| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God. | 1Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles too had accepted 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. | 3saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and shared a meal with them." |
| 4Then Peter told them exactly what had happened. | 4But Peter began and explained it to them point by point, saying, |
| 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, an object something like a large sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me. |
| 6When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of tame and wild animals, reptiles, and birds. | 6As I stared I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds. |
| 7And I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.’ | 7I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; slaughter and eat!' |
| 8“‘No, Lord,’ I replied. ‘I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean. ’ | 8But I said, 'Certainly not, Lord, for nothing defiled or ritually 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 replied a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, you must not consider ritually unclean!' |
| 10This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven. | 10This happened three times, and then everything was pulled up to heaven again. |
| 11“Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying. | 11At that very moment, three men sent to me from Caesarea approached the house where we were 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 house. |
| 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 informed us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, |
| 14He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’ | 14who will speak a message to you by which you and your entire 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. | 15Then as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on 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.’ | 16And 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?” | 17Therefore if God gave them the same gift as he also gave us after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to hinder 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, they ceased their objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted the repentance that leads to life even to the Gentiles." |
| 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. | 19Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one but Jews. |
| 20However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. | 20But there were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene among them who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks too, proclaiming the good news of 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 who believed turned to the Lord. |
| 22When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. | 22A report about them came to the attention of the church in Jerusalem, and 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 came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts, |
| 24Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. | 24because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a significant number of people were brought to the Lord. |
| 25Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. | 25Then Barnabas departed for 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 to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught a significant number of people. Now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians. |
| 27During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. | 27At that time 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, got up and predicted by the Spirit that a severe famine was about to come over the whole inhabited world. (This took place during the reign of 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 in accordance with his financial 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. | 30They did so, sending their financial aid to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. |
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