Sending Out the Twelve^(A)

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: ^(B)“Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of ^(C)the Samaritans.

⁹ Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For ^(A)Jews have no dealings with ^(B)Samaritans.

²¹ Then He said to me, ‘Depart, ^(A)for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”

Paul’s Roman Citizenship

²² And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, ^(B)“Away with such a fellow from the earth, for ^(C)he is not fit to live!” ²³ Then, as they cried out and ^[a]tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air,

²² You worship ^(A)what you do not know; we know what we worship, for ^(B)salvation is of the Jews. ²³ But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will ^(C)worship the Father in ^(D)spirit ^(E)and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ^24 (F)God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

^2 (A)He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

⁸ Now I say that ^(A)Jesus Christ has become a ^[a]servant to the circumcision for the truth of God, ^(B)to confirm the promises made to the fathers, ⁹ and ^(C)that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy, as it is written:

^45 (A)And ^[a]those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, ^(B)because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Then Peter answered, ⁴⁷ “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit ^(C)just as we have?” ^48 (D)And he commanded them to be baptized ^(E)in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Peter Defends God’s Grace

11 Now the apostles and brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. ² And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, ^(F)those of the circumcision contended with him, ³ saying, ^(G)“You went in to uncircumcised men ^(H)and ate with them!”

⁴ But Peter explained it to them ^(I)in order from the beginning, saying: ^5 (J)“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. ⁶ When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ⁷ And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But the voice answered me again from heaven, ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ ¹⁰ Now this was done three times, and all were drawn up again into heaven. ¹¹ At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. ¹² Then ^(K)the Spirit told me to go with them, doubting nothing. Moreover ^(L)these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. ^13 (M)And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, ¹⁴ who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ ¹⁵ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, ^(N)as upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶ Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ^(O)‘John indeed baptized with water, but ^(P)you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ^17 (Q)If therefore God gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(R)who was I that I could withstand God?”

¹⁸ When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, ^(S)“Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.”

Saul Persecutes the Church

8 Now Saul was consenting to his death.

At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and ^(A)they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.

^8 (A)But you shall receive power ^(B)when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and ^(C)you shall be ^[a]witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and ^(D)Samaria, and to the ^(E)end of the earth.”