Now there was a man in aCaesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was bcalled the Italian 1cohort,Normally 600 men (the number varied)Acts 8:40; 10:24Matt 27:27; Mark 15:16; John 18:3, 12; Acts 21:31; 27:1 2 a devout man and aone who feared God with all his household, and bmade many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.Acts 10:22, 35; 13:16, 26Luke 7:4f 3 About athe 1ninth hour of the day he clearly saw bin a vision can angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!”I.e., 3 p.m.Acts 3:1Acts 9:10; 10:17, 19Acts 5:19 4 And he alooked at him intently and became terrified, and said, “What is it, lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and charitable gifts bhave ascended cas a memorial offering before God.Acts 3:4Rev 8:4Matt 26:13; Phil 4:18; Heb 6:10 5 Now dispatch some men to aJoppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;Acts 9:36 6 he is staying with a tanner named aSimon, whose house is by the sea.”Acts 9:43 7 When the angel who *spoke to him left, he summoned two of his 1servants and a devout soldier from his personal attendants,Or household slaves 8 and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to aJoppa.Acts 9:36
9 On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, aPeter went up on bthe 1housetop about 2cthe sixth hour to pray.Housetops were flat living areasI.e., noonActs 10:9-32; 11:5-14Jer 19:13; 32:29; Zeph 1:5; Matt 24:17Ps 55:17; Acts 10:3 10 But he became hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were making preparations, he afell into a trance;Acts 11:5; 22:17 11 and he *saw athe sky opened up, and an 1object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,Or vesselJohn 1:51 12 and on it were all kinds of four-footed animals and 1crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky.Or reptiles 13 A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, 1kill and eat!”Or sacrifice 14 But Peter said, “By no means, aLord, for bI have never eaten anything 1unholy and unclean.”Or profane; lit commonMatt 8:2ff; John 4:11ff; Acts 9:5; 22:8Lev 11:20-25; Deut 14:4-20; Ezek 4:14; Dan 1:8; Acts 10:28 15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “aWhat God has cleansed, no longer 1consider unholy.”Lit make commonMatt 15:11; Mark 7:19; Rom 14:14; 1 Cor 10:25ff; 1 Tim 4:4f; Titus 1:15 16 This happened three times, and immediately the 1object was taken up into the sky.Or vessel
17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in 1mind as to what athe vision which he had seen might 2mean, behold, bthe men who had been sent by Cornelius had asked directions to Simon’s house, and they appeared at the gate;Lit himselfLit beActs 10:3Acts 10:8 18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there. 19 While Peter was reflecting on athe vision, bthe Spirit said to him, “Behold, 1three men are looking for you.One early ms twoActs 10:3Acts 8:29 20 But get up, go downstairs and aaccompany them 1without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.”Lit doubting nothingActs 15:7-9 21 Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?” 22 They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and aGod-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, bwas divinely directed by a choly angel to send for you to come to his house and hear 1da message from you.”Lit wordsActs 10:2Matt 2:12Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; Rev 14:10Acts 11:14 23 So he invited them in and gave them lodging.Peter in CaesareaActs 10:45; 11:12Acts 1:15Acts 9:36
Now on the next day he got ready and went away with them, and asome of bthe brothers from cJoppa accompanied him. 24 On the following day he entered aCaesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.Acts 8:40; 10:1 25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and 1aworshiped him.Or prostrated himself in reverenceMatt 8:2 26 But Peter helped him up, saying, “aStand up; I, too, am just a man.”Acts 14:15; Rev 19:10; 22:8f 27 As he talked with him, he entered and *found amany people assembled.Acts 10:24 28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is aforbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a 1foreigner; and yet bGod has shown me that I am not to call any person 2unholy or unclean.I.e., GentileOr profane; lit commonJohn 4:9; 18:28; Acts 11:3Acts 10:14f, 35; 15:9 29 That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask, for what reason did you send for me?”
30 Cornelius said, “aFour days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during bthe 1ninth hour; and behold, ca man stood before me in shining clothing,I.e., 3 to 4 p.m.Acts 10:9, 22fActs 3:1; 10:3Acts 10:3-6, 30-32 31 and he *said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your charitable gifts have been remembered before God. 32 Therefore send some men to aJoppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’John 4:9; 18:28; Acts 11:3 33 So I sent men to you immediately, and you have 1been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear everything that you have been commanded by the Lord.”Lit done well in coming
34 aOpening his mouth, Peter said:“I most certainly understand now that bGod is not one to show partiality,Matt 5:2Deut 10:17; 2 Chr 19:7; Rom 2:11; Gal 2:6; Eph 6:9; Col 3:25; 1 Pet 1:17 35 but ain every nation the one who 1bfears Him and 2does what is right is acceptable to Him.Or reveresLit works righteousnessActs 10:28Acts 10:2 36 The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, apreaching 1bpeace through Jesus Christ (He is cLord of all)—Or the gospel of peaceActs 13:32Luke 1:79; 2:14; Rom 5:1; Eph 2:17Matt 28:18; Acts 2:36; Rom 10:12 37 you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 1You know of aJesus of Nazareth, how God banointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, 2cand how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for dGod was with Him.Or How God anointed Jesus of NazarethLit who wentActs 2:22Acts 4:26Matt 4:23John 3:2 39 We are awitnesses of all the things that He did both in the 1country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on 2ba cross.Or countrysideLit wood; see Deut 21:23Luke 24:48; Acts 10:41Deut 21:23 40 aGod raised Him up on the third day and granted that He 1be revealed,Lit become visibleActs 2:24 41 anot to all the people, but to bwitnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us cwho ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.John 14:19, 22; 15:27Luke 24:48; Acts 10:39Luke 24:43; Acts 1:4 mg 42 And He aordered us to 1preach to the people, and to btestify solemnly that this is the One who has been cappointed by God as dJudge of the living and the dead.Or proclaimActs 1:2Luke 16:28Luke 22:22John 5:22, 27; Acts 17:31; 2 Tim 4:1; 1 Pet 4:5 43 aAll the prophets testify of Him, that through bHis name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”Acts 3:18Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 4:12
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, athe Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the 1message.Lit wordActs 11:15; 15:8 45 aAll the 1Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been bpoured out on the Gentiles.Lit believers from the circumcisionActs 10:23Acts 2:33, 38 46 For they were hearing them aspeaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter responded,Mark 16:17; Acts 2:4; 19:6 47 “aSurely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who bhave received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”Acts 8:36Acts 2:4; 10:44f; 11:17; 15:8 48 And he aordered them to be baptized bin the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.1 Cor 1:14-17Acts 2:38; 8:16; 19:5