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Acts 11

1The apostles and the brothers throughout Judea heard that the nations too had received the word of God. 2When Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision disputed with him, 3saying, “You went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them!” 4Peter began to explain it to them in order:

5“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision: something like a large sheet descending, lowered by its four corners from heaven. It came right to me. 6Looking closely into it, I observed the four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the sky. 7I also heard a voice say to me, ‘Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.’ 8But I said, ‘By no means, Lord! Nothing defiled or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9A voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call defiled.’ 10This happened three times, and everything was drawn back up into heaven. 11And look, at that very moment three men stood at the house where we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12The Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also went with me, and we entered the man's house. 13He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter. 14He will speak words to you through which you and your whole household will be saved.’ 15As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. 16I remembered the Lord's word, how he used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.’ 17So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus the Messiah, who was I to be able to hinder God?” 18When they heard these things, they fell silent and glorified God, saying, “Then God has given even the nations repentance leading to life!”

19Now those scattered by the affliction that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. 20But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, came to Antioch and spoke also to the Hellenists, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. 21The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22The report about them reached the ears of the assembly in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw God's grace, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain with the Lord with resolute hearts. 24For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. And a considerable crowd was added to the Lord. 25He went to Tarsus to search for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they gathered with the assembly and taught a considerable crowd. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.

27In those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28One of them, named Agabus, stood up and indicated through the Spirit that a great famine was about to come upon the whole inhabited world. This happened during the time of Claudius. 29So the disciples decided, each according to his means, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. 30They did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Translation notes 5

11:1–3 — Brothers and circumcision. “Brothers” can include women in the community. “Those of the circumcision” refers here to circumcised believers who objected to Peter's eating with uncircumcised people; it need not designate a formally organized party.

11:5–17 — Retelling. This account adds six companions and an explicit promise of household salvation. Its wording is not made identical to chapter 10. “Making no distinction” at verse 12 can also be understood as acting without hesitation; the Greek form differs from 10:20.

11:16 — Water and Spirit. The recalled saying agrees with Acts 1:5. Luke 3:16 includes “and fire”; those words are not present here.

11:20 — Hellenists. The base has the word used for Greek-speaking Jews at 6:1 and 9:29. Here the contrast with verse 19 suggests a broader Greek-speaking, Gentile audience, but the identification is debated. Another textual reading explicitly says “Greeks.”

11:28–30 — World and relief. “The whole inhabited world” is the broad expression used in Luke 2:1 and can refer to the Roman world. The text does not require every place to suffer simultaneously. “Relief” translates service in this material-aid context.