1Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
2And when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision criticized him,
3saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
4But Peter began and explained it to them in order, saying,
5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: a certain object like a great sheet was descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came all the way to me.
6When I stared into it, I observed and saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the reptiles, and the birds of the air.
7And I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Arise, Peter, kill and eat.’
8But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
9But a voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call common.’
10This happened three times, and then everything was drawn up again into heaven.
11And at that very moment, three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stood at the house where we were.
12And the Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s house.
13And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon who is called Peter,
14who will speak a message to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’
15And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon 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 them the same gift as he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder God?”
18When they heard these things, they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, “Then God has granted even to the Gentiles repentance that leads to life.”
19Now those who had been 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 only.
20But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the good news of the Lord Jesus.
21And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
22The report about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
23When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with purpose of heart,
24for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a considerable crowd was added to the Lord.
25Then he went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
26and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year they met with the church and taught a considerable crowd. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
27Now in those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
28And one of them named Agabus stood up and signified by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine over all the world. (This took place during the reign of Claudius.)
29So the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.
30And this they did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.
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