Book of Common Prayer

11 The apostles and other Christian brothers were in Judea. They heard that some people who were not Jews had also believed God's message.

² When Peter went back to Jerusalem, the leaders of the Jews found fault with him.

³ They asked, `Why did you visit people who are not Jews? Why did you eat with them?'

⁴ Peter explained to them all that had happened from the beginning.

⁵ `I was in the city of Joppa talking with God,' he said. `Something like a dream came over me. I saw a vision. I saw a bundle like a big blanket tied by the corners. It was let down from the sky. It came down to me.

⁶ When I looked at it, I wondered about it. I saw different kinds of tame animals, wild animals, snakes, and birds.

⁷ And I heard a voice say to me, "Get up, Peter. Kill some and eat."

⁸ But I said, "No, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is not holy or clean."

⁹ Then the voice spoke from the sky a second time, saying, "What God has made clean, you must not call unholy."

¹⁰ This happened three times. Then everything was taken up into the sky again.

¹¹ Right then three men came to the house where we were. They had come from Caesarea for me.

¹² The Spirit told me to go with them and not to fear. These six brothers went with me too. We went into the man's house.

¹³ He told us that he had seen God's angel standing in his house. The angel said to him, "Send men to Joppa to call Simon whose other name is Peter.

¹⁴ He will tell you and all your family how to be saved."

¹⁵ And when I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them just as he had come on us at the beginning.

¹⁶ Then I remembered that the Lord said, "John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit."

¹⁷ God gave then the same gift as he gave to us who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. If God gave them this gift, how could I stop him? I am only a man.'

¹⁸ When the people heard this, they were satisfied. They praised God saying, `God has allowed the people who are not Jews to turn to him and live.'

¹² Then Jesus talked to the people in the temple. He said, `I am the Light of the world. The one who comes with me will never walk in the dark, but he will have light that gives life.'

¹³ The Pharisees said, `You are talking about yourself. What you say is not true.'

¹⁴ Jesus said to them, `Even if I do talk about myself, what I say is true. I know where I come from and I know where I am going. But you do not know where I came from, or where I am going.

¹⁵ You judge in the way people judge matters. I do not judge any person.

¹⁶ But even if I do judge, I judge right. I am not alone. My Father who sent me is with me.

¹⁷ Even in your law it says that when two people say the same thing, it is true.

¹⁸ I talk about myself, and my Father who sent me talks about me.'

¹⁹ They asked him, `Where is your Father?' He said, `You do not know me and you do not know my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.'

²⁰ When Jesus said these words he was teaching in the temple. He was in the place where the money is kept. No one caught him because it was not yet his time.