Book of Common Prayer

The vision that Peter saw. How he was sent to Cornelius. The heathen also receive the Spirit, and are baptized.

10 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a captain of the soldiers of Italy, ² a devout man, and one who feared God with all his household. He gave many alms to the people, and prayed to God always. ³ The same man saw in a vision clearly, about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming in to him and saying to him, Cornelius! ⁴ When he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? He said to him, Your prayers and your alms have come up into remembrance before God. ⁵ And now, send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, named also Peter. ⁶ He lodges with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the seaside. ⁷ He will tell you what you ought to do.

When the angel who spoke to Cornelius had departed, he called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those that waited on him, ⁸ and told them all the matter, and sent them to Joppa.

⁹ On the next day, as they went on their journey and drew near to the city, Peter went up upon the top of the house to pray, about the sixth hour. ¹⁰ Then he grew hungry and wanted to eat. But while they made ready, he fell into a trance, ¹¹ and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel come down to him, like a great sheet knit at the four corners. And it was let down to the earth. ¹² In it were all manner of four-footed animals of the earth, and wild beasts, and reptiles, and birds of the air. ¹³ And there came a voice to him: Rise, Peter; kill and eat! ¹⁴ But Peter said, God forbid, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. ¹⁵ And the voice spoke to him again the second time: What God has cleansed, do not judge common. ¹⁶ This was done three times, and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

¹² Then Peter arose and ran to the sepulchre, and stooped in and saw the linen cloths laid by themselves. And he departed, wondering in himself at that which had happened.

¹³ And behold, two of them set out that same day for a town called Emmaus, which was about sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they talked together about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ And it so was, as they conversed together and discussed, that Jesus himself drew near and went alongside them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were held, so they could not know him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, What sort of conversations are these that you are having with each other as you walk and are sad?

¹⁸ And the one named Cleopas answered and said to him, Are you only a stranger in Jerusalem, and do not know about the things that have happened there in these days?

¹⁹ Jesus said to them, What things?

And they said to him, Of Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how the high priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. ²¹ But we trusted that it was he who would deliver Israel. And regarding all these things, today is just the third day since they happened. ²² Yea, and also certain women of our company have us mystified. They went early to the sepulchre, ²³ but did not find his body, and came saying that they had seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. ²⁴ And some of those who were with us went their way to the sepulchre and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.

²⁵ And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory?

²⁷ And he began at Moses and at all the prophets, and interpreted to them all the scriptures that were written about him. ²⁸ And they drew near the town they were headed to, and Jesus made as though he would have gone further. ²⁹ But they constrained him, saying, Stay with us, for it is drawing towards night and the day is far past. And he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ And it came to pass, as he sat at food with them, he took bread, blessed it, broke, and gave to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. ³² And they said between themselves, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us along the road and as he opened to us the scriptures?

³³ And they rose up the same hour and returned again to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them, ³⁴ who said, The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!

³⁵ And the two told what things had happened along the road, and how they knew him in the breaking of bread.