Beginning
The conversion of Saul
9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out threats and murder on the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and requested from him official letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that he could find people who belonged to the Way, men and women alike, tie them up and bring them back to Jerusalem.
3 While he was on the journey, and was getting near to Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice speaking to him.
“Saul, Saul!” said the voice. “Why are you persecuting me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” he asked.
“I am Jesus,” he said, “and you are persecuting me. 6 But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men who were traveling with Saul stood speechless. They heard the voice, but couldn’t see anybody. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he couldn’t see anything. So they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. 9 He went for three days, still unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.
Ananias and Saul
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision.
“Ananias!” he said.
“Here I am, Lord,” he replied.
11 “Get up,” said the Lord to him, “and go to the street called Straight. Inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul. Look—he’s praying! 12 And he has seen, in a vision, a man named Ananias coming and laying his hands on him so that he can see again.”
13 “Well, Lord,” replied Ananias, “I’ve heard about this man from several people . . . all about how he’s done wicked things to your holy people in Jerusalem . . . 14 and now he’s come here with authority from the chief priests to tie up everybody who calls on your Name!”
15 “Just go,” replied the Lord. “He is a chosen vessel for me, to carry my Name before nations and kings—and the children of Israel, too. 16 I am going to show him how many things he is going to have to suffer for the sake of my Name.”
17 So Ananias set off, went into the house, and laid his hands on him.
“Brother Saul,” he said, “the Lord has sent me—yes, Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—so that you may be able to see again, and receive the holy spirit.”
18 At once something like scales fell off his eyes, and he was able to see. He got up and was baptized. 19 He had something to eat, and regained his strength.
“He is God’s son”
Saul stayed with the disciples in Damascus for a few days. 20 At once he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “This really is the son of God!” 21 Everyone was astonished, and said, “Isn’t this the man who caused havoc to those in Jerusalem who call on this Name? And here he is, coming to tie them up and take them off to the high priests!” 22 But Saul grew all the stronger, and threw the Jews in Damascus into confusion by demonstrating that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.
23 After some days, the Jews made a plot to kill him, 24 but Saul got wind of their plan. They were watching the city gates day and night so that they could do away with him. 25 But the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall, lowering him in a basket.
26 When he got back to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles, and explained to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.
28 He was with them in Jerusalem, coming and going and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He spoke, as well, to the Hellenists, who tried to kill him. 30 But the family heard of it and took him down to Caesarea. There they sent him off to Tarsus.
31 So the church in all Judaea, Galilee and Samaria found itself at peace. It was built up and gained in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the holy spirit.
Back to Peter
32 As Peter was going through various places among all the believers, he went down to God’s people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a paralyzed man named Aeneas who had been confined to bed for eight years.
34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus the Messiah heals you! Stand up and fold up your bed!”
And at once he stood up. 35 Everyone who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw it, and they turned to the Lord.
36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, whose name translates as “Dorcas.” She was full of good works and generous deeds. 37 Around that time she fell ill and died. They washed her and laid her in an upper room. 38 Lydda is near Joppa, and the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the urgent request that he shouldn’t delay, but come to them at once. 39 So Peter got up and went with them. When he arrived, they took him to the upper room, where all the widows were weeping. They showed him the tunics and the other clothes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
40 Peter sent them all out. Then he knelt down and prayed, and turned to the body.
“Tabitha,” he said, “get up!”
She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and lifted her up. Then he called God’s people, including the widows, and presented her alive.
42 This became known throughout the whole of Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed on in Joppa for some days, at the house of Simon the tanner.
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.
Peter goes to Cornelius
17 When Peter came to himself, he was puzzled as to what the vision he had seen was all about. Then, suddenly, the men sent by Cornelius appeared, standing by the gate. They had been asking for Simon’s house, 18 inquiring if someone by the name of Simon called Peter was staying there. 19 Peter was still pondering the vision, when the spirit spoke to him.
“Look,” said the spirit. “There are three men searching for you. 20 It’s all right; get up, go down and go with them. Don’t be prejudiced; I have sent them.”
21 So Peter went down to the men.
“Here I am,” he said. “I’m the one you’re looking for. Why have you come?”
22 “There is a man called Cornelius,” they replied. “He is a centurion, and he is a righteous and God-fearing man. The whole people of the Jews will testify to him. A holy angel told him in a vision to send for you to come to his house, so that he can hear any words you may have to say.”
23 So he invited them in and put them up for the night.
In the morning he got up and went with them. Some of the believers from Joppa went with him. 24 They reached Caesarea the following day. Cornelius had summoned his relatives and close friends and was waiting for him.
25 When Peter came in, Cornelius went to meet him. He fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
26 “Get up!” said Peter, lifting him up. “I’m just a man, too.”
27 So they talked together, and Peter came in and found lots of people assembled.
28 “You must know,” he said to them, “that it is forbidden for a Jewish man to mix with or visit a Gentile. But God showed me that I should call nobody ‘common’ or ‘unclean.’ 29 So I came when I was asked, and raised no objections. Do tell me, then, the reason why you sent for me.”
30 “Four days ago,” answered Cornelius, “I was praying in my house at around this time, about three o’clock, and suddenly a man stood beside me in shining clothes. 31 ‘Cornelius,’ he said, ‘your prayer has been heard, and your almsgiving has been remembered by God. 32 So send someone to Joppa and call Simon, who is named Peter; he is staying in the house of Simon the tanner, beside the sea.’ 33 So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. So now we are all here, in God’s presence, to listen to everything which the Lord has told you to say.”
Telling the Gentiles about Jesus
34 Peter took a deep breath and began.
“It’s become clear to me,” he said, “that God really does show no favoritism. 35 No: in every race, people who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him. 36 He sent his word to the children of Israel, announcing peace through Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all! 37 You know all about this, and how the word spread through all Judaea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John proclaimed.
38 “God anointed this man, Jesus of Nazareth, with the holy spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were overpowered by the devil, since God was with him. 39 We are witnesses of everything he did in the land of Judaea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day, and allowed him to be seen, 41 not indeed by all the people, but by those of us whom God had appointed beforehand. We ate and drank with him after he had been raised from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to announce to the people, and to bear testimony, that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets give their witness: he is the one! Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his Name.”
44 While Peter was still saying all this, the holy spirit fell on everyone who was listening to the word. 45 The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astonished, because the gift of the holy spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles too. 46 They heard them speaking with tongues and praising God.
Then Peter spoke up.
47 “Nobody can deny these people water to be baptized, can they?” he said. “They have received the holy spirit, just like we did!” 48 So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus the Messiah.
Then they asked him to stay for a few days.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.