Acts 11

1Now the apostles and the brothers in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received God's word.

2When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him.

3saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them."

4But Peter began explaining it to them sequentially, saying,

5I was praying in the city of Joppa, and in a trance I saw a vision: a certain vessel descending like a great sheet being let down from heaven by four corners, which came as far as me.

6When I gazed intently at it, I observed and saw the four-footed animals of the earth, the wild beasts, the creeping things, and the birds of the sky.

7I 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 cleansed, do not you call common."

10This happened three times, and everything was drawn up again into heaven.

11And look, immediately three men stood at the house where we were, having been sent from Caesarea to me.

12The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six brothers also came with me, and we entered the man's house.

13He told us how he saw the angel standing in his house and saying to him, "Send to Joppa, and summon Simon called Peter."

14who will speak words to you by which you and all your household will be saved.

15As I began speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as upon us at the beginning.

16I remembered the word of the Lord, as he said: John indeed baptized with water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.

17If therefore God gave them the same gift as he also gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?

18When they heard these things, they fell silent and glorified God, saying, "So God has also given the Gentiles repentance unto life."

19Now those scattered by the affliction that arose over Stephen went to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews only.

20But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, when they arrived in Antioch, spoke even to the Hellenists, proclaiming the Lord Jesus.

21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

22Word about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas as far as Antioch.

23Who, when he arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and exhorted all with purpose of heart to remain with the Lord.

24because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a large crowd was added to the Lord.

25Then he went to Tarsus to seek Saul.

26And having found him, he brought him to Antioch. It came about for them that for a whole year they were gathered together in the church and taught a considerable multitude, and even first in Antioch the disciples were called Christians.

27In these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28One of them named Agabus arose and declared through the Spirit that a great famine was about to come upon the entire inhabited world, which happened in the time of Claudius.

29So the disciples, each according to his prosperity, determined to send relief to the brothers dwelling in Judea.

30This they also did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.