Luke's Story (24 page)

¹⁹
While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you.
²⁰
Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

²¹
Then Peter went down to the men who had been sent to him from Cornelius,
^a
and said, “Yat reason have you come?”

²²
And they said, “Cornelius
the
centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nation of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house, and to hear words from you.”
²³
Then he invited them in and lodged
them.

On the next day Peter went away with them, and some brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

 

Peter Meets Cornelius

²⁴
And the following day they entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them, and had called together his relatives and close friends.
²⁵
As Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped
him.
²⁶
But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself am also a man.”
²⁷
And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.
²⁸
Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or uncl
ean.
²⁹
Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for. I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?”

³⁰
So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour
^a
I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
³¹
and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God.
³²
Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.
^a
When he comes, he will speak to you.’
³³
So I sent to you immediately, and you have done well to come. Now therefore, we are all present before God, to hear all the things commanded you by God.”

 

Preaching to Cornelius’
Household

10:30
^a
NU-Text reads
Four days ago to this hour, at the ninth hour.
10:32
^a
NU-Text omits the last sentence of this verse.

³⁴
Then Peter opened
his
mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
³⁵
But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
³⁶
The word which
God
sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—
³⁷
that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
³⁸
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
³⁹
And we are witnesses of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they
^a
killed by hanging on a tree.
⁴⁰
Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,
⁴¹
not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God,
even
to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
⁴²
And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God
to be
Judge of the livs name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”

 

The Holy Spirit Falls on the
Gentiles

⁴⁴
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.
⁴⁵
And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
⁴⁶
For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered,
⁴⁷
“Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we
have?
”
⁴⁸
And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

 

Peter Defends God’s Grace

 

11 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.
²
And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision contended with him,
³
saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

10:39
^a
NU-Text and M-Text add
also.

⁴
But Peter explained
it
to them in order from the beginning, saying:
⁵
“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me.
⁶
When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air.
⁷
And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’
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But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’
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But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’
¹⁰
Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven.
¹¹
At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea.
¹²
Then the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.
¹³
And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter,
¹⁴
who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’
¹⁵
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning.
¹⁶
Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
¹⁷
If therefore God gave them the same gift as
He gave
us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?”

¹⁸
When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

 

Barnabas and Saul at Antioch

¹⁹
Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen tr>

¹¹
And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and
from
all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

³²
So, when he had considered
this,
he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
¹³
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.
¹⁴
When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of
her
gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate.
¹⁵
But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”

¹⁶
Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened
the door
and saw him, they were astonished.
¹⁷
But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

¹⁸
Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.
¹⁹
But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that
they
should be put to death.

And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed
there.

 

Herod’s Violent Death

²⁰
Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s
country.

²¹
So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.
²²
And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”
²³
Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴
But the word of God grew and multiplied.

 

Barnabas and Saul Appointed

²⁵
And Barnabas and Saul returned from
^a
Jerusalem when they had fulfilled
their
ministry, and they also took with them John whose surname was Mark.

 

13 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
²
As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
³
Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent
them
away.

 

Preaching in Cyprus

⁴
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
⁵
And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the sp>And though they found no cause for death
in Him,
they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.
²⁹
Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took
Him
down from the tree and laid
Him
in a tomb.
³⁰
But God raised Him from the dead.
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He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people.
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And we declare to you glad tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers.
³³
God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:

13:17
^a
M-Text omits
Israel.
13:22
^a
Psalm 89:20
^b
1 Samuel 13:14
13:23
^a
M-Text reads
for Israel salvation.

‘ You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.’
^a

³⁴
And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus:

 

‘ I will give you the sure mercies of David.’
^a

³⁵
Therefore He also says in another
Psalm:

 

‘ You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.’
^a

³⁶
“For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption;
³⁷
but He whom God raised up saw no corruption.
³⁸
Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins;
³⁹
and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
⁴⁰
Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: