Acts 11

1 And the apostles and the brothers who are in Judea heard that the nations also received the word of God,

The apostles and brothers throughout Judea soon heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

2 and when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of circumcision were contending with him,

So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him

3 saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men, and ate with them!”

and said, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them.”

4 And Peter having begun, set [it] forth to them in order, saying,

But Peter began and explained to them the whole sequence of events:

5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and I saw in a trance a vision, a certain vessel coming down, as a great sheet by four corners being let down out of Heaven, and it came to me;

“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision of something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came right down to me.

6 at which having looked steadfastly, I was considering, and I saw the four-footed beasts of the earth, and the wild beasts, and the creeping things, and the birds of the sky;

I looked at it closely and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air.

7 and I heard a voice saying to me, Having risen, Peter, slay and eat;

Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat.’

8 and I said, Not so, Lord, because anything common or unclean has at no time entered into my mouth;

‘No, Lord,’ I said, ‘for nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

9 and a voice answered me a second time out of Heaven, What God cleansed, you do not declare common.

But the voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’

10 And this happened three times, and again was all drawn up to Heaven,

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

11 and behold, immediately, three men stood at the house in which I was, having been sent from Caesarea to me,

Just then three men sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying.

12 and the Spirit said to me to go with them, doubting nothing, and these six brothers also went with me, and we entered into the house of the man,

The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s home.

13 he also declared to us how he saw the messenger standing in his house, and saying to him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is surnamed Peter,

He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.

14 who will speak sayings by which you will be saved, you and all your house.

He will convey to you a message by which you and all your household will be saved.’

15 And in my beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as also on us in the beginning,

As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He had fallen upon us at the beginning.

16 and I remembered the saying of the LORD, how He said, John indeed immersed in water, but you will be immersed in the Holy Spirit;

Then I remembered the word of the Lord, as He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17 if then God gave to them the equal gift as also to us, having believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, I—how was I able to withstand God?”

So if God gave them the same gift He gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder the work of God?”

18 And they, having heard these things, were silent, and were glorifying God, saying, “Then, indeed, God also gave conversion to life to the nations.”

When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

19 Those, indeed, therefore, having been scattered abroad, from the tribulation that came after Stephen, went through to Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to none except to Jews only;

Meanwhile those scattered by the persecution that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews.

20 and there were certain of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who having entered into Antioch, were speaking to the Hellenists, proclaiming good news—the Lord Jesus,

But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.

21 and the hand of the LORD was with them, a great number also, having believed, turned to the LORD.

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

22 And the account was heard in the ears of the assembly that [is] in Jerusalem concerning them, and they sent forth Barnabas to go through to Antioch,

When news of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

23 who, having come, and having seen the grace of God, was glad, and was exhorting all with purpose of heart to cleave to the LORD,

When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with all their hearts.

24 because he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit, and of faith, and a great multitude was added to the LORD.

Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

25 And Barnabas went forth to Tarsus, to seek for Saul,

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,

26 and having found him, he brought him to Antioch, and it came to pass that they assembled together a whole year in the assembly, and taught a great multitude, and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

and when he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. So for a full year they met together with the church and taught large numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.

27 And in those days there came from Jerusalem prophets to Antioch,

In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28 and one of them, by name Agabus, having stood up, signified through the Spirit a great scarcity is about to be throughout all the world—which also came to pass in the time of Claudius Caesar—

One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted through the Spirit that a great famine would sweep across the whole world. (This happened under Claudius.)

29 and the disciples, according as anyone was prospering, determined each of them to send for ministry to the brothers dwelling in Judea,

So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.

30 which also they did, having sent to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

This they did, sending their gifts to the elders with Barnabas and Saul.