Acts 10:4-40

⁴Frightened, Cornelius stared at him and asked, “What do you want, Lord?” “God has paid attention to your prayers, and recognized your generosity to the poor,” he told Cornelius.

⁵“Now send some men to Joppa, and fetch Simon, also called Peter,

⁶who is staying at Simon the tanner's house down by the sea-shore.”

⁷When the angel who had spoken to him had left, Cornelius called in two of his house-servants and a soldier of his personal guard, a religious man.

⁸After he'd explained to them all that had happened he sent them to Joppa.

⁹The next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up onto the top of the house to pray. It was about noon,

¹⁰and he was getting hungry, wanting to eat. But while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance, and

¹¹he saw heaven opened. He saw something coming down that looked like a large sheet held by its four corners, being lowered onto the earth.

¹²Inside were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds.

¹³He heard a voice say, “Get up Peter, kill and eat!”

¹⁴But Peter replied, “Certainly not, Lord! I have never eaten anything that is impure and unclean.”

¹⁵He heard the voice speak again, “Don't you call unclean what God has made clean!”

¹⁶This happened three times, and then the sheet was quickly taken back into heaven.

¹⁷While Peter was puzzling over what the vision he'd seen really meant, the men sent by Cornelius had found out where Simon's house was and were standing at the gate.

¹⁸They called out, asking whether Simon, also called Peter, was staying there.

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

²⁰Get up, go downstairs, and go with them. Don't worry at all because I'm the one who sent them.”

²¹So Peter went downstairs to meet the men. “I'm the one you're looking for,” he said. “Why are you here?”

²²“We come from Cornelius, a good, religious man who has reverence for God and is widely respected among the Jewish people,” they replied. “A holy angel instructed him to send for you to come to his house so he can hear what you have to tell him.”

²³So he invited them in and they stayed there. The next day he got up and left with them. Some of the brothers from Joppa went with them too.

²⁴The following day they arrived in Caesarea where Cornelius was waiting for them with his relatives and close friends whom he'd called together.

²⁵When Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.

²⁶But Peter pulled him back up, telling him, “Stand up! I'm only a man!”

²⁷Peter spoke with Cornelius, and then went on in where he found many other people waiting for him.

²⁸He said to them, “You certainly know that it's not permitted for a Jew to be associated with or to visit foreigners. But God has shown me that it's not for me to call anyone impure or unclean.

²⁹That's why I came without any argument when I was sent for. So now I want to know the reason why you sent for me.”

³⁰“Four days ago, at about this time—three in the afternoon—I was praying in my house,” Cornelius explained. “Suddenly I saw a man standing in front of me, dressed in clothes that shone brightly.

³¹He told me, ‘Cornelius, your prayers have been heard, and God has recognized your generosity to the poor.

³²Send someone to Joppa for Simon Peter. He's staying at Simon the tanner's house, down by the sea-shore.’

³³So immediately I sent for you, and it was good of you to come. That's why we're all here, meeting together before God, ready to hear everything the Lord has told you.”

³⁴Peter replied, “I'm totally convinced that God has no favorites.

³⁵In every nation God accepts those who respect him, and do what is good and right.

³⁶You know the message he sent to Israel, sharing the good news of peace that comes from Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

³⁷You know that this good news spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee, following John's call to baptism.

³⁸It's about Jesus of Nazareth—how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went around doing good, healing all those who were under the devil's control, for God was with him.

³⁹We can testify to all that he did in Judea and Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross.

⁴⁰But God raised him back to life on the third day, and had him appear,