10:1 Now there was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian ①cohort,
▷ ①Normally 600 men (the number varied)
10:2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.
10:3 About the ①ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, “Cornelius!”
▷ ①I.e., 3 p.m.
10:4 And he looked at him intently and became terrified, and said, “What is it, lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and charitable gifts have ascended as a memorial offering before God.
10:5 Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;
10:6 he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.”
10:7 When the angel who *spoke to him left, he summoned two of his ①servants and a devout soldier from his personal attendants,
▷ ①Or household slaves
10:8 and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
10:9 On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the ①housetop about ②the sixth hour to pray.
▷ ①Housetops were flat living areas ②I.e., noon
10:10 But he became hungry and wanted to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance;
10:11 and he *saw the sky opened up, and an ①object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,
▷ ①Or vessel
10:12 and on it were all kinds of four-footed animals and ①crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the sky.
▷ ①Or reptiles
10:13 A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, ①kill and eat!”
▷ ①Or sacrifice
10:14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything ①unholy and unclean.”
▷ ①Or profane; lit common
10:15 Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer ①consider unholy.”
▷ ①Lit make common
10:16 This happened three times, and immediately the ①object was taken up into the sky.
▷ ①Or vessel
10:17 Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in ①mind as to what the vision which he had seen might ②mean, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius had asked directions to Simon’s house, and they appeared at the gate;
▷ ①Lit himself ②Lit be
10:18 and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.
10:19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, ①three men are looking for you.
▷ ①One early ms two
10:20 But get up, go downstairs and accompany them ①without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.”
▷ ①Lit doubting nothing
10:21 Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?”
10:22 They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear ①a message from you.”
▷ ①Lit words
10:23 So he invited them in and gave them lodging. Now on the next day he got ready and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.
10:24 On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
10:25 When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and ①worshiped him.
▷ ①Or prostrated himself in reverence
10:26 But Peter helped him up, saying, “Stand up; I, too, am just a man.”
10:27 As he talked with him, he entered and *found many people assembled.
10:28 And he said to them, “You yourselves know that it is forbidden for a Jewish man to associate with or visit a ①foreigner; and yet God has shown me that I am not to call any person ②unholy or unclean.
▷ ①I.e., Gentile ②Or profane; lit common
10:29 That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask, for what reason did you send for me?”
10:30 Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ①ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining clothing,
▷ ①I.e., 3 to 4 p.m.
10:31 and he *said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your charitable gifts have been remembered before God.
10:32 Therefore send some men to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’
10:33 So I sent men to you immediately, and you have ①been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear everything that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
▷ ①Lit done well in coming
10:34 Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,
10:35 but in every nation the one who ①fears Him and ②does what is right is acceptable to Him.
▷ ①Or reveres ②Lit works righteousness
10:36 The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching ①peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all)—
▷ ①Or the gospel of peace
10:37 you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.
10:38 ①You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, ②and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
▷ ①Or How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth ②Lit who went
10:39 We are witnesses of all the things that He did both in the ①country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on ②a cross.
▷ ①Or countryside ②Lit wood; see Deut 21:23
10:40 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He ①be revealed,
▷ ①Lit become visible
10:41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
10:42 And He ordered us to ①preach to the people, and to testify solemnly that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
▷ ①Or proclaim
10:43 All the prophets testify of Him, that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”
10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the ①message.
▷ ①Lit word
10:45 All the ①Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been poured out on the Gentiles.
▷ ①Lit believers from the circumcision
10:46 For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter responded,
10:47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”
10:48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.