Acts 11

1  NOW THE apostles (special messengers) and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard [with astonishment] that the Gentiles (heathen) also had received and accepted and welcomed the Word of God [the doctrine concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God].2  So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party [certain Jewish Christians] found fault with him [separating themselves from him in a hostile spirit, opposing and disputing and contending with him],3  Saying, Why did you go to uncircumcised men and [even] eat with them?4  But Peter began [at the beginning] and narrated and explained to them step by step [the whole list of events]. He said:5  I was in the town of Joppa praying, and [falling] in a trance I saw a vision of something coming down from heaven, like a huge sheet lowered by the four corners; and it descended until it came to me.6  Gazing intently and closely at it, I observed in it [a variety of] four-footed animals and wild beasts and reptiles of the earth and birds of the air,7  And I heard a voice saying to me, Get up, Peter; kill and eat.8  But I said, No, by no means, Lord; for nothing common or unhallowed or [ceremonially] unclean has ever entered my mouth.9  But the voice answered a second time from heaven, What God has cleansed and pronounced clean, do not you defile and profane by regarding or calling it common or unhallowed or unclean.10  This occurred three times, and then all was drawn up again into heaven.11  And right then the three men sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house in which we were.12  And the [Holy] Spirit instructed me to accompany them without [the least] hesitation or misgivings or discrimination. So these six brethren accompanied me also, and we went into the man’s house.13  And he related to us how he had seen the angel in his house which stood and said to him, Send men to Joppa and bring Simon who is surnamed Peter;14  He will give and explain to you a message by means of which you and all your household [as well] will be saved [from eternal death].15  When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as He did on us at the beginning. 16  Then I recalled the declaration of the Lord, how He said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with (be placed in, introduced into) the Holy Spirit.17  If then God gave to them the same Gift [equally] as He gave to us when we believed in (adhered to, trusted in, and relied on) the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I and what power or authority had I to interfere or hinder or forbid or withstand God?18  When they heard this, they were quieted and made no further objection. And they glorified God, saying, Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance unto [real] life [after resurrection].19  Meanwhile those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen had traveled as far away as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, without delivering the message [concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] to anyone except Jews.20  But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on returning to Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, proclaiming [to them] the good news (the Gospel) about the Lord Jesus.21  And the presence of the Lord was with them with power, so that a great number [learned] to believe (to adhere to and trust in and rely on the Lord) and turned and surrendered themselves to Him.22  The rumors of this came to the ears of the church (assembly) in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.23  When he arrived and saw what grace (favor) God was bestowing upon them, he was full of joy; and he continuously exhorted (warned, urged, and encouraged) them all to cleave unto and remain faithful to and devoted to the Lord with [resolute and steady] purpose of heart.24  For he was a good man [good in himself and also at once for the good and the advantage of other people], full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit and full of faith (of his belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation). And a large company was added to the Lord.25  [Barnabas] went on to Tarsus to hunt for Saul.26  And when he had found him, he brought him back to Antioch. For a whole year they assembled together with and were guests of the church and instructed a large number of people; and in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.27  And during these days prophets (inspired teachers and interpreters of the divine will and purpose) came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.28  And one of them named Agabus stood up and prophesied through the [Holy] Spirit that a great and severe famine would come upon the whole world. And this did occur during the reign of Claudius.29  So the disciples resolved to send relief, each according to his individual ability [in proportion as he had prospered], to the brethren who lived in Judea.30  And so they did, sending [their contributions] to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Apostlenes gjerninger 11

Peters beretning i Jerusalem

1 Apostlene og brødrene omkring i Judea fikk nå høre at også hedningene hadde tatt imot Guds ord. 2 Da Peter kom opp til Jerusalem, bebreidet de omskårne ham og sa: 3 «Du tok inn hos uomskårne og spiste sammen med dem.» t

4 Da begynte Peter å forklare alt for dem fra først til sist:
5 Jeg var i byen Jaffa. Mens jeg bad, kom jeg i henrykkelse og fikk et syn. Noe dalte ned, akkurat som en stor duk som ble senket ned fra himmelen etter de fire hjørnene, og den kom helt ned til meg. t 6 Jeg stirret på den og så nøye etter, og da fikk jeg se jordens firbente dyr, ville dyr, krypdyr og himmelens fugler. 7 Så hørte jeg også en røst si til meg: «Peter, ta for deg, slakt og spis.» 8 Jeg svarte: «Det kan jeg ikke, Herre, for aldri er noe vanhellig og urent kommet inn i min munn.» 9 For annen gang lød røsten fra himmelen: «Det som Gud har sagt er rent, må ikke du kalle urent.» 10 Dette hendte tre ganger, og alt ble tatt opp til himmelen igjen. 11 I det samme stod tre menn utenfor huset hvor jeg bodde, de var utsendt til meg fra Cæsarea. 12 Ånden sa til meg at jeg skulle dra sammen med dem uten å betenke meg. Disse seks brødrene reiste også med, og vi kom inn i mannens hus. 13 Han fortalte oss hvorledes han i sitt eget hus hadde sett en engel som sa: «Send bud til Jaffa og be Simon med tilnavnet Peter komme hit. 14 Han skal tale ord til deg som gir deg og alle dine frelse.» 15 Og da jeg begynte å tale, kom Den Hellige Ånd over dem likesom over oss i begynnelsen. t 16 Da husket jeg Herrens ord, at han sa: «Johannes døpte med vann, men dere skal døpes med Den Hellige Ånd.» t

17 Når Gud har gitt dem den samme gave som vi fikk da vi kom til tro på Herren Jesus Kristus, hvem er da jeg, så jeg skulle kunne hindre Gud?t

18 Da de hørte dette, slo de seg til ro, og de priste Gud og sa: «Så har da Gud også latt hedningene få vende om og vinne livet!»t

Den første hedningkristne menighet

26 som han fant og tok med seg til Antiokia. Et helt år var de sammen i menigheten der og gav mange mennesker opplæring i troen. Det var i Antiokia disiplene for første gang ble kalt kristne.
27 På den tid kom noen profeter fra Jerusalem til Antiokia. 28 En av dem, som hette Agabus, stod fram og varslet ved Ånden at en stor hungersnød skulle ramme hele verden. Det var den som kom under keiser Claudius. t t 29 Da ble disiplene enige om at enhver av dem skulle gi så mye han kunne avse, for å hjelpe de brødrene som bodde i Judea. 30 Dette gjorde de, og de sendte gaven med Barnabas og Saulus til de eldste.t