PETER CALLED TO ACCOUNT FOR ASSOCIATING WITH GENTILES, AND JUSTIFIED; PREACHING TO THE GENTILES CONTINUED.
1 11:1AND the apostles and brothers who were in Judea heard that the gentiles received the word of God. 11:2And when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him, 11:3saying, You went in to men that were uncircumcised, and eat with them. 11:4And Peter began and related to them in order, saying, 11:5I was in the city of Joppa praying, and I saw a vision in a trance, a vessel like a great sheet descending, let down by the four corners from heaven, and it came to me; 11:6and looking into it attentively I perceived and saw the quadrupeds of the earth and wild beasts and reptiles and birds of heaven. 11:7And I heard a voice saying to me, Arise, Peter, kill and eat. 11:8And I said, By no means, Lord, for nothing common or impure has ever entered into my mouth. 11:9And a voice answered from heaven a second time, What God has purified do not you regard common. 11:10And this was done thrice, and again all were taken up to heaven.
2 11:11And behold, immediately three men came to the house in which I was, being sent for me from Cæsarea. 11:12And the Spirit told me to go with them. And these six brothers also went with me, and we entered into the house of the man. 11:13And he told us how he had seen the angel in his house standing and saying to him, Send to Joppa and call Simon who is called Peter, 11:14who will speak words to you by which you shall be saved and all your house. 11:15And when I began to speak the Holy Spirit fell on them as also on us in the beginning. 11:16And I remembered the word of the Lord how he said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 11:17If therefore God gave the gift equally to them and to us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I should be able to forbid God? 11:18And hearing these things they were silent, and glorified God, saying, Then to the gentiles also has God indeed given the change of mind to life.
3 11:19And those scattered abroad by the affliction which commenced with Stephen, went even to Phenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one but Jews only. 11:20But some of them, Cyprians and Cyrenians, who came to Antioch, spoke to the Greeks preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus. 11:21And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 11:22And a report concerning them was brought to the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go as far as Antioch; 11:23who having come and seen the grace of God rejoiced, and exhorted all to adhere to the Lord with the purpose of the heart; 11:24for he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great multitude were added to the Lord.
4 11:25And he went to Tarsus to seek for Saul, 11:26and found and brought him to Antioch. And he was with them, and they met a whole year with the church and taught a great multitude; and the disciples first took the name of Christians at Antioch.
5 11:27And in those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch; 11:28and one of them, by the name of Agabus, standing up signified by the spirit that a great famine was about to come on all the world; which also came under Claudius Cæsar. 11:29And each of the disciples, according to his ability, determined to send help to the brethren living in Judea; 11:30which they also did, sending to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
CHAPTER X.
PERSECUTION BY HEROD AGRIPPA, HIS DEATH.—A.D. 44.
1 12:1AND at that time Herod the king put forth his hands to injure some of the church. 12:2And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 12:3And seeing that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to apprehend Peter also,—and it was during the days of unleavened bread,— 12:4and having seized he put him in prison, committing him to four companies of four soldiers each to guard him, wishing after the passover to bring him before the people. 12:5Peter therefore was kept by the guard; but prayer was made incessantly by the church to God for him. 12:6And when Herod was about to bring him forward, on that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards kept watch before the door. 12:7And behold, an angel of the Lord came, and a light shone in the building; and striking Peter on the side he awoke him saying, Arise quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. 12:8And the angel said to him, Gird yourself, and tie on your sandals. And he did so. And he said to him, Put your cloak about you, and follow me. 12:9And going out he followed him, and knew not that it was real which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision. 12:10And passing through the first guard, and the second, they came to the iron gate leading into the city, which opened to them of itself, and going out they went forward one street, and immediately the angel left him. 12:11And Peter coming to himself said, Now I know that the Lord has really sent his angel and delivered me from the hand of Herod and all the expectation of the Jews.
2 12:12And considering within himself he came to the house of Mary the mother of John called Mark, where a great number were assembled together and praying. 12:13And knocking at the door of the gate, a female servant, called Rhoda, came to listen, 12:14and knowing the voice of Peter she did not open the gate from joy, but ran in and told that Peter stood before the gate. 12:15But they said to her, You are mad. But she asserted strongly that it was so. And they said, It is his angel. 12:16But Peter continued knocking; and having opened they saw him, and were astonished. 12:17And making signs to them with his hand to be silent, he related how the Lord had conducted him out of the prison, and said, Tell these things to James and the brothers. And going out he departed to another place.