| 章 |
| 11:1 |
The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
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| 11:2 |
So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him
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| 11:3 |
and said, "You went into the house of uncircumcised men and ate with them."
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| 11:4 |
Peter began and explained everything to them precisely as it had happened:
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| 11:5 |
"I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was.
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| 11:6 |
I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air.
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| 11:7 |
Then I heard a voice telling me, `Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.
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| 11:8 |
"'I replied, `Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.
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| 11:9 |
"'The voice spoke from heaven a second time, `Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.
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| 11:10 |
'This happened three times, and then it was all pulled up to heaven again.
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| 11:11 |
"Right then three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea stopped at the house where I was staying.
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| 11:12 |
The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house.
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| 11:13 |
He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, `Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter.
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| 11:14 |
He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved.
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| 11:15 |
"'As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning.
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| 11:16 |
Then I remembered what the Lord had said: `John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
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| 11:17 |
'So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?"
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| 11:18 |
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."
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| 11:19 |
Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.
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| 11:20 |
Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.
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| 11:21 |
The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
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| 11:22 |
News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
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| 11:23 |
When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.
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| 11:24 |
He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
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| 11:25 |
Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
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| 11:26 |
and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
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| 11:27 |
During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
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| 11:28 |
One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)
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| 11:29 |
The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea.
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| 11:30 |
This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
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