Acts 11

₁Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ₂So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, ₃“You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.” ₄But Peter began and explained it to them in order: ₅“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. ₆Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. ₇And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ₈But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ ₉But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ ₁₀This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. ₁₁And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. ₁₂And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. ₁₃And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; ₁₄he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ ₁₅As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. ₁₆And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ₁₇If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” ₁₈When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

₁₉Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. ₂₀But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. ₂₁And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. ₂₂The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. ₂₃When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, ₂₄for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. ₂₅So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, ₂₆and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

₂₇Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ₂₈And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). ₂₉So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. ₃₀And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.