Acts 11

1 NOW the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

2 And when Peter went up to Jerusalem, they of the circumcision disputed with him,

3 saying, Thou hast gone in to men holding uncircumcision, and hast eaten with them.

4 Then Peter taking up the matter from the beginning, explained it to them regularly, saying,

5 I was in the city of Joppa praying and I saw in a trance a vision, a certain vessel descending as a vast sheet let down from heaven by its four corners; and it came close to me:

6 on which looking attentively, I perceived, and saw the quadrupeds of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the reptiles, and the birds of the air.

7 Then I heard a voice saying to me, Rise, Peter; slay and eat.

8 But I said, By no means, Lord: for never yet hath any thing common or unclean entered into my mouth.

9 But the voice replied the second time from heaven, What God hath cleansed, call not thou common.

10 Now this was repeated thrice: and the whole withdrawn again into heaven.

11 And, lo! immediately three men stood before the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.

12 And the Spirit bade me go with them, making no hesitation. But with me went also these six brethren, and we entered into the man’s house:

13 and he informed us how he had seen an angel in his house, standing and saying to him, Send men to Joppa, and invite Simon, who is surnamed Peter;

14 who will speak words to thee, by which thou mayest be saved, and thy house.

15 So when I had begun to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, just as on us at the beginning.

16 Then I recollected the word of the Lord, how he had said, John indeed baptised with water; but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Ghost.

17 If God then gave an equal gift to them even as to us, on believing on the Lord Jesus Christ; I, indeed, who was I, that I should be able to restrain God?

18 So when they heard these things they were satisfied, and glorified God, saying, Well! then hath God even to the Gentiles given repentance unto life.

19 Now those also who were dispersed by the persecution which arose on account of Stephen passed on as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no man except the Jews only.

20 And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they arrived at Antioch, spake to the Grecian proselytes, preaching the Lord Jesus.

21 And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a vast multitude believing, turned to the Lord.

22 And the report concerning them was heard in the ears of the church which was at Jerusalem: and they dispatched Barnabas, to go as far as Antioch.

23 Who, when he arrived there, and beheld the grace of God, rejoiced, and exhorted them all, with full purpose of heart to adhere to the Lord.

24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and a great multitude was added to the Lord.

25 Then went forth Barnabas to Tarsus, in search of Saul:

26 and having found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came to pass, that during a whole year they were jointly employed in that church, and taught a vast multitude, and they called for the first time in Antioch the disciples Christians.

27 Now there came down in those days prophets from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28 And one of them named Agabus, rising up, signified by the spirit that a great famine was coming upon the whole habitable globe: which also came in the reign of Claudius Caesar.

29 Then the disciples, as everyman had ability, determined every individual of them to send a sum to be distributed among the brethren who dwelt in Judea:

30 which also they did, sending it off to the presbyters by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.