Book of Common Prayer

10 In Caesarea lived a man named Cornelius. He was a big captain in the army. His soldiers were called the Italian Group.

² He was a good man. He and all the people of his house obeyed God. He gave many gifts to the poor. He always talked with God.

³ About three o'clock one afternoon, he clearly saw an angel from God coming to him in a vision. `Cornelius,' said the angel.

⁴ Cornelius looked at him. He was afraid and asked, `What is it, Sir?' The angel answered him, `God has heard what you said to him. He has remembered your gifts to the poor.

⁵ Send men to Joppa to call Simon, whose other name is Peter.

⁶ He is staying with Simon, the man who makes skins into leather. His house is by the sea. Peter will tell you what you should do.'

⁷ When the angel which spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his house servants. He also called one of the soldiers who believed in God and who always helped him.

⁸ He told them carefully all about his vision. Then he sent them to Joppa.

⁹ They went the next day. They were coming near to the city. About midday, Peter went up on the flat roof of the house to talk with God.

¹⁰ He became very hungry and wanted to eat. While food was being made ready, something like a dream came over him.

¹¹ He saw the sky open. A bundle like a big blanket was tied by the corners. It was let down to earth.

¹² In the bundle were all kinds of animals and snakes and birds.

¹³ Then Peter heard a voice saying to him, `Get up, Peter. Kill some and eat.'

¹⁴ But Peter said, `No, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is not holy or not clean.'

¹⁵ Then the voice spoke to him again, saying, `What God has made clean you must not call unholy.'

¹⁶ This happened three times. Then the thing was taken up right away into the sky.

7 After this, Jesus travelled around in Galilee. He would not travel around in Judea because the leaders of the Jews wanted to kill him.

² Every year the Jews had a feast to remember the time when their fathers lived in tents in the desert. The time was near for that feast.

³ Jesus' brothers said to him, `Go away from here to Judea. Let your disciples also see the work you are doing.

⁴ When a person wants people to know about him, he does not hide what he is doing. If you are doing these big things, let the world see you.'

⁵ Even his brothers did not believe in Jesus.

⁶ Jesus said to them, `It is not yet the time for me to go. But you may go any time you want to.

⁷ The people of the world cannot hate you. But they hate me because I say what they do is wrong.

⁸ Go to the feast yourselves. I am not going to the feast until it is the right time for me to go.'

⁹ He said this to them and stayed in Galilee.

¹⁰ After his brothers went to the feast, Jesus went also. He did not go with the other people, but he went by himself.

¹¹ The leaders of the Jews at the feast tried to find him. They said, `Where is he?'

¹² People were talking among themselves about Jesus. Some said, `He is a good man.' Others said, `No. He is leading people to do wrong things.'

¹³ But they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, so no one talked about him out in the open.