Chronological

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.'

¹⁹ Some of the people had gone to other countries because of the big trouble when Stephen was killed. They went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch. They told God's word to the Jews only.

²⁰ Some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene. They went to Antioch. They also spoke to those who were not Jews, and they told them about the Lord Jesus.

²¹ The Lord was with them. Many believed and turned to the Lord.

²² The people in the Jerusalem church heard this news. They sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.

²³ When he reached there, he saw what had been done by the power of God. He was very glad. He talked to them. He begged them all to keep on following the Lord with all their heart.

²⁴ Barnabas was a good man. He believed in God and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Many people came to the Lord.

²⁵ Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to get Saul.

²⁶ When he found him, he took him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with all who believed in Jesus Christ. They taught many people. Antioch was the first place where the disciples were called Christians.

²⁷ At that time, prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.

²⁸ One of them named Agabus stood up. He told them the Spirit had shown him that much trouble would come to all the world. There would not be much food for the people. (This trouble came when Claudius Caesar was ruler.)

²⁹ Then the disciples decided to help the Christian brothers who lived in Judea. They would each one send what he could.

³⁰ They did so. They sent Barnabas and Saul to carry it to the church leaders [in Jerusalem].

12 ) At that time Herod the king caught some of the church people and troubled them.

² He killed James the brother of John with a long knife or sword.

³ He saw that this pleased the leaders of the Jews, so he caught Peter also. This happened at the Jewish feast which they had each year to remember leaving Egypt. (It was called the Passover Feast.)

⁴ After Herod had caught Peter, he put him in prison. He told four groups of soldiers to guard him. There were four soldiers in each group. He planned to bring him out for trial before the people. But he would do it after the Passover Feast.

⁵ So Peter was kept in prison. And the church people asked God to help him.

⁶ The night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. He was tied to them with two chains. Guards were at the door of the prison.

⁷ An angel from the Lord came to him and a light shone in the prison. He hit Peter's side and woke him up. `Be quick,' he said. `Get up!' His chains fell off his hands.

⁸ `Put on your belt and your shoes,' said the angel. Peter did so. `And now,' said the angel, `put on your coat and follow me.'

⁹ Peter followed him out. He did not know that what the angel had done was true. He thought he was dreaming.

¹⁰ They passed the first and the second guard. Then they came to the iron gate out to the city. It opened for them by itself. So they went all the way down a street. Then the angel left him.

¹¹ When Peter came to himself, he said, `Now I know truly that the Lord has sent his angel. He has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish leaders are hoping will happen to me.'

¹² And when he thought about this, he went to Mary's house. Mary was John Mark's mother. Many people were meeting there, talking to God [about Peter].

¹³ Peter knocked at the outside door. A young servant woman named Rhoda went to answer.

¹⁴ When she knew it was Peter's voice, she was very glad. She did not open the door. But she ran in and told the people that Peter was at the door.

¹⁵ They said, `You are crazy.' But she kept on saying that Peter was really there. Then they said, `It must be his angel.'

¹⁶ Peter kept on knocking. When they opened the door and saw him, they were very much surprised.

¹⁷ He put out his hand for them to be quiet. Then he told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, `Tell James and the brothers about this.' Then he went away to another place.

¹⁸ In the morning the soldiers tried hard to find Peter.

¹⁹ Herod had looked for him and had not found him. So he questioned the guards and ordered them to be taken away and killed. And then Peter went from Judea to Caesarea to live for a while.

²⁰ Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. But they got Blastus to speak to the king for them. Blastus was one of the men who worked in the king's house. They came to Herod together. They wanted to make peace with him because their country got its food from his country.

²¹ On a certain day Herod put on his king's robes and sat on his chair and made a speech.

²² The people shouted, `A god is talking to us. He is not a man.'

²³ At once an angel from God put a bad sickness on Herod because he did not give God the praise. Worms ate him and he died.

²⁴ The word of God spread further and further and more people believed.

²⁵ Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had finished their work. They brought John Mark with them.