Peter Has a Vision

⁹ And the next day, as^[a] they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about the sixth hour. ¹⁰ And he became hungry and wanted to eat. But while^[b] they were preparing the food,^[c] a trance came over him. ¹¹ And he saw heaven opened and an object something like a large sheet coming down, being let down to the earth by its four corners, ¹² in which were all the four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and birds of the sky. ¹³ And a voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord! For I have never eaten anything common and unclean!” ¹⁵ And the voice came again to him for the second time: “The things which God has made clean, you must not consider unclean!” ¹⁶ And this happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into heaven.

¹⁷ Now while Peter was greatly perplexed within himself as to what the vision that he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having found the house of Simon by asking around, stood at the gate. ¹⁸ And they called out and^[d] asked if Simon who was also called Peter was staying there as a guest. ¹⁹ And while^[e] Peter was reflecting about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, men^[f] are looking for you. ²⁰ But get up, go down, and go with them—not hesitating at all, because I have sent them.” ²¹ So Peter went down to the men and^[g] said, “Behold, I am he whom you are looking for! What is the reason for which you have come?” ²² And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man—and well spoken of by the whole nation of the Jews—was directed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear words from you.” ²³ So he invited them in and^[h] entertained them as guests, and on the next day he got up and^[i] went away with them. And some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.