Acts 10 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
There was a man in named Cornelius, an in of a in what was called the
He was a man who in along with his entire household. He gave generously to people in need and prayed to consistently.
One afternoon, he clearly saw in a vision a from come to him and say, "Cornelius!"
Cornelius stared at him, terrified, and said, "What is it, sir?" The messenger told him, "Your prayers and your generosity to those in need have up an he
"Now send men to the city of Joppa and bring back a man named Simon, who goes by
"He's staying with a man named Simon, a whose house is by the sea."
After the messenger who spoke to him left, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devoted soldier from among his personal attendants.
He explained everything to them and sent them to Joppa.
The next day, while they were still on their way and getting close to the city, Peter up on the to pray
He got hungry and wanted something to eat. While the meal was being prepared, he fell into a
He saw the up and something like a large sheet being lowered to the ground by its four corners.
Inside it were all of and
Then a voice told him, "Get up, Peter. Kill and eat."
"Absolutely not, Lord!" Peter replied. "I've never eaten anything that's or
The voice spoke to him a second time: "What God has don't you call unacceptable."
This happened three times, and then the sheet was immediately pulled back up into the sky.
While Peter was trying to figure out what the vision meant, the men Cornelius had sent found Simon's house and were standing at the gate.
They called out, asking if a guest named Simon Peter was staying there.
While Peter was still turning the vision over in his mind, the said to him, "Listen — three men are looking for you."
"Get up, go downstairs, and go with them because I'm the one who sent them."
Peter went down to the men and said, "I'm the one you're looking for. What brings you here?"
They replied, "Cornelius, an officer in the Roman army — a good and man who is well-respected by the entire Jewish community — was told by a from God to send for you to come to his house so he could hear what you have to say."
So Peter invited them in and gave them a place to stay for the night. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the and from Joppa came along too.
The day after that, they arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was already expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
When Peter walked in, Cornelius met him and to in front of him.
But Peter pulled him up and said, "Stand up — I'm just a man like you."
As Peter talked with him, he went inside and found a large group of people gathered there.
He said to them, "You know that it's for a Jewish man to associate with or visit someone from another nation. But God has shown me that I should never call any person or
"That's why I came without any objection when you sent for me. So let me ask — why exactly did you send for me?"
Cornelius answered, "Four days ago at this same time — three in the afternoon — I was praying in my house when suddenly a man in stood in front of me."
"He said, 'Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembers your generosity to those in need.'"
"'Send someone to Joppa and ask for Simon, who goes by Peter. He's a guest in the home of Simon the leather worker, by the sea.'"
"So I sent for you right away, and it was good of you to come. Now here we all are, in ready to hear everything God has told you to say."
Then Peter began to speak: "I'm really beginning to understand that God — "
" — anyone from any nation who holds in reverence and does what is right is to
"You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the of through Jesus, The — who is of
"You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the that John announced — "
" — how Jesus of Nazareth with the of and with power. He went around doing good and healing everyone who was being by the because was with him."
"We are of everything he did throughout the land of the Jewish people and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on an
"But God to on the third day and made it possible for to be seen — "
" — not to everyone, but to had — to us, who and with he from the
"He commanded us to announce to the people and to testify that he is the one God has appointed as of the and the
"Every points to him, testifying that everyone who trusts in him receives for their
While Peter was still saying all this, the of on everyone who was listening to the message.
The who had come with Peter were stunned that the gift of the Breath of God was being out even on
They could hear them in they and how is. Then Peter said,
"Can anyone possibly refuse the water for these people? They've received the Breath of God exactly the same way we did!"
So he ordered them to be in the of The Then they to with them for a few days.