Love and Obey the Lord

11 Love^(A) the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.^{(B) 2} Remember today that your children^(C) were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the Lord your God:^(D) his majesty,^(E) his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;^{(F) 3} the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country;^{(G) 4} what he did to the Egyptian army, to its horses and chariots,^(H) how he overwhelmed them with the waters of the Red Sea^[a](I) as they were pursuing you, and how the Lord brought lasting ruin on them. ⁵ It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place, ⁶ and what he did^(J) to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab the Reubenite, when the earth opened^(K) its mouth right in the middle of all Israel and swallowed them up with their households, their tents and every living thing that belonged to them. ⁷ But it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the Lord has done.^(L)

⁸ Observe therefore all the commands^(M) I am giving you today, so that you may have the strength to go in and take over the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess,^{(N) 9} and so that you may live long^(O) in the land the Lord swore^(P) to your ancestors to give to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.^{(Q) 10} The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt,^(R) from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. ¹¹ But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys^(S) that drinks rain from heaven.^{(T) 12} It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes^(U) of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.

²⁴ The following day he arrived in Caesarea.^(A) 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.”^(B)

²⁷ While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people.^{(C) 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.^(D) But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.^{(E) 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^(F) 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^{(G) 35} but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.^{(H) 36} You know the message^(I) God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news^(J) of peace^(K) through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.^{(L) 37} You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed^(M) Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing^(N) all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.^(O)

³⁹ “We are witnesses^(P) of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross,^{(Q) 40} but God raised him from the dead^(R) on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people,^(S) but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate^(T) and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people^(U) and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.^{(V) 43} All the prophets testify about him^(W) that everyone^(X) who believes^(Y) in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”^(Z)

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

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

¹³ So if you faithfully obey^(A) the commands I am giving you today—to love^(B) the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul^(C)— ¹⁴ then I will send rain^(D) on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains,^(E) so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. ¹⁵ I will provide grass^(F) in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.^(G)

¹⁶ Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them.^{(H) 17} Then the Lord’s anger^(I) will burn against you, and he will shut up^(J) the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce,^(K) and you will soon perish^(L) from the good land the Lord is giving you. ¹⁸ Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.^{(M) 19} Teach them to your children,^(N) talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.^{(O) 20} Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates,^{(P) 21} so that your days and the days of your children may be many^(Q) in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.^(R)

²² If you carefully observe^(S) all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love^(T) the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast^(U) to him— ²³ then the Lord will drive out^(V) all these nations^(W) before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.^{(X) 24} Every place where you set your foot will be yours:^(Y) Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the Euphrates River^(Z) to the Mediterranean Sea. ²⁵ No one will be able to stand against you. The Lord your God, as he promised you, will put the terror^(AA) and fear of you on the whole land, wherever you go.^(AB)

²⁶ See, I am setting before you today a blessing^(AC) and a curse^(AD)— ²⁷ the blessing^(AE) if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; ²⁸ the curse if you disobey^(AF) the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods,^(AG) which you have not known. ²⁹ When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim^(AH) the blessings, and on Mount Ebal^(AI) the curses.^{(AJ) 30} As you know, these mountains are across the Jordan, westward, toward the setting sun, near the great trees of Moreh,^(AK) in the territory of those Canaanites living in the Arabah in the vicinity of Gilgal.^{(AL) 31} You are about to cross the Jordan to enter and take possession^(AM) of the land the Lord your God is giving^(AN) you. When you have taken it over and are living there, ³² be sure that you obey all the decrees and laws I am setting before you today.

Peter Explains His Actions

11 The apostles and the believers^(A) throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.^{(B) 2} So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers^(C) criticized him ³ and said, “You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them.”^(D)

⁴ Starting from the beginning, Peter told them the whole story: ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision.^(E) I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. ⁶ I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles and birds. ⁷ Then I heard a voice telling me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’

⁸ “I replied, ‘Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’

⁹ “The voice spoke from heaven a second time, ‘Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.’^{(F) 10} This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.

¹¹ “Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea^(G) stopped at the house where I was staying. ¹² The Spirit told^(H) me to have no hesitation about going with them.^(I) These six brothers^(J) also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ He told us how he had seen an angel^(K) appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. ¹⁴ He will bring you a message^(L) through which you and all your household^(M) will be saved.’

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on^(N) them as he had come on us at the beginning.^{(O) 16} Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with^[a] water,^(P) but you will be baptized with^[b] the Holy Spirit.’^{(Q) 17} So if God gave them the same gift^(R) he gave us^(S) who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”

¹⁸ When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”^(T)