Gentile Salvation Defended
1The apostles and the brothers and sisters who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
4Peter began to explain to them step by step,
5“I11:5–14 Ac 10:9–32 was in the town of Joppa praying, and I saw, in a trance, an object that resembled a large sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it came to me.
6When I looked closely and considered it, I saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the sky.
7I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’
8“‘No, Lord! ’ I said. ‘For nothing impure or ritually unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9But a voice answered from heaven a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call impure.’
10“Now this happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven.
11At that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were.
12The Spirit told me to accompany them with no doubts at all. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we went into the man’s house.11:12 Ac 8:29; 10:23; 15:9
13He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter.
15“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them, just as on us at the beginning.11:15 Ac 2:4; 10:44
18When they heard this they became silent. And they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has given repentance resulting in life even to the Gentiles.”11:18 Rm 10:12–13; 2Co 7:10
The Church in Antioch
19Now those who had been scattered as a result of the persecution that started because of Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch,11:19 Ac 6:5; 13:1; 14:26; 15:22–23,30,35; 18:22; Gl 2:11 speaking the word to no one except Jews.
20But there were some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks11:20 Lit Hellenists also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.11:20 Mt 27:32; Ac 4:36
21The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.11:21 Lk 1:66; Ac 2:47; 9:35
22News about them reached11:22 Lit reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel11:22 Other mss omit to travel as far as Antioch.
25Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul,
Famine Relief
27In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.11:27 Ac 13:1; 15:32; 1Co 12:28; Eph 4:11
28One of them, named Agabus, stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine throughout the Roman world.11:28 Or the whole world This took place during the reign of Claudius.11:28 Mt 24:14; Ac 18:2; 21:10; Gl 2:2
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