laid his hands on some of those of the assembly to do them hurt,

and slew James, the brother of John, with the sword.

And seeing that it was pleasing to the Jews, he went on to take Peter also: (and they were the days of unleavened bread:)

whom having seized he put in prison, having delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep, purposing after the passover to bring him out to the people.

Peter therefore was kept in the prison; but unceasing prayer was made by the assembly to God concerning him.

And when Herod was going to bring him forth, that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door kept the prison.

And lo, an angel of [the] Lord came there, and a light shone in the prison: and having smitten the side of Peter, he roused him up, saying, Rise up quickly. And his chains fell off his hands.

And the angel said to him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And he did so. And he says to him, Cast thine upper garment about thee and follow me.

And going forth he followed [him] and did not know that what was happening by means of the angel was real, but supposed he saw a vision.

10 And having passed through a first and second guard, they came to the iron gate which leads into the city, which opened to them of itself; and going forth they went down one street, and immediately the angel left him.

11 And Peter, being come to himself, said, Now I know certainly that [the] Lord has sent forth his angel and has taken me out of the hand of Herod and all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

12 And having become clearly conscious [in himself], he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was surnamed Mark, where were many gathered together and praying.

13 And when he had knocked at the door of the entry, a maid came to listen, by name Rhoda;

14 and having recognised the voice of Peter, through joy did not open the entry, but running in, reported that Peter was standing before the entry.

15 And they said to her, Thou art mad. But she maintained that it was so. And they said, It is his angel.

16 But Peter continued knocking: and having opened, they saw him and were astonished.

17 And having made a sign to them with his hand to be silent, he related [to them] how the Lord had brought him out of prison; and he said, Report these things to James and to the brethren. And he went out and went to another place.

18 And when it was day there was no small disturbance among the soldiers, what then was become of Peter.

19 And Herod having sought him and not found him, having examined the guards, commanded [them] to be executed. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea and stayed [there].

20 And he was in bitter hostility with [the] Tyrians and Sidonians; but they came to him with one accord, and, having gained Blastus the king's chamberlain, sought peace, because their country was nourished by the king's.

21 And on a set day, clothed in royal apparel and sitting on the elevated seat [of honour], Herod made a public oration to them.

22 And the people cried out, A god's voice and not a man's.

23 And immediately an angel of [the] Lord smote him, because he did not give the glory to God, and he expired, eaten of worms.

24 But the word of God grew and spread itself.

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, having fulfilled the service [entrusted to them], taking also with them John, surnamed Mark.

Peter Explains His Actions

11 The apostles and the believers(A) throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.(B) So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers(C) criticized him and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”(D)

Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.(E) I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

“I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

“The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’(F) 10 This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

11 “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea(G) stopped at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told(H) me to have no hesitation about going with them.(I) These six brothers(J) also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel(K) appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. 14 He will bring you a message(L) through which you and all your household(M) will be saved.’

15 “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on(N) them as he had come on us at the beginning.(O) 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with[a] water,(P) but you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit.’(Q) 17 So if God gave them the same gift(R) he gave us(S) who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”(T)

The Church in Antioch

19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed(U) traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch,(V) spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus(W) and Cyrene,(X) went to Antioch(Y) and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news(Z) about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them,(AA) and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.(AB)

22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas(AC) to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done,(AD) he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.(AE) 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit(AF) and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.(AG)

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus(AH) to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples(AI) were called Christians first(AJ) at Antioch.

27 During this time some prophets(AK) came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus,(AL) stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world.(AM) (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)(AN) 29 The disciples,(AO) as each one was able, decided to provide help(AP) for the brothers and sisters(AQ) living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders(AR) by Barnabas(AS) and Saul.(AT)

Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison

12 It was about this time that King Herod(AU) arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John,(AV) put to death with the sword.(AW) When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews,(AX) he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(AY) After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.(AZ)

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.(BA)

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,(BB) and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel(BC) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.(BD)

Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.(BE) 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,(BF) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself(BG) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me(BH) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,(BI) where many people had gathered and were praying.(BJ) 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.(BK) 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed(BL) she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”(BM)

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand(BN) for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James(BO) and the other brothers and sisters(BP) about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.(BQ)

Herod’s Death

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea(BR) and stayed there. 20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;(BS) they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.(BT)

21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. 22 They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” 23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel(BU) of the Lord struck him down,(BV) and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God(BW) continued to spread and flourish.(BX)

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

25 When Barnabas(BY) and Saul had finished their mission,(BZ) they returned from[c] Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.(CA)

Footnotes

  1. Acts 11:16 Or in
  2. Acts 11:16 Or in
  3. Acts 12:25 Some manuscripts to