Acts 11-13

English Standard Version

Peter Reports to the Church

11 Now the apostles and ^(A)the brothers^[a] who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. ² So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, ^(B)the circumcision party^[b] criticized him, saying, ^3 (C)“You went to uncircumcised men and ^(D)ate with them.” ⁴ But Peter began and explained it to them in order: ^5 (E)“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, ^(F)making no distinction. ^(G)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 (H)he will declare to you a message by which ^(I)you will be saved, you and all your household.’ ¹⁵ As I began to speak, ^(J)the Holy Spirit fell on them ^(K)just as on us at the beginning. ¹⁶ And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ^(L)‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ If then ^(M)God gave ^(N)the same gift to them as he gave to us ^(O)when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^(P)who was I ^(Q)that I could stand in God's way?” ¹⁸ When they heard these things they fell silent. And they ^(R)glorified God, saying, ^(S)“Then to the Gentiles also God has ^(T)granted ^(U)repentance that leads to life.”

The Church in Antioch

^19 (V)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^[c] also, ^(W)preaching the Lord Jesus. ²¹ And ^(X)the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed ^(Y)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 ^(Z)the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord ^(AA)with steadfast purpose, ²⁴ for he was a good man, ^(AB)full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people ^(AC)were added to the Lord. ²⁵ So Barnabas went to ^(AD)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 ^(AE)Christians.

²⁷ Now in these days ^(AF)prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ And one of them named ^(AG)Agabus stood up and foretold ^(AH)by the Spirit that there would be a great ^(AI)famine over all the world (this took place in the days of ^(AJ)Claudius). ²⁹ So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, ^(AK)to send relief to ^(AL)the brothers^[d] living in Judea. ^30 (AM)And they did so, sending it to ^(AN)the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

James Killed and Peter Imprisoned

12 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. ² He killed ^(AO)James the brother of John ^(AP)with the sword, ³ and when he saw ^(AQ)that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during ^(AR)the days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴ And when he had seized him, he put him ^(AS)in prison, delivering him over to four ^(AT)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. ⁵ So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest ^(AU)prayer for him was made to God by the church.

Peter Is Rescued

⁶ Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, ^(AV)bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. ⁷ And behold, ^(AW)an angel of the Lord ^(AX)stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. ^(AY)He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And ^(AZ)the chains fell off his hands. ⁸ And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and ^(BA)put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” ⁹ And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but ^(BB)thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰ When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. ^(BC)It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. ¹¹ When Peter ^(BD)came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that ^(BE)the Lord has sent his angel and ^(BF)rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

¹² When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(BG)John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and ^(BH)were praying. ¹³ And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, ^(BI)a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴ Recognizing Peter's voice, ^(BJ)in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. ¹⁵ They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is ^(BK)his angel!” ¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. ¹⁷ But ^(BL)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to ^(BM)James and to ^(BN)the brothers.”^[e] Then he departed and went to another place.

¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ^(BO)ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.

The Death of Herod

²⁰ Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and ^(BP)having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain,^[f] they asked for peace, because ^(BQ)their country depended on the king's country for food. ²¹ On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. ²² And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” ²³ Immediately ^(BR)an angel of the Lord struck him down, because ^(BS)he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

²⁴ But ^(BT)the word of God increased and multiplied.

^25 (BU)And Barnabas and Saul returned from^[g] Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them ^(BV)John, whose other name was Mark.

Barnabas and Saul Sent Off

13 Now there were in the church at Antioch ^(BW)prophets and ^(BX)teachers, ^(BY)Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger,^[h] Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of ^(BZ)Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. ² While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, ^(CA)the Holy Spirit said, ^(CB)“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul ^(CC)for the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then after fasting and ^(CD)praying they laid their hands on them and ^(CE)sent them off.

Barnabas and Saul on Cyprus

⁴ So, being sent out ^(CF)by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. ⁵ When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God ^(CG)in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had ^(CH)John to ^(CI)assist them. ⁶ When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain ^(CJ)magician, ^(CK)a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. ⁷ He was with ^(CL)the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. ⁸ But Elymas the ^(CM)magician (for that is the meaning of his name) ^(CN)opposed them, seeking to turn ^(CO)the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹ But Saul, who was also called Paul, ^(CP)filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰ and said, “You ^(CQ)son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and ^(CR)villainy, will you not stop ^(CS)making crooked ^(CT)the straight paths of the Lord? ¹¹ And now, behold, ^(CU)the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and unable to see the sun for a time.” Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking ^(CV)people to lead him by the hand. ¹² Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at ^(CW)the teaching of the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia

¹³ Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And ^(CX)John left them and returned ^(CY)to Jerusalem, ¹⁴ but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And ^(CZ)on the Sabbath day ^(DA)they went into the synagogue and sat down. ¹⁵ After ^(DB)the reading from ^(DC)the Law and the Prophets, ^(DD)the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any ^(DE)word of encouragement for the people, say it.” ¹⁶ So Paul stood up, and ^(DF)motioning with his hand said:

“Men of Israel and ^(DG)you who fear God, listen. ^17 (DH)The God of this people Israel ^(DI)chose our fathers and ^(DJ)made the people great ^(DK)during their stay in the land of Egypt, and ^(DL)with uplifted arm he led them out of it. ¹⁸ And for about ^(DM)forty years ^(DN)he put up with^[i] them in the wilderness. ¹⁹ And ^(DO)after destroying ^(DP)seven nations in the land of Canaan, ^(DQ)he gave them their land as an inheritance. ²⁰ All this took about 450 years. And after that ^(DR)he gave them judges until ^(DS)Samuel the prophet. ²¹ Then ^(DT)they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul ^(DU)the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²² And ^(DV)when he had removed him, ^(DW)he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ^(DX)‘I have found in David the son of Jesse ^(DY)a man after my heart, ^(DZ)who will do all my will.’ ^23 (EA)Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel ^(EB)a Savior, Jesus, ^(EC)as he promised. ²⁴ Before his coming, ^(ED)John had proclaimed ^(EE)a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, ^(EF)he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’

²⁶ “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you ^(EG)who fear God, to us has been sent ^(EH)the message of ^(EI)this salvation. ²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because ^(EJ)they did not recognize him nor understand ^(EK)the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, ^(EL)fulfilled them by condemning him. ²⁸ And ^(EM)though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, ^(EN)they asked Pilate to have him executed. ²⁹ And when ^(EO)they had carried out all that was written of him, ^(EP)they took him down from ^(EQ)the tree and laid him in a tomb. ³⁰ But ^(ER)God raised him from the dead, ³¹ and for many days ^(ES)he appeared to those ^(ET)who had come up with him ^(EU)from Galilee to Jerusalem, ^(EV)who are now ^(EW)his witnesses to the people. ³² And we bring you the good news ^(EX)that what God promised to the fathers, ^33 (EY)this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

³⁴ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, ^(FA)(FB)no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,

³⁵ Therefore he says also in another psalm,

³⁶ For David, after he had ^(FE)served the purpose of God in his own generation, ^(FF)fell asleep and ^(FG)was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, ³⁷ but he whom ^(FH)God raised up did not see corruption. ³⁸ Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, ^(FI)that through this man ^(FJ)forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, ³⁹ and by him ^(FK)everyone who believes is freed^[j] from everything ^(FL)from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. ⁴⁰ Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:

⁴² As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. ⁴³ And after the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and ^(FN)devout ^(FO)converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them ^(FP)to continue in ^(FQ)the grace of God.

⁴⁴ The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. ^45 (FR)But ^(FS)when the Jews^[k] saw the crowds, they were filled with ^(FT)jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, ^(FU)reviling him. ⁴⁶ And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God ^(FV)be spoken first to you. ^(FW)Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves ^(FX)unworthy of eternal life, behold, we ^(FY)are turning to the Gentiles. ^47 (FZ)For so the Lord has commanded us, saying,

⁴⁸ And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and ^(GD)glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. ⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region. ^50 (GE)But the Jews incited the devout ^(GF)women of high standing and the leading men of the city, ^(GG)stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and ^(GH)drove them out of their district. ⁵¹ But they ^(GI)shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. ⁵² And the disciples were filled ^(GJ)with joy and ^(GK)with the Holy Spirit.