Parallel Bible results for "Acts 11"

Acts 11

English Standard Version ESV

1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.

2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying,

3 "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them."

4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order:

5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me.

6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air.

7 And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.'

8 But I said, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'

9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, do not call common.'

10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.

11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea.

12 And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.

13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter;

14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.'

15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.

16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?"

18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life."

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.

20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.

21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.

22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,

24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,

26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius).

29 So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.

30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

The Message Bible MSG

1 The news traveled fast and in no time the leaders and friends back in Jerusalem heard about it - heard that the non-Jewish "outsiders" were now "in."

2 When Peter got back to Jerusalem, some of his old associates, concerned about circumcision, called him on the carpet:

3 "What do you think you're doing rubbing shoulders with that crowd, eating what is prohibited and ruining our good name?"

4 So Peter, starting from the beginning, laid it out for them step-by-step:

5 "Recently I was in the town of Joppa praying. I fell into a trance and saw a vision: Something like a huge blanket, lowered by ropes at its four corners, came down out of heaven and settled on the ground in front of me.

6 Milling around on the blanket were farm animals, wild animals, reptiles, birds - you name it, it was there. Fascinated, I took it all in.

7 "Then I heard a voice: 'Go to it, Peter - kill and eat.'

8 I said, 'Oh, no, Master. I've never so much as tasted food that wasn't kosher.'

9 The voice spoke again: 'If God says it's okay, it's okay.'

10 This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the sky.

11 "Just then three men showed up at the house where I was staying, sent from Caesarea to get me.

12 The Spirit told me to go with them, no questions asked. So I went with them, I and six friends, to the man who had sent for me.

13 He told us how he had seen an angel right in his own house, real as his next-door neighbor, saying, 'Send to Joppa and get Simon, the one they call Peter.

14 He'll tell you something that will save your life - in fact, you and everyone you care for.'

15 "So I started in, talking. Before I'd spoken half a dozen sentences, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he did on us the first time.

16 I remembered Jesus' words: 'John baptized with water; you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

17 So I ask you: If God gave the same exact gift to them as to us when we believed in the Master Jesus Christ, how could I object to God?"

18 Hearing it all laid out like that, they quieted down. And then, as it sank in, they started praising God. "It's really happened! God has broken through to the other nations, opened them up to Life!"

19 Those who had been scattered by the persecution triggered by Stephen's death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they were still only speaking and dealing with their fellow Jews.

20 Then some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had come to Antioch started talking to Greeks, giving them the Message of the Master Jesus.

21 God was pleased with what they were doing and put his stamp of approval on it - quite a number of the Greeks believed and turned to the Master.

22 When the church in Jerusalem got wind of this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check on things.

23 As soon as he arrived, he saw that God was behind and in it all. He threw himself in with them, got behind them, urging them to stay with it the rest of their lives.

24 He was a good man that way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit's ways. The community grew large and strong in the Master.

25 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul.

26 He found him and brought him back to Antioch. They were there a whole year, meeting with the church and teaching a lot of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were for the first time called Christians.

27 It was about this same time that some prophets came to Antioch from Jerusalem.

28 One of them named Agabus stood up one day and, prompted by the Spirit, warned that a severe famine was about to devastate the country. (The famine eventually came during the rule of Claudius.)

29 So the disciples decided that each of them would send whatever they could to their fellow Christians in Judea to help out.

30 They sent Barnabas and Saul to deliver the collection to the leaders in Jerusalem.