Acts 11
New Century Version
Peter Returns to Jerusalem
11 The apostles and the believers in Judea heard that some who were not Jewish had accepted God’s teaching too. 2 But when Peter came to Jerusalem, some people argued with him. 3 They said, “You went into the homes of people who are not circumcised and ate with them!”
4 So Peter explained the whole story to them. 5 He said, “I was in the city of Joppa, and while I was praying, I had a vision. I saw something that looked like a big sheet being lowered from heaven by its four corners. It came very close to me. 6 I looked inside it and saw animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. 7 I heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ‘No, Lord! I have never eaten anything that is unholy or unclean.’ 9 But the voice from heaven spoke again, ‘God has made these things clean, so don’t call them unholy.’ 10 This happened three times. Then the whole thing was taken back to heaven. 11 Right then three men who were sent to me from Caesarea came to the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them without doubting. These six believers here also went with me, and we entered the house of Cornelius. 13 He told us about the angel he saw standing in his house. The angel said to him, ‘Send some men to Joppa and invite Simon Peter to come. 14 By the words he will say to you, you and all your family will be saved.’ 15 When I began my speech, the Holy Spirit came on them just as he came on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered the words of the Lord. He said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 Since God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I stop the work of God?”
18 When the believers heard this, they stopped arguing. They praised God and said, “So God is allowing even other nations to turn to him and live.”
The Good News Comes to Antioch
19 Many of the believers were scattered when they were persecuted after Stephen was killed. Some of them went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch telling the message to others, but only to Jews. 20 Some of these believers were people from Cyprus and Cyrene. When they came to Antioch, they spoke also to Greeks,[a] telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord was helping the believers, and a large group of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 The church in Jerusalem heard about all of this, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23-24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith. When he reached Antioch and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad. He encouraged all the believers in Antioch always to obey the Lord with all their hearts, and many people became followers of the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas went to the city of Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found Saul, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year Saul and Barnabas met with the church and taught many people there. In Antioch the followers were called Christians for the first time.
27 About that time some prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and spoke with the help of the Holy Spirit. He said, “A very hard time is coming to the whole world. There will be no food to eat.” (This happened when Claudius ruled.) 29 The followers all decided to help the believers who lived in Judea, as much as each one could. 30 They gathered the money and gave it to Barnabas and Saul, who brought it to the elders in Judea.
Footnotes
- 11:20 Greeks Some Greek copies read “Hellenists,” non-Greeks who spoke Greek.
Gevurot 11
Orthodox Jewish Bible
11 And the Moshiach’s Shlichim and the Achim b’Moshiach, the ones throughout Yehudah, heard that also the non-Jews received the dvar Hashem.
2 But when Kefa went up to Yerushalayim, those of the faction of the Bris Milah were taking issue with him,
3 Saying, "You entered into a bais of anashim arelim (uncircumcised men) and you sat at tish with them."
4 But Kefa began explaining to them beseder (in order), saying,
5 "I was davening in the shtetl of Yafo and in a trance I saw a chazon (vision) of a certain object descending like a large linen cloth lowered by four corners from Shomayim, and it came up to me.
6 "And when I had gazed upon it, I saw fourfooted animals of ha’aretz and chayyat hasadeh and remasim haAdamah and oph HaShomayim.
7 "And I heard also a bat kol saying to me, ‘Get up, Kefa. Kill and eat.’
8 "But I said, ‘By no means, Adoni, because nothing common or tameh (unclean) has ever entered into my stomach.’
9 "And the bat kol answered for a second time from Shomayim, ‘What Hashem made tahor (clean) do not declare tameh (unclean).’
10 "This happened shlosh pe’amim, and everything was pulled up again into Shomayim.
11 "Hinei, at once shloshah anashim stood at the bais in which I was, having been sent from Caesarea to me.
12 "And the Ruach Hakodesh said to me to accompany them without hesitating and these sheshet haAchim b’Moshiach came with me also, and we entered into the bais of the ish.
13 "He reported to us how he saw the malach in his bais having stood and having said, ‘Send to Yafo and summon Shimon, the one being called Kefa,
14 ‘Who will speak words to you by which you and all your bais will find Yeshu’at Eloheinu.’
15 "As I began to speak, the Ruach Hakodesh fell upon them, just as also upon us in the beginning.
16 And I remembered the dvar of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu, how he used to say, ‘Yochanan gave a tevilah of teshuva with a mikveh mayim, but you will be given a tevilah with the Ruach Hakodesh.'
17 "If then Hashem gave the same matanah to them as also to us after believing in Moshiach Adoneinu, who then was I to stand in the way of Hashem?"
18 And having heard these things, they were silenced and glorified Hashem, saying ‘Then also to the Nations Hashem has given teshuva unto Chayyim.'
19 Then the ones, that is, those having been scattered because of the tzoros that happened in connection with Stefanos, came to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking to no one the dvar Hashem except only to Yehudim.
20 And there were some of them, anashim of Cyprus and Cyrene, who having come to Antioch, were speaking also to the Yevanim, proclaiming the Besuras HaGeulah of Adoneinu Yehoshua.
21 The hand of Adonoi was on them and a large number, having had emunah, turned to Moshiach Adoneinu.
22 The report about them was heard in the ears of the Kehillah of Moshiach in Yerushalayim, and they sent out Bar-Nabba to go to Antioch;
23 Who, having come, and having seen the Chen v’Chesed Hashem, rejoiced and was encouraging everyone with deveykus (devotion) to HaAdon to remain true to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu.
24 For Bar-Nabba was a mentsh, a gavra, an ish tov full of the Ruach Hakodesh and of emunah. And a great multitude was added to Adoneinu.
25 And Bar-Nabba left for Tarsus to look for Sha’ul,
26 And, having found him, he brought him to Antioch. And it came about that for an entire year, they met with Moshiach’s Kehillah there, and taught a large multitude. And it was in Antioch that the talmidim were first called Ma’aminim HaMeshichiyim (Messianic Believers).
27 Now in these yamim, nevi’im came down from Yerushalayim to Antioch.
28 One of them, by name of Agav, having got up, indicated through the Ruach Hakodesh a great famine was about to come all over the world. And this famine actually occurred during the time of Claudius.
29 Now the talmidim decided that according to their means, each of them would send support to the Achim b’Moshiach dwelling in Yehudah;
30 Which also they did, having sent to the Ziknei HaKehillot by the hand of Bar-Nabba and Sha’ul.
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