Parallel Bible results for "acts 11"

Acts 11

New Century Version NCV

1 The apostles and the believers in Judea heard that some who were not Jewish had accepted God's teaching too.

2 But when Peter came to Jerusalem, some Jewish believers argued with him.

3 They said, "You went into the homes of people who are not circumcised and ate with them!"

4 So Peter explained the whole story to them.

5 He said, "I was in the city of Joppa, and while I was praying, I had a vision. I saw something that looked like a big sheet being lowered from heaven by its four corners. It came very close to me.

6 I looked inside it and saw animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds.

7 I heard a voice say to me, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.'

8 But I said, 'No, Lord! I have never eaten anything that is unholy or unclean.'

9 But the voice from heaven spoke again, 'God has made these things clean, so don't call them unholy.'

10 This happened three times. Then the whole thing was taken back to heaven.

11 Right then three men who were sent to me from Caesarea came to the house where I was staying.

12 The Spirit told me to go with them without doubting. These six believers here also went with me, and we entered the house of Cornelius.

13 He told us about the angel he saw standing in his house. The angel said to him, 'Send some men to Joppa and invite Simon Peter to come.

14 By the words he will say to you, you and all your family will be saved.'

15 When I began my speech, the Holy Spirit came on them just as he came on us at the beginning.

16 Then I remembered the words of the Lord. He said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

17 Since God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, how could I stop the work of God?"

18 When the Jewish believers heard this, they stopped arguing. They praised God and said, "So God is allowing even those who are not Jewish to turn to him and live."

19 Many of the believers were scattered when they were persecuted after Stephen was killed. Some of them went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch telling the message to others, but only to Jews.

20 Some of these believers were people from Cyprus and Cyrene. When they came to Antioch, they spoke also to Greeks, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus.

21 The Lord was helping the believers, and a large group of people believed and turned to the Lord.

22 The church in Jerusalem heard about all of this, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

23

24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith. When he reached Antioch and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad. He encouraged all the believers in Antioch always to obey the Lord with all their hearts, and many people became followers of the Lord.

25 Then Barnabas went to the city of Tarsus to look for Saul,

26 and when he found Saul, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year Saul and Barnabas met with the church and taught many people there. In Antioch the followers were called Christians for the first time.

27 About that time some prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and spoke with the help of the Holy Spirit. He said, "A very hard time is coming to the whole world. There will be no food to eat." (This happened when Claudius ruled.)

29 The believers all decided to help the followers who lived in Judea, as much as each one could.

30 They gathered the money and gave it to Barnabas and Saul, who brought it to the elders in Judea.

New Living Translation NLT

1 Soon the news reached the apostles and other believers in Judea that the Gentiles had received the word of God.

2 But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him.

3 “You entered the home of Gentiles and even ate with them!” they said.

4 Then Peter told them exactly what had happened.

5 “I was in the town of Joppa,” he said, “and while I was praying, I went into a trance and saw a vision. Something like a large sheet was let down by its four corners from the sky. And it came right down to me.

6 When I looked inside the sheet, I saw all sorts of tame and wild animals, reptiles, and birds.

7 And I heard a voice say, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat them.’

8 “‘No, Lord,’ I replied. ‘I have never eaten anything that our Jewish laws have declared impure or unclean. ’

9 “But the voice from heaven spoke again: ‘Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.’

10 This happened three times before the sheet and all it contained was pulled back up to heaven.

11 “Just then three men who had been sent from Caesarea arrived at the house where we were staying.

12 The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry that they were Gentiles. These six brothers here accompanied me, and we soon entered the home of the man who had sent for us.

13 He told us how an angel had appeared to him in his home and had told him, ‘Send messengers to Joppa, and summon a man named Simon Peter.

14 He will tell you how you and everyone in your household can be saved!’

15 “As I began to speak,” Peter continued, “the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning.

16 Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

17 And since God gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to stand in God’s way?”

18 When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.”

19 Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.

20 However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.

21 The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.

22 When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.

24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.

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

26 When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

27 During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch.

28 One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.)

29 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.

30 This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.