Peter’s Vision^(A)

⁹ About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof^(B) to pray. ¹⁰ He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.^{(C) 11} He saw heaven opened^(D) and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. ¹² It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. ¹³ Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

¹⁴ “Surely not, Lord!”^(E) Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”^(F)

¹⁵ The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”^(G)

¹⁶ This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

¹⁷ While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision,^(H) the men sent by Cornelius^(I) found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. ¹⁸ They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

¹⁹ While Peter was still thinking about the vision,^(J) the Spirit said^(K) to him, “Simon, three^[a] men are looking for you. ²⁰ So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”^(L)

²¹ Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

²² The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man,^(M) who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.”^{(N) 23} Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

Peter at Cornelius’s House

The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers^(O) from Joppa went along.^{(P) 24} The following day he arrived in Caesarea.^(Q) Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. ²⁶ But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.”^(R)

²⁷ While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people.^{(S) 28} He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile.^(T) But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.^{(U) 29} So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?”

³⁰ Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes^(V) stood before me ³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. ³² Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism^{(W) 35} but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.^{(X) 36} You know the message^(Y) God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news^(Z) of peace^(AA) through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.^{(AB) 37} You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed^(AC) Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing^(AD) all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.^(AE)

³⁹ “We are witnesses^(AF) of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross,^{(AG) 40} but God raised him from the dead^(AH) on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people,^(AI) but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate^(AJ) and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people^(AK) and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.^{(AL) 43} All the prophets testify about him^(AM) that everyone^(AN) who believes^(AO) in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”^(AP)

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on^(AQ) all who heard the message. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter^(AR) were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out^(AS) even on Gentiles.^{(AT) 46} For they heard them speaking in tongues^[b](AU) and praising God.

Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water.^(AV) They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”^{(AW) 48} So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.^(AX) Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about^[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.^{(A) 19} Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet^[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce^(B) her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel^(C) of the Lord appeared to him in a dream^(D) and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,^[c](E) because he will save his people from their sins.”^(F)

²² All this took place to fulfill^(G) what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”^[d](H) (which means “God with us”).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel^(I) of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.^(J)

⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,^(A) and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel^(B) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.^(C)

⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.^{(D) 10} They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,^(E) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself^(F) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me^(G) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,^(H) where many people had gathered and were praying.^{(I) 13} Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.^{(J) 14} When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed^(K) she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”^(L)

¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand^(M) for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James^(N) and the other brothers and sisters^(O) about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

¹⁸ In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.^(P)

Herod’s Death

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea^(Q) and stayed there.

Saul’s Conversion^(A)

9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.^(B) He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus,^(C) so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way,^(D) whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.^{(E) 4} He fell to the ground and heard a voice^(F) say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”^(G)

⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound^(H) but did not see anyone.^{(I) 8} Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.^(J) So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

Balaam’s Donkey

²¹ Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. ²² But God was very angry^(A) when he went, and the angel of the Lord^(B) stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword^(C) in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it^(D) to get it back on the road.

²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.

²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry^(E) and beat it with his staff. ²⁸ Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth,^(F) and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?^(G)”

²⁹ Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.^(H)”

³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”

“No,” he said.

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes,^(I) and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

³² The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.^{[a] 33} The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now,^(J) but I would have spared it.”

³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned.^(K) I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”

³⁵ The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.

The Writing on the Wall

5 King Belshazzar^(A) gave a great banquet^(B) for a thousand of his nobles^(C) and drank wine with them. ² While Belshazzar was drinking^(D) his wine, he gave orders to bring in the gold and silver goblets^(E) that Nebuchadnezzar his father^[a] had taken from the temple in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines^(F) might drink from them.^{(G) 3} So they brought in the gold goblets that had been taken from the temple of God in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ As they drank the wine, they praised the gods^(H) of gold and silver, of bronze, iron, wood and stone.^(I)

⁵ Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the hand as it wrote. ⁶ His face turned pale^(J) and he was so frightened^(K) that his legs became weak^(L) and his knees were knocking.^(M)

⁷ The king summoned the enchanters,^(N) astrologers^[b](O) and diviners.^(P) Then he said to these wise^(Q) men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing and tells me what it means will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck,^(R) and he will be made the third^(S) highest ruler in the kingdom.”^(T)

⁸ Then all the king’s wise men^(U) came in, but they could not read the writing or tell the king what it meant.^{(V) 9} So King Belshazzar became even more terrified^(W) and his face grew more pale. His nobles were baffled.

¹⁰ The queen,^[c] hearing the voices of the king and his nobles, came into the banquet hall. “May the king live forever!”^(X) she said. “Don’t be alarmed! Don’t look so pale! ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods^(Y) in him. In the time of your father he was found to have insight and intelligence and wisdom^(Z) like that of the gods.^(AA) Your father, King Nebuchadnezzar, appointed him chief of the magicians, enchanters, astrologers and diviners.^{(AB) 12} He did this because Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar,^(AC) was found to have a keen mind and knowledge and understanding, and also the ability to interpret dreams, explain riddles^(AD) and solve difficult problems.^(AE) Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.^(AF)”

¹³ So Daniel was brought before the king, and the king said to him, “Are you Daniel, one of the exiles my father the king brought from Judah?^{(AG) 14} I have heard that the spirit of the gods^(AH) is in you and that you have insight, intelligence and outstanding wisdom.^{(AI) 15} The wise men and enchanters were brought before me to read this writing and tell me what it means, but they could not explain it.^{(AJ) 16} Now I have heard that you are able to give interpretations and to solve difficult problems.^(AK) If you can read this writing and tell me what it means, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck,^(AL) and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”^(AM)

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered the king, “You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else.^(AN) Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.

¹⁸ “Your Majesty, the Most High God gave your father Nebuchadnezzar^(AO) sovereignty and greatness and glory and splendor.^{(AP) 19} Because of the high position he gave him, all the nations and peoples of every language dreaded and feared him. Those the king wanted to put to death, he put to death;^(AQ) those he wanted to spare, he spared; those he wanted to promote, he promoted; and those he wanted to humble, he humbled.^{(AR) 20} But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride,^(AS) he was deposed from his royal throne^(AT) and stripped^(AU) of his glory.^{(AV) 21} He was driven away from people and given the mind of an animal; he lived with the wild donkeys and ate grass like the ox; and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven, until he acknowledged that the Most High God is sovereign^(AW) over all kingdoms on earth and sets over them anyone he wishes.^(AX)

²² “But you, Belshazzar, his son,^[d] have not humbled^(AY) yourself, though you knew all this. ²³ Instead, you have set yourself up against^(AZ) the Lord of heaven. You had the goblets from his temple brought to you, and you and your nobles, your wives^(BA) and your concubines drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which cannot see or hear or understand.^(BB) But you did not honor the God who holds in his hand your life^(BC) and all your ways.^{(BD) 24} Therefore he sent the hand that wrote the inscription.

²⁵ “This is the inscription that was written:

²⁶ “Here is what these words mean:

²⁹ Then at Belshazzar’s command, Daniel was clothed in purple, a gold chain was placed around his neck,^(BK) and he was proclaimed the third highest ruler in the kingdom.^(BL)

³⁰ That very night Belshazzar,^(BM) king^(BN) of the Babylonians,^[h] was slain,^{(BO) 31} and Darius^(BP) the Mede^(BQ) took over the kingdom, at the age of sixty-two.^[i]