Acts 10:4-21

⁴Cornelius stared at the angel and was very frightened and said, “What is it, sir?” The angel said to him, “Your prayers and your gifts to the poor have gone up as a memorial offering into God's presence.

⁵Now send men to the city of Joppa to bring a man named Simon who is called Peter.

⁶He is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the seaside.”

⁷When the angel who spoke to him had left, Cornelius called two of his house servants, and a devout soldier from among those who served him.

⁸Cornelius told them all that had happened and sent them to Joppa.

⁹Now on the next day at about the sixth hour, as they were on their journey and were approaching the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray.

¹⁰He then became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while the people were cooking some food, he was given a vision,

¹¹and he saw the sky open and a certain container descending, something like a large sheet coming down to the earth, let down by its four corners.

¹²In it were all kinds of four-footed animals and things that crawled on the earth, and birds of the sky.

¹³Then a voice spoke to him: “Rise, Peter, kill and eat.”

¹⁴But Peter said, “Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that was defiled and unclean.”

¹⁵But the voice came to him again a second time: “What God has cleansed, do not call it defiled.”

¹⁶This happened three times; then the container was immediately taken back up into the sky.

¹⁷Now while Peter was very confused about what the vision that he had seen could mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius stood before the gate, after they had asked their way to the house.

¹⁸They called out and asked whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.

¹⁹While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.

²⁰Arise and go down and go with them. Do not hesitate to go with them, because I have sent them.”

²¹So Peter went down to the men and said, “I am he whom you are seeking. Why have you come?”