Cornelius Calls for Peter

10 At Caesarea^(A) there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. ² He and all his family were devout and God-fearing;^(B) he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. ³ One day at about three in the afternoon^(C) he had a vision.^(D) He distinctly saw an angel^(E) of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

⁴ Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked.

The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering^(F) before God.^{(G) 5} Now send men to Joppa^(H) to bring back a man named Simon who is called Peter. ⁶ He is staying with Simon the tanner,^(I) whose house is by the sea.”

⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier who was one of his attendants. ⁸ He told them everything that had happened and sent them to Joppa.^(J)

Peter’s Vision^(K)

⁹ About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof^(L) to pray. ¹⁰ He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.^{(M) 11} He saw heaven opened^(N) 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!”^(O) Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”^(P)

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

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,^(R) the men sent by Cornelius^(S) 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,^(T) the Spirit said^(U) 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.”^(V)

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,^(W) 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.”^{(X) 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^(Y) from Joppa went along.^{(Z) 24} The following day he arrived in Caesarea.^(AA) 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.”^(AB)

²⁷ While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people.^{(AC) 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.^(AD) But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.^{(AE) 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^(AF) 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^{(AG) 35} but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.^{(AH) 36} You know the message^(AI) God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news^(AJ) of peace^(AK) through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.^{(AL) 37} You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed^(AM) Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing^(AN) all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.^(AO)

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

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

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

Esther Made Queen

2 Later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided,^(A) he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her. ² Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. ³ Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. ⁴ Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.

⁵ Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,^{(B) 6} who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin^[a](C) king of Judah.^{(D) 7} Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther,^(E) had a lovely figure^(F) and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.

⁸ When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa^(G) and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. ⁹ She pleased him and won his favor.^(H) Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food.^(I) He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

¹⁰ Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so.^{(J) 11} Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.

¹² Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes^(K) and cosmetics. ¹³ And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines.^(L) She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.^(M)

¹⁵ When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail^(N)) to go to the king,^(O) she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor^(P) of everyone who saw her. ¹⁶ She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

¹⁷ Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen^(Q) instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ And the king gave a great banquet,^(R) Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials.^(S) He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.^(T)

Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy

¹⁹ When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.^{(U) 20} But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.^(V)

²¹ During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana^[b] and Teresh, two of the king’s officers^(W) who guarded the doorway, became angry^(X) and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. ²² But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. ²³ And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled^(Y) on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals^(Z) in the presence of the king.^(AA)

Haman’s Plot to Destroy the Jews

3 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite,^(AB) elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. ² All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

³ Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?”^{(AC) 4} Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply.^(AD) Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.

⁵ When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged.^{(AE) 6} Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way^(AF) to destroy^(AG) all Mordecai’s people, the Jews,^(AH) throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.

⁷ In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur^(AI) (that is, the lot^(AJ)) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on^[c] the twelfth month, the month of Adar.^(AK)

⁸ Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs^(AL) are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey^(AM) the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.^{(AN) 9} If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents^[d] of silver to the king’s administrators for the royal treasury.”^(AO)

¹⁰ So the king took his signet ring^(AP) from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹ “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.”

¹² Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language^(AQ) of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed^(AR) with his own ring. ¹³ Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews^(AS)—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar,^(AT) and to plunder^(AU) their goods. ¹⁴ A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.^(AV)

¹⁵ The couriers went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa.^(AW) The king and Haman sat down to drink,^(AX) but the city of Susa was bewildered.^(AY)

Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

4 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes,^(AZ) put on sackcloth and ashes,^(BA) and went out into the city, wailing^(BB) loudly and bitterly. ² But he went only as far as the king’s gate,^(BC) because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. ³ In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. ⁵ Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

⁶ So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. ⁷ Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.^{(BD) 8} He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

⁹ Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, ¹¹ “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned^(BE) the king has but one law:^(BF) that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter^(BG) to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

¹² When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, ¹³ he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent^(BH) at this time, relief^(BI) and deliverance^(BJ) for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”^(BK)

¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast^(BL) for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”^(BM)

¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Esther’s Request to the King

5 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes^(BN) and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s^(BO) hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. ² When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.^(BP)

³ Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom,^(BQ) it will be given you.”

⁴ “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

⁵ “Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. ⁶ As they were drinking wine,^(BR) the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom,^(BS) it will be granted.”^(BT)

⁷ Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: ⁸ If the king regards me with favor^(BU) and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet^(BV) I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”

Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai

⁹ Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage^(BW) against Mordecai.^{(BX) 10} Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.

Calling together his friends and Zeresh,^(BY) his wife, ¹¹ Haman boasted^(BZ) to them about his vast wealth, his many sons,^(CA) and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. ¹² “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person^(CB) Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. ¹³ But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.^(CC)”

¹⁴ His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits,^[e](CD) and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled^(CE) on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.