New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called.
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There was a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea, captain of the Italian Guard stationed there.
2 He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God.
3 One afternoon at about three o'clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius."
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He was a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to live worshipfully before God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer. One day about three o'clock in the afternoon he had a vision. An angel of God, as real as his next-door neighbor, came in and said, "Cornelius."
4 He stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" He answered, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.
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Cornelius stared hard, wondering if he was seeing things. Then he said, "What do you want, sir?"
5 Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter;
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Here's what you are to do. Send men to Joppa to get Simon, the one everyone calls Peter.
6 he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside."
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He is staying with Simon the Tanner, whose house is down by the sea."
7 When the angel who spoke to him had left, he called two of his slaves and a devout soldier from the ranks of those who served him,
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As soon as the angel was gone, Cornelius called two servants and one particularly devout soldier from the guard.
8 and after telling them everything, he sent them to Joppa.
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He went over with them in great detail everything that had just happened, and then sent them off to Joppa.
9 About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
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The next day as the three travelers were approaching the town, Peter went out on the balcony to pray. It was about noon.
10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat; and while it was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
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Peter got hungry and started thinking about lunch. While lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance.
11 He saw the heaven opened and something like a large sheet coming down, being lowered to the ground by its four corners.
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He saw the skies open up. Something that looked like a huge blanket lowered by ropes at its four corners settled on the ground.
12 In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air.
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Every kind of animal and reptile and bird you could think of was on it.
13 Then he heard a voice saying, "Get up, Peter; kill and eat."
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Then a voice came: "Go to it, Peter - kill and eat."
14 But Peter said, "By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is profane or unclean."
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Peter said, "Oh, no, Lord. I've never so much as tasted food that was not kosher."
15 The voice said to him again, a second time, "What God has made clean, you must not call profane."
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The voice came a second time: "If God says it's okay, it's okay."
16 This happened three times, and the thing was suddenly taken up to heaven.
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This happened three times, and then the blanket was pulled back up into the skies.
17 Now while Peter was greatly puzzled about what to make of the vision that he had seen, suddenly the men sent by Cornelius appeared. They were asking for Simon's house and were standing by the gate.
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As Peter, puzzled, sat there trying to figure out what it all meant, the men sent by Cornelius showed up at Simon's front door.
18 They called out to ask whether Simon, who was called Peter, was staying there.
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They called in, asking if there was a Simon, also called Peter, staying there.
19 While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Look, three men are searching for you.
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Peter, lost in thought, didn't hear them, so the Spirit whispered to him, "Three men are knocking at the door looking for you.
20 Now get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation; for I have sent them."
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Get down there and go with them. Don't ask any questions. I sent them to get you."
21 So Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for your coming?"
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Peter went down and said to the men, "I think I'm the man you're looking for. What's up?"
22 They answered, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say."
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They said, "Captain Cornelius, a God-fearing man well-known for his fair play - ask any Jew in this part of the country - was commanded by a holy angel to get you and bring you to his house so he could hear what you had to say."
23 So Peter invited them in and gave them lodging. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the believers from Joppa accompanied him.
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Peter invited them in and made them feel at home.
24 The following day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
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A day later they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had his relatives and close friends waiting with him.
25 On Peter's arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshiped him.
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The minute Peter came through the door, Cornelius was up on his feet greeting him - and then down on his face worshiping him!
26 But Peter made him get up, saying, "Stand up; I am only a mortal."
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Peter pulled him up and said, "None of that - I'm a man and only a man, no different from you."
27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found that many had assembled;
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Talking things over, they went on into the house, where Cornelius introduced Peter to everyone who had come.
28 and he said to them, "You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.
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Peter addressed them, "You know, I'm sure that this is highly irregular. Jews just don't do this - visit and relax with people of another race. But God has just shown me that no race is better than any other.
29 So when I was sent for, I came without objection. Now may I ask why you sent for me?"
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So the minute I was sent for, I came, no questions asked. But now I'd like to know why you sent for me."
30 Cornelius replied, "Four days ago at this very hour, at three o'clock, I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in dazzling clothes stood before me.
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Cornelius said, "Four days ago at about this time, midafternoon, I was home praying. Suddenly there was a man right in front of me, flooding the room with light.
31 He said, "Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.
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He said, 'Cornelius, your daily prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God's attention.
32 Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the home of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.'
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I want you to send to Joppa to get Simon, the one they call Peter. He's staying with Simon the Tanner down by the sea.'
33 Therefore I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. So now all of us are here in the presence of God to listen to all that the Lord has commanded you to say."
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"So I did it - I sent for you. And you've been good enough to come. And now we're all here in God's presence, ready to listen to whatever the Master put in your heart to tell us."
34 Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality,
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Peter fairly exploded with his good news: "It's God's own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favorites!
35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
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It makes no difference who you are or where you're from - if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open.
36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.
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The Message he sent to the children of Israel - that through Jesus Christ everything is being put together again - well, he's doing it everywhere, among everyone.
37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:
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"You know the story of what happened in Judea. It began in Galilee after John preached a total life-change.
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
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Then Jesus arrived from Nazareth, anointed by God with the Holy Spirit, ready for action. He went through the country helping people and healing everyone who was beaten down by the Devil. He was able to do all this because God was with him.
39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree;
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"And we saw it, saw it all, everything he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem where they killed him, hung him from a cross.
40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear,
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But in three days God had him up, alive, and out where he could be seen.
41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
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Not everyone saw him - he wasn't put on public display. Witnesses had been carefully handpicked by God beforehand - us! We were the ones, there to eat and drink with him after he came back from the dead.
42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.
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He commissioned us to announce this in public, to bear solemn witness that he is in fact the One whom God destined as Judge of the living and dead.
43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
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But we're not alone in this. Our witness that he is the means to forgiveness of sins is backed up by the witness of all the prophets."
44 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.
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No sooner were these words out of Peter's mouth than the Holy Spirit came on the listeners.
45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles,
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The believing Jews who had come with Peter couldn't believe it, couldn't believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on "outsider" Gentiles,
46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said,
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but there it was - they heard them speaking in tongues, heard them praising God.
47 "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?"
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"Do I hear any objections to baptizing these friends with water? They've received the Holy Spirit exactly as we did."
48 So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.
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Hearing no objections, he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay on for a few days.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.