Daily Text and Bible Reading: Friday, November 21 [Press play below]

9.1 But Saul, still breathing threat and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest
9.2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that he might bring bound to Jerusalem any whom he found who belonged to The Way, both men and women.
9.3 Now as he was traveling and getting near Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him,
9.4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
9.5 He asked: “Who are you, Lord?” He said: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
9.6 But get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
9.7 Now the men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing, indeed, the sound of a voice but seeing no one.
9.8 Saul then got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.
9.9 And for three days he did not see anything, and he neither ate nor drank.
9.10 There was a disciple named Ananias in Damascus, and the Lord said to him in a vision: “Ananias!” He said: “Here I am, Lord.”
9.11 The Lord said to him: “Get up, go to the street called Straight, and look for a man named Saul, from Tarsus, at the house of Judas. For look! he is praying,
9.12 and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he may recover sight.”
9.13 But Ananias answered: “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, about all the harm he did to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
9.14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to arrest all those calling on your name.”
9.15 But the Lord said to him: “Go! because this man is a chosen vessel to me to bear my name to the nations as well as to kings and the sons of Israel.
9.16 For I will show him plainly how many things he must suffer for my name.”
9.17 So Ananias went and entered the house, and he laid his hands on him and said: “Saul, brother, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road along which you were coming, has sent me so that you may recover sight and be filled with holy spirit.”
9.18 And immediately, what looked like scales fell from his eyes, and he recovered his sight. He then got up and was baptized,
9.19 and he ate some food and gained strength. He stayed for some days with the disciples in Damascus,
9.20 and immediately in the synagogues he began to preach about Jesus, that this one is the Son of God.
9.21 But all those hearing him were astonished and were saying: “Is this not the man who ravaged those in Jerusalem who call on this name? Did he not come here for the purpose of arresting them and taking them to the chief priests?”
9.22 But Saul kept on acquiring more and more power and was confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus, as he proved logically that this is the Christ.
9.23 Now when many days had passed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him.
9.24 However, their plot against Saul became known to him. They were also watching the gates closely both day and night in order to do away with him.
9.25 So his disciples took him and let him down by night through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
9.26 On arriving in Jerusalem, he made efforts to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, because they did not believe he was a disciple.
9.27 So Barnabas came to his aid and led him to the apostles, and he told them in detail how on the road he had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.
9.28 So he remained with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
9.29 He was talking and disputing with the Greek-speaking Jews, but these made attempts to do away with him.
9.30 When the brothers found out about this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
9.31 Then, indeed, the congregation throughout the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria entered into a period of peace, being built up; and as it walked in the fear of Jehovah and in the comfort of the holy spirit, it kept on multiplying.
9.32 Now as Peter was traveling through all the region, he came down also to the holy ones who lived in Lydda.
9.33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been lying flat on his bed for eight years, for he was paralyzed.
9.34 Peter said to him: “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Rise and make up your bed.” And he got up immediately.
9.35 When all those living in Lydda and the Plain of Sharon saw him, they turned to the Lord.
9.36 Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which means, when translated, “Dorcas.” She abounded in good deeds and gifts of mercy that she was making.
9.37 But in those days she fell sick and died. So they bathed her and laid her in an upper room.
9.38 Since Lydda was near Joppa, when the disciples heard that Peter was in that city, they sent two men to him to urge him: “Please come to us without delay.”
9.39 At that Peter got up and went with them. And when he arrived, they led him up into the upper room; and all the widows presented themselves to him, weeping and showing many garments and robes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.
9.40 Peter then put everyone outside, and kneeling down, he prayed. Then turning toward the body, he said: “Tabitha, rise!” She opened her eyes, and as she caught sight of Peter, she sat up.
9.41 Giving her his hand, he raised her up, and he called the holy ones and the widows and presented her alive.
9.42 This became known throughout all Joppa, and many became believers in the Lord.
9.43 He remained for quite a few days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.
10.1 Now there was a man in Caesarea named Cornelius, an army officer in what was called the Italian unit.
10.2 He was a devout man who feared God together with all his household, and he made many gifts of mercy to the people and made supplication to God continually.
10.3 About the ninth hour of the day, he saw plainly in a vision an angel of God come in to him and say: “Cornelius!”
10.4 Cornelius stared at him, terrified, and asked: “What is it, Lord?” He said to him: “Your prayers and gifts of mercy have ascended as a remembrance before God.
10.5 So now send men to Joppa and summon a man named Simon who is called Peter.
10.6 This man is staying as a guest with Simon, a tanner who has a house by the sea.”
10.7 As soon as the angel who spoke to him left, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who were his attendants,
10.8 and he related everything to them and sent them to Joppa.
10.9 The next day as they were continuing on their journey and were approaching the city, Peter went up to the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
10.10 But he became very hungry and wanted to eat. While they were preparing the meal, he fell into a trance
10.11 and saw heaven opened and something descending like a great linen sheet being let down by its four corners on the earth;
10.12 and in it were all sorts of four-footed animals and reptiles of the earth and birds of heaven.
10.13 Then a voice said to him: “Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!”
10.14 But Peter said: “Not at all, Lord, because I have never eaten anything defiled and unclean.”
10.15 And the voice spoke again to him, the second time: “Stop calling defiled the things God has cleansed.”
10.16 This happened a third time, and immediately it was taken up into heaven.
10.17 While Peter was still perplexed about what the vision he had seen could mean, just then the men sent by Cornelius asked where Simon’s house was and stood there at the gate.
10.18 They called out and inquired whether Simon who was called Peter was a guest there.
10.19 As Peter was still pondering over the vision, the spirit said: “Look! Three men are asking for you.
10.20 So get up, go downstairs and go with them, not doubting at all, because I have sent them.”
10.21 Then Peter went downstairs to the men and said: “Here I am, the one you are looking for. Why are you here?”
10.22 They said: “Cornelius, an army officer, a righteous and God-fearing man who is well-reported-on by the whole nation of the Jews, was given divine instructions by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say.”
10.23 So he invited them in and had them stay as his guests. The next day he got up and went off with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went with him.
10.24 The following day he entered into Caesarea. Cornelius, of course, was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
10.25 As Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and did obeisance to him.
10.26 But Peter lifted him up, saying: “Rise; I too am just a man.”
10.27 As he conversed with him, he went in and found many people assembled.
10.28 He said to them: “You well know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or approach a man of another race, and yet God has shown me that I should call no man defiled or unclean.
10.29 So I came, really without objection, when I was sent for. Therefore, I ask you why you sent for me.”
10.30 Then Cornelius said: “Four days ago counting from this hour, I was praying in my house at the ninth hour; just then a man in bright clothing stood in front of me
10.31 and said: ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been favorably heard, and your gifts of mercy have been remembered before God.
10.32 Therefore, send to Joppa and call for Simon who is called Peter. This man is a guest in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’
10.33 I then sent for you at once, and you were kind enough to come here. So now we are all present before God to hear all the things you have been commanded by Jehovah to say.”
10.34 At this Peter began to speak, and he said: “Now I truly understand that God is not partial,
10.35 but in every nation the man who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
10.36 He sent out the word to the sons of Israel to declare to them the good news of peace through Jesus Christ—this one is Lord of all.
10.37 You know the subject that was talked about throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee after the baptism that John preached:
10.38 about Jesus who was from Nazareth, how God anointed him with holy spirit and power, and he went through the land doing good and healing all those oppressed by the Devil, because God was with him.
10.39 And we are witnesses of all the things he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem; but they did away with him by hanging him on a stake.
10.40 God raised this one up on the third day and allowed him to become manifest,
10.41 not to all the people, but to witnesses appointed beforehand by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after his rising from the dead.
10.42 Also, he ordered us to preach to the people and to give a thorough witness that this is the one decreed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
10.43 To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone putting faith in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
10.44 While Peter was still speaking about these matters, the holy spirit came upon all those hearing the word.
10.45 And the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed, because the free gift of the holy spirit was being poured out also on people of the nations.
10.46 For they heard them speaking in foreign languages and magnifying God. Then Peter responded:
10.47 “Can anyone deny water to prevent these from being baptized who have received the holy spirit just as we have?”
10.48 With that he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they requested him to stay for some days.
11.1 Now the apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that people of the nations had also accepted the word of God.
11.2 So when Peter came up to Jerusalem, the supporters of circumcision began to criticize him,
11.3 saying: “You went into the house of men who were not circumcised and ate with them.”
11.4 At this Peter went on to explain the matter in detail to them, saying:
11.5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and while in a trance I saw a vision, something descending like a great linen sheet being let down by its four corners from heaven, and it came right down to me.
11.6 Looking closely into it, I observed four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of heaven.
11.7 I also heard a voice say to me: ‘Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!’
11.8 But I said: ‘Certainly not, Lord, because a defiled or unclean thing has never entered my mouth.’
11.9 The second time, the voice from heaven answered: ‘You stop calling defiled the things God has cleansed.’
11.10 This happened a third time, and everything was pulled up again into heaven.
11.11 Also just at that moment, three men were standing at the house where we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea.
11.12 Then the spirit told me to go with them, not doubting at all. But these six brothers also went with me, and we entered into the house of the man.
11.13 “He reported to us how he saw the angel stand in his house and say: ‘Send men to Joppa and summon Simon who is called Peter,
11.14 and he will tell you things by which you and all your household may get saved.’
11.15 But when I started to speak, the holy spirit fell on them just as it did also on us in the beginning.
11.16 At this I recalled the saying of the Lord, how he used to say: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with holy spirit.’
11.17 If, therefore, God gave the same free gift to them that he gave to us who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I should be able to hinder God?”
11.18 When they heard these things, they stopped objecting, and they glorified God, saying: “So, then, God has also granted to people of the nations repentance leading to life.”
11.19 Now those who had been scattered by the tribulation that arose over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they spoke the word only to the Jews.
11.20 However, some of the men among them from Cyprus and Cyrene came to Antioch and began talking to the Greek-speaking people, declaring the good news of the Lord Jesus.
11.21 Furthermore, the hand of Jehovah was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord.
11.22 The report about them reached the ears of the congregation in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas as far as Antioch.
11.23 When he arrived and saw the undeserved kindness of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all to continue in the Lord with heartfelt resolve;
11.24 for he was a good man and full of holy spirit and faith. And a considerable crowd was added to the Lord.
11.25 So he went to Tarsus to make a thorough search for Saul.
11.26 After he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year they assembled with them in the congregation and taught quite a crowd, and it was first in Antioch that the disciples were by divine providence called Christians.
11.27 In those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
11.28 One of them named Agabus stood up and foretold through the spirit that a great famine was about to come on the entire inhabited earth, which, in fact, did take place in the time of Claudius.
11.29 So the disciples determined, each according to what he could afford, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea;
11.30 and this they did, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.