ISV - Acts - 11

11:1  Peter Reports to the Church in JerusalemNow the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God.

11:2  But when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those who emphasized circumcisionLit. those of the circumcision disagreed with him.

11:3  They said, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them!”

11:4  Then Peter began to explain to them point by point what had happened. He said,

11:5  “I was in the town of Joppa praying when in a trance I saw a vision: Something like a large linen sheet was coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners, and it came right down to me.

11:6  When I examined it closely, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the air.

11:7  I also heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter! Kill something and eat it.’

11:8  But I replied, ‘Absolutely not, Lord, for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth!’

11:9  Then the voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘You must stop calling common what God has made clean!’

11:10  This happened three times. Then everything was pulled up to heaven again.

11:11  “At that very moment three men arrived at the house where we were staying. They had been sent to me from Caesarea.

11:12  The Spirit told me to go with them and not to treat them differently. These six brothers went with me, too, and we went into the man's house.

11:13  Then he told us how he had seen the angel standing in his home and saying, ‘Send messengersThe Gk. lacks messengers to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter.

11:14  He will speak words to you by which you and your entire home will be saved.’

11:15  “When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he had on us at the beginning.

11:16  Then I remembered the word of the Lord—how he had said, ‘John baptized withOr in water, but you will be baptized withOr in the Holy Spirit.’

11:17  Now if God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to try to stop God?”

11:18  When they heard this, they quieted down, and praised God, saying, “So God has given even the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”

11:19  The New Church in AntiochNow the people who were scattered by the persecution that started because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

11:20  But among them were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene who came to Antioch and began talking to the Hellenistic JewsOther mss. read to the Greeks too, proclaiming the Lord Jesus.

11:21  The hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

11:22  News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and so they sent Barnabas all the way to Antioch.

11:23  When he arrived, he rejoiced to see what the grace of God had done,Lit. to see the grace of God and with a hearty determination he continuously encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord.

11:24  For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And so a large crowd was brought to the Lord.

11:25  Then Barnabas left for Tarsus to look for Saul.

11:26  When he found him, he brought him to Antioch, and for a whole year they were guests of the church and taught a large crowd. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

11:27  At that time some prophets from Jerusalem came down to Antioch.

11:28  One of them named Agabus got up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine all over the world. This happened during the reign of Claudius.

11:29  So every one of the disciples decided, as he was able, to send a contribution to the brothers living in Judea.

11:30  They did this by sending Barnabas and Saul to the elders.