Peter and Cornelius

10 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of ^(A)what was known as the Italian Cohort, ² a devout man ^(B)who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. ^3 (C)About the ninth hour of the day^{[a] (D)}he saw clearly in a vision ^(E)an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” ⁴ And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms ^(F)have ascended ^(G)as a memorial before God. ⁵ And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. ⁶ He is lodging ^(H)with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea.” ⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, ⁸ and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

Peter's Vision

⁹ The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, ^(I)Peter went up ^(J)on the housetop about ^(K)the sixth hour^[b] to pray. ¹⁰ And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into ^(L)a trance ¹¹ and saw ^(M)the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. ¹² In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. ¹³ And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” ¹⁴ But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; ^(N)for I have never eaten anything that is ^(O)common or ^(P)unclean.” ¹⁵ And the voice came to him again a second time, ^(Q)“What God has made clean, do not call common.” ¹⁶ This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

¹⁷ Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what ^(R)the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, ^(S)the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate ¹⁸ and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. ¹⁹ And while Peter was pondering ^(T)the vision, ^(U)the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. ²⁰ Rise and go down and ^(V)accompany them without hesitation,^[c] for I have sent them.” ²¹ And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” ²² And they said, “Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and ^(W)God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by ^(X)a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and ^(Y)to hear what you have to say.” ²³ So he invited them in to be his guests.

The next day he rose and went away with them, and ^(Z)some of ^(AA)the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. ²⁴ And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and ^(AB)fell down at his feet and ^(AC)worshiped him. ²⁶ But Peter lifted him up, saying, ^(AD)“Stand up; I too am a man.” ²⁷ And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. ²⁸ And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew ^(AE)to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but ^(AF)God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. ²⁹ So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

³⁰ And Cornelius said, ^(AG)“Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at ^(AH)the ninth hour,^[d] and behold, ^(AI)a man stood before me in bright clothing ³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, ^(AJ)your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. ³² Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

22 Thus says the Lord: “Go down to the house of the king of Judah and speak there this word, ² and say, ^(A)‘Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah, who sits on the throne of David, you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. ³ Thus says the Lord: ^(B)Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And ^(C)do no wrong or violence ^(D)to the resident alien, ^(E)the fatherless, and the widow, nor ^(F)shed innocent blood in this place. ⁴ For if you will indeed obey this word, ^(G)then there shall enter the gates of this house kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they and their servants and their people. ⁵ But if you will not obey these words, I ^(H)swear by myself, declares the Lord, that ^(I)this house shall become a desolation. ⁶ For thus says the Lord concerning the house of the king of Judah:

⁸ “‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, ^(N)“Why has the Lord dealt thus with this great city?” ^9 (O)And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.”’”

Message to the Sons of Josiah

¹¹ For thus says the Lord concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and ^(R)who went away from this place: “He shall return here no more, ¹² but ^(S)in the place where they have carried him captive, there shall he die, and he shall never see this land again.”

¹⁸ Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah:

^24 (AQ)“As I live, declares the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were ^(AR)the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off ²⁵ and ^(AS)give you ^(AT)into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. ^26 (AU)I will hurl you and ^(AV)the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. ²⁷ But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return.”