Acts 11

1 Now the Apostles, and the brethren in various parts of Judaea, heard that the Gentiles also had received God's Message;

The apostles and brothers in Judea heard that foreigners had also accepted the word of God.

2 and, when Peter returned to Jerusalem, the champions of circumcision found fault with him.

When Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, those who believed circumcision was still essential argued with him.

3 "You went into the houses of men who are not Jews," they said, "and you ate with them."

“You went into the homes of uncircumcised men, and ate with them,” they said.

4 Peter, however, explained the whole matter to them from the beginning.

Peter began to explain to them everything that had happened.

5 "While I was in the town of Jaffa, offering prayer," he said, "in a trance I saw a vision. There descended what seemed to be an enormous sail, being let down from the sky by ropes at the four corners, and it came close to me.

“While I was in the town of Joppa I was praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. Something that looked like a large sheet was being let down by its four corners from heaven, and it came down to me.

6 Fixing my eyes on it, I examined it closely, and saw various kinds of quadrupeds, wild beasts, reptiles and birds.

When I looked inside I saw animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds.

7 I also heard a voice saying to me, "'Rise, Peter, kill and eat.'

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

8 "'On no account, Lord,' I replied, 'for nothing unholy or impure has ever gone into my mouth.'

But I replied, ‘Absolutely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth!’

9 "But a voice answered, speaking a second time from the sky, "'What God has purified, you must not regard as unholy.'

The voice from heaven spoke again, and said, ‘Don't you call unclean what God has made clean!’

10 "This was said three times, and then everything was drawn up again out of sight.

This happened three times, and then it was all taken back into heaven.

11 "Now at that very moment three men came to the house where we were, having been sent from Caesarea to find me.

At that very moment three men were standing in front of the house where we were staying. They had been sent from Caesarea to see me.

12 And the Spirit told me to accompany them without any misgivings. There also went with me these six brethren who are now present, and we reached the Centurion's house.

The Spirit told me to go with them, and not to worry about who they were. These six brothers here also went with me, and we went into the man's house.

13 Then he described to us how he had seen the angel come and enter his house and say, "'Send to Jaffa and fetch Simon, surnamed Peter.

He explained to us how an angel had appeared to him in his house, who told him, ‘Send someone to Joppa, and fetch Simon, also called Peter,

14 He will teach you truths by which you and all your family will be saved.'"

who will tell you what you need to hear so you can be saved—you and your whole household.’

15 "And," said Peter, "no sooner had I begun to speak than the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He fell upon us at the first.

When I started speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as happened to us in the beginning.

16 Then I remembered the Lord's words, how He used to say, "'John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.'

Then I remembered what the Lord said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17 "If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we first believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, why, who was I to be able to thwart God?"

Since God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, what power did I have to oppose God?”

18 This statement of Peter's silenced his opponents. They extolled the goodness of God, and said, "So, then, to the Gentiles also God has given the repentance which leads to Life."

After they had heard this explanation, they didn't argue with him anymore, and praised God, saying, “Now God has granted the opportunity to repent and have eternal life to foreigners as well.”

19 Those, however, who had been driven in various directions by the persecution which broke out on account of Stephen made their way to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, delivering the Message to none but Jews.

Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that happened when Stephen was killed, traveled all the way to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. They only spread the good news among the Jews.

20 But some of them were Cyprians and Cyrenaeans, who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Greeks also and told them the Good News concerning the Lord Jesus.

But when some of them who were from Cyprus and Cyrene arrived in Antioch, they shared the good news with the Greeks too, telling them about the Lord Jesus.

21 The power of the Lord was with them, and there were a vast number who believed and turned to the Lord.

The power of the Lord was with them and a large number trusted in the Lord and turned to him.

22 When tidings of this reached the ears of the Church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas as far as Antioch.

News about what had happened reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

23 On getting there he was delighted to see the grace which God had bestowed; and he encouraged them all to remain, with fixed resolve, faithful to the Lord.

When he arrived and saw for himself how God's grace was working, he was delighted. He encouraged all of them to completely dedicate themselves to God and to stay true.

24 For he was a good man, and was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith; and the number of believers in the Lord greatly increased.

Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit, and put his whole trust in God. Many people were brought to the Lord.

25 Then Barnabas paid a visit to Tarsus to try to find Saul.

Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul,

26 He succeeded, and brought him to Antioch; and for a whole year they attended the meetings of the Church, and taught a large number of people. And it was in Antioch that the disciples first received the name of 'Christians.'

and when he found him, he took Saul back with him to Antioch. Over the course of the next year they worked together with the church, teaching the message to crowds of people. It was in Antioch that the believers were first called “Christians.”

27 At that time certain Prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch,

It was during this time that some prophets went from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28 one of whom, named Agabus, being instructed by the Spirit, publicly predicted the speedy coming of a great famine throughout the world. (It came in the reign of Claudius.)

One of them called Agabus stood up and gave a prophetic warning by the Spirit that there would be a terrible famine that would affect the known world. (This came true in the reign of Emperor Claudius.)

29 So the disciples decided to send relief, every one in proportion to his means, to the brethren living in Judaea.

The believers decided to send funds to help the brothers that lived in Judea, with everyone giving according to what they had.

30 This they did, forwarding their contributions to the Elders by Barnabas and Saul.

So they did this and sent the money with Barnabas and Saul to the church leaders there.