Acts 10:1-21

¹Now there was a certain man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

²a devout man, and one that feared God, together with all his household, who often gave alms to the people, and making petition to God always.

³About the ninth hour of the day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, “Cornelius!”

⁴And looking intently at him and becoming fearful he said, “What is it, lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.

⁵Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter.

⁶He is staying as a guest with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is beside the sea.”

⁷Now when the angel who had been speaking to Cornelius had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually.

⁸And explaining to them everything, he sent them to Joppa.

⁹Now on the next day, as they were traveling and drawing near to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray, at about the sixth hour.

¹⁰And he became hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance.

¹¹And he saw heaven having been opened, and descending to him a certain vessel like a great sheet, having been bound at the four corners, and being let down upon the ground,

¹²in which were all the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild animals, and the reptiles, and the birds of the air.

¹³And there came a voice to him, saying, “Arise, Peter; kill and eat.”

¹⁴But Peter said, “By no means, Lord! For never did I eat anything common or unclean.”

¹⁵And a voice spoke again the second time to him, “That which God has made clean, you must not make common.”

¹⁶And this happened three times, and again the vessel was taken up into heaven.

¹⁷Now as Peter was very perplexed within himself as to what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius, having found by inquiry the house of Simon, stood at the gateway.

¹⁸And they called and asked whether Simon, whose surname was Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹Now while Peter pondered about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, men are seeking you.

²⁰Arise therefore, go down and go with them, without wavering; for I have sent them.”

²¹And Peter, going down to the men, said, “Behold, I am he whom you seek. Why have you come?”