Peter’s Vision^(A)

⁹ About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof^(B) to pray. ¹⁰ He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance.^{(C) 11} He saw heaven opened^(D) and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. ¹² It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. ¹³ Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”

¹⁴ “Surely not, Lord!”^(E) Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.”^(F)

¹⁵ The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”^(G)

¹⁶ This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven.

¹⁷ While Peter was wondering about the meaning of the vision,^(H) the men sent by Cornelius^(I) found out where Simon’s house was and stopped at the gate. ¹⁸ They called out, asking if Simon who was known as Peter was staying there.

¹⁹ While Peter was still thinking about the vision,^(J) the Spirit said^(K) to him, “Simon, three^[a] men are looking for you. ²⁰ So get up and go downstairs. Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.”^(L)

²¹ Peter went down and said to the men, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”

²² The men replied, “We have come from Cornelius the centurion. He is a righteous and God-fearing man,^(M) who is respected by all the Jewish people. A holy angel told him to ask you to come to his house so that he could hear what you have to say.”^{(N) 23} Then Peter invited the men into the house to be his guests.

Peter at Cornelius’s House

The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers^(O) from Joppa went along.^(P)

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.^(A) 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.’^{(B) 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^(C) stopped at the house where I was staying. ¹² The Spirit told^(D) me to have no hesitation about going with them.^(E) These six brothers^(F) also went with me, and we entered the man’s house. ¹³ He told us how he had seen an angel^(G) appear in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.