| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. | 1The apostles and brothers throughout Judea soon heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. |
| 2But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him. | 2So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers took issue with him |
| 3“You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!” they said. | 3and said, “You visited uncircumcised men and ate with them.” |
| 4Then Peter told them exactly what had happened. | 4But Peter began and explained to them the whole sequence of events: |
| 5“I was in the town of Joppa,” he said, “and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me. | 5“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. |
| 6When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of tame and wild animals, reptiles, and birds. | 6I looked at it closely and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. |
| 7And I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.’ | 7Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter, kill and eat.’ |
| 8“‘No, Lord,’ I replied. ‘I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean. ’ | 8‘No, Lord,’ I said, ‘for nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ |
| 9“But the voice from heaven spoke again: ‘Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.’ | 9But the voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’ |
| 10This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven. | 10This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into heaven. |
| 11“Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying. | 11Just then three men sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying. |
| 12The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us. | 12The Spirit told me to accompany them without hesitation. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man’s home. |
| 13He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, ‘Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter. | 13He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. |
| 14He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’ | 14He will convey to you a message by which you and all your household will be saved.’ |
| 15“As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning. | 15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He had fallen upon us at the beginning. |
| 16Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ | 16Then 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.’ |
| 17And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?” | 17So 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?” |
| 18When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.” The Church in Antioch of Syria | 18When 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.” |
| 19Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews. | 19Meanwhile those scattered by the persecution that began with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message only to Jews. |
| 20However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. | 20But 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. |
| 21The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord. | 21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. |
| 22When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. | 22When news of this reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. |
| 23When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. | 23When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to abide in the Lord with all their hearts. |
| 24Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. | 24Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. |
| 25Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. | 25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, |
| 26When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.) | 26and 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. |
| 27During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. | 27In those days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. |
| 28One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) | 28One 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.) |
| 29So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. | 29So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. |
| 30This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem. | 30This they did, sending their gifts to the elders with Barnabas and Saul. |
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