⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.^(A)

⁹ The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan^(A) woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.^[a])

²¹ “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”^(A)

Paul the Roman Citizen

²² The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him!^(B) He’s not fit to live!”^(C)

²³ As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks^(D) and flinging dust into the air,^(E)

²² You Samaritans worship what you do not know;^(A) we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.^{(B) 23} Yet a time is coming and has now come^(C) when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit^(D) and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit,^(E) and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

¹⁶ in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles^(A) so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit.^(B) The wrath of God has come upon them at last.^[a]

⁸ For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews^[a](A) on behalf of God’s truth, so that the promises^(B) made to the patriarchs might be confirmed ⁹ and, moreover, that the Gentiles^(C) might glorify God^(D) for his mercy. As it is written:

² and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God^(A) and to heal the sick.

Samaria Resettled

²⁴ The king of Assyria^(A) brought people from Babylon, Kuthah, Avva, Hamath and Sepharvaim^(B) and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its towns. ²⁵ When they first lived there, they did not worship the Lord; so he sent lions^(C) among them and they killed some of the people. ²⁶ It was reported to the king of Assyria: “The people you deported and resettled in the towns of Samaria do not know what the god of that country requires. He has sent lions among them, which are killing them off, because the people do not know what he requires.”

²⁷ Then the king of Assyria gave this order: “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires.” ²⁸ So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria came to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord.

²⁹ Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns^(D) where they settled, and set them up in the shrines^(E) the people of Samaria had made at the high places.^{(F) 30} The people from Babylon made Sukkoth Benoth, those from Kuthah made Nergal, and those from Hamath made Ashima; ³¹ the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire as sacrifices to Adrammelek^(G) and Anammelek, the gods of Sepharvaim.^{(H) 32} They worshiped the Lord, but they also appointed all sorts^(I) of their own people to officiate for them as priests in the shrines at the high places. ³³ They worshiped the Lord, but they also served their own gods in accordance with the customs of the nations from which they had been brought.

³⁴ To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.^{(J) 35} When the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, he commanded them: “Do not worship^(K) any other gods or bow down to them, serve them or sacrifice to them.^{(L) 36} But the Lord, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm,^(M) is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices. ³⁷ You must always be careful^(N) to keep the decrees^(O) and regulations, the laws and commands he wrote for you. Do not worship other gods. ³⁸ Do not forget^(P) the covenant I have made with you, and do not worship other gods. ³⁹ Rather, worship the Lord your God; it is he who will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.”

⁴⁰ They would not listen, however, but persisted in their former practices. ⁴¹ Even while these people were worshiping the Lord,^(Q) they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.

⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter^(A) were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out^(B) even on Gentiles.^{(C) 46} For they heard them speaking in tongues^[a](D) and praising God.

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

Peter Explains His Actions

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

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.^(L) 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.’^{(M) 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^(N) stopped at the house where I was staying. ¹² The Spirit told^(O) me to have no hesitation about going with them.^(P) These six brothers^(Q) also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ He told us how he had seen an angel^(R) appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. ¹⁴ He will bring you a message^(S) through which you and all your household^(T) will be saved.’

¹⁵ “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on^(U) them as he had come on us at the beginning.^{(V) 16} Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with^[b] water,^(W) but you will be baptized with^[c] the Holy Spirit.’^{(X) 17} So if God gave them the same gift^(Y) he gave us^(Z) 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.”^(AA)