2. A devout man who venerated God and treated Him with reverential obedience, as did all his household; and he gave much alms to the people and prayed continually to God.
3. About the ninth hour (about 3:00 p.m.) of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God entering and saying to him, Cornelius!
4. And he, gazing intently at him, became frightened and said, What is it, Lord? And the angel said to him, Your prayers and your [generous] gifts to the poor have come up [as a sacrifice] to God and have been remembered by Him.
5. And now send men to Joppa and have them call for and invite here a certain Simon whose surname is Peter;
6. He is lodging with Simon a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.
7. When the angel who spoke to him had left, Cornelius called two of his servants and a God-fearing soldier from among his own personal attendants.
8. And having rehearsed everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
9. The next day as they were still on their way and were approaching the town, Peter went up to the roof of the house to pray, about the sixth hour (noon).
10. But he became very hungry, and wanted something to eat; and while the meal was being prepared a trance came over him,
11. And he saw the sky opened and something like a great sheet lowered by the four corners, descending to the earth.
12. It contained all kinds of quadrupeds and wild beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the air.
13. And there came a voice to him, saying, Rise up, Peter, kill and eat.
14. But Peter said, No, by no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unhallowed or [ceremonially] unclean.
15. And the voice came to him again a second time, What God has cleansed and pronounced clean, do not you defile and profane by regarding and calling common and unhallowed or unclean.
16. This occurred three times; then immediately the sheet was taken up to heaven.
17. Now Peter was still inwardly perplexed and doubted as to what the vision which he had seen could mean, when [just then] behold the messengers that were sent by Cornelius, who had made inquiry for Simon's house, stopped and stood before the gate.
18. And they called out to inquire whether Simon who was surnamed Peter was staying there.
19. And while Peter was earnestly revolving the vision in his mind and meditating on it, the [Holy] Spirit said to him, Behold, three men are looking for you!
20. Get up and go below and accompany them without any doubt [about its legality] or any discrimination or hesitation, for I have sent them.
21. Then Peter went down to the men and said, I am the man you seek; what is the purpose of your coming?