10:1   Now there lived a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort,

10:2   a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.

10:3   About the ninth hour of the day he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had just come in and said to him, "Cornelius!"

10:4  And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, "What do you want, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.

10:5   "Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who has the name of Peter;

10:6   he stays with a tanner named Simon, whose house lies by the sea."

10:7   When the angel who spoke to him had left, he summoned two of his servants and a devout soldier of those who served as his personal attendants,

10:8   and after he had explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

10:9   On the next day, as they proceeded on their way and approached the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.

10:10   But he became hungry and desired to eat; but while they made preparations, he fell into a trance;

10:11   and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,

10:12   and there appeared in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air.

10:13   A voice came to him, "Get up, Peter, kill and eat!"

10:14   But Peter said, "By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean."

10:15   Again a voice came to him a second time, " What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy."

10:16   This happened three times, and immediately the object disappeared into the sky.

10:17  Now while Peter felt greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who Cornelius had sent, having asked directions for Simon's house, appeared at the gate;

10:18   and calling out, they asked whether Simon, who also had the name of Peter, stayed there.

10:19   While Peter reflected on the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men look for you.

10:20   "But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself."

10:21   Peter went down to the men and said, "Behold, you look for me; for what reason did you come?"

10:22   They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, had received a divine direction by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you."

10:23   So he invited them in and gave them lodging. And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.

10:24  On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius awaited them and had called together his relatives and close friends.

10:25  When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.

10:26   But Peter raised him up, saying, " Stand up; I share the same mortality and humanity as you do."

10:27   As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled.

10:28  And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful we have considered it for a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.

10:29   " Consequently, I came without even raising any objection when you sent for me. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me."

10:30   Cornelius said, " Four days ago to this hour, I prayed in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining garments,

10:31   and he said, 'Cornelius, God has heard and remembered your alms.

10:32   'Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who also has the name of Peter, to come to you; he stays at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.'

10:33   "So I sent for you immediately, and you have shown kindness enough to come. Now then, we all have come here present before God to hear all that God has commanded you."

10:34   Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God does not show partiality,

10:35   but in every nation the man who fears Him and does right He welcomes.

10:36   "The word which He sent to the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ (We acknowledge Him as Lord of all)--

10:37   you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed.

10:38  "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who received oppression by the devil, for God stayed with Him.

10:39   "We witness all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.

10:40   " God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible,

10:41   not to all the people, but to witnesses whom He had chosen beforehand by God, namely, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.

10:42   "And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this One who God has appointed as Judge of the living and the dead.

10:43   "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins."

10:44   While Peter still spoke these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who listened to the message.

10:45   All the circumcised believers who came with Peter felt amazement, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had become poured out on the Gentiles also.

10:46   For they heard them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered,

10:47   " Surely no one can refuse the water for these to receive baptism who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?"

10:48   And he ordered them to receive baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.