Book of Common Prayer
Peter’s vision
10 In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion with the cohort called “the Italian.” 2 He was devout, and he and all his household revered God. He gave alms generously to the people, and constantly prayed to God.
3 He had a vision. Around three o’clock in the afternoon he saw, quite clearly, one of God’s angels coming to him.
“Cornelius!” said the angel.
4 He looked hard at him, terrified.
“What is it, Sir?” he said.
“Your prayers and your alms have come to God’s notice,” said the angel. 5 “What you must do is this. Send men to Joppa, and ask for someone called Simon, surnamed Peter. 6 He is staying with a man called Simon, a tanner, whose house is beside the sea.”
7 When the angel who had spoken with him went away, he called two of his household and a devout soldier from among his retinue. 8 He explained everything to them, and sent them off to Joppa.
9 The next day, as they were on their journey and getting near the town, Peter went up onto the roof of the house to pray. It was around midday; 10 he was hungry, and asked for something to eat. While they were preparing it, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened, and a vessel like a great sail coming down towards the earth, suspended by its four corners. 12 In the sail there was every kind of four-footed creature, reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. 13 Then he heard a voice: “Get up, Peter!” said the voice. “Kill and eat!”
14 “Certainly not, Master!” said Peter. “I’ve never eaten anything common or unclean!”
15 “What God has made clean,” said the voice, coming now for a second time, “you must not regard as common.”
16 This all happened three times, and then suddenly the sail was whisked back up to heaven.
Jesus and his brothers
7 After this, Jesus went about in Galilee. He didn’t want to go about in Judaea, because the Judaeans were after his blood.
2 The time came for the Jewish festival of Tabernacles. 3 So Jesus’ brothers approached him.
“Leave this place,” they said, “and go to Judaea! Then your disciples will see the works you’re doing. 4 Nobody who wants to become well known does things in secret. If you’re doing these things, show yourself to the world!”
5 Even his brothers, you see, didn’t believe in him.
6 “My time isn’t here yet,” replied Jesus, “but your time is always here. 7 The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I am giving evidence against it, showing that its works are evil. 8 I tell you what: you go up to the feast. I’m not going up to this feast; my time is not yet complete.”
9 With these words, he stayed behind in Galilee.
Disputes about Jesus
10 But when Jesus’ brothers had gone up to the festival, then he himself went up, not openly, but, so to speak, in secret. 11 The Judaeans were looking for him at the feast.
“Where is he?” they were saying.
12 There was considerable dispute about him among the crowds.
“He’s a good man!” some were saying.
“No, he isn’t,” others would reply. “He’s deceiving the people!”
13 But nobody dared speak about him openly, for fear of the Judaeans.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.