1 Um homem em Cesaréia, por nome Cornélio, centurião de uma coorte chamada italiana,2 piedoso e temente a Deus com toda a sua casa, e que fazia muitas esmolas ao povo e de contínuo orava a Deus,3 viu em visão claramente, cerca da hora nona do dia, um anjo chegando e dizendo:4 Cornélio. Este, fitando nele os olhos, e cheio de temor, perguntou: Que é, Senhor? O anjo acrescentou: As tuas orações e as tuas esmolas têm subido para lembrança diante de Deus.5 Agora envia homens a Jope e manda chamar um certo Simão que tem por sobrenome Pedro;6 este se acha hospedado em casa de um curtidor chamado Simão, a qual fica junto ao mar.7 Logo que se retirou o anjo que lhe falava, chamou a dois dos seus domésticos e a um soldado piedoso dos que estavam ao seu serviço8 e, havendo-lhes contado tudo, enviou-os a Jope.9 Ao outro dia seguindo eles o seu caminho e estando já perto da cidade, subiu Pedro ao eirado para orar, cerca da hora sexta.10 Teve ele fome e quis comer; mas enquanto lhe aprontavam a comida, veio-lhe um êxtase;11 viu o céu aberto, e descer um objeto, como se fora uma grande toalha, o qual era baixado à terra pelas quatro pontas,12 e nele havia de todos os quadrúpedes e répteis da terra e aves do céu.13 Uma voz disse-lhe: Levanta-te, Pedro; mata e come.14 Mas Pedro replicou: De nenhum modo, Senhor, porque jamais comi coisa alguma impura e imunda.15 Segunda vez a voz lhe falou: Ao que Deus purificou, não faças tu impuro.16 Sucedeu isto por três vezes, e logo o objeto foi recolhido ao céu.17 Enquanto Pedro estava consigo perplexo sobre o que seria a visão que tinha tido, eis que os homens que haviam sido enviados por Cornélio, tendo perguntado pela casa de Simão, pararam à porta18 e, chamando, indagavam se estava ali hospedado Simão, que tinha por sobrenome Pedro.19 Enquanto Pedro estava meditando sobre a visão, disse-lhe o Espírito: Eis que dois homens te procuram;20 levanta-te, pois, desce e vai com eles, nada duvidando; porque eu os enviei.21 Descendo Pedro ao encontro destes homens, disse: Sou eu a quem procurais; qual é a causa por que viestes?22 Eles responderam: O centurião Cornélio, homem justo e temente a Deus, e tendo bom testemunho de toda a nação judaica, recebeu um aviso de Deus por meio de um santo anjo que te mandasse chamar para sua casa e ouvisse as tuas palavras.23 Pedro, pois, convidando-os a entrar, hospedou-os. No dia seguinte levantou-se e partiu com eles, e alguns irmãos de Jope acompanharam-no.24 No outro dia entrou em Cesaréia. Cornélio estava esperando por eles, tendo reunido seus parentes e amigos íntimos.25 Quando Pedro ia a entrar, veio Cornélio recebê-lo e, prostrando-se-lhe aos pés, adorou-o.26 Mas Pedro ergueu-o, dizendo: Levanta-te, que eu também sou homem.27 Falando com ele, entrou e achou muitos reunidos,28 e disse-lhes: Vós bem sabeis que é proibido a um judeu ajuntar-se ou chegar-se a um de outra nação; todavia Deus mostrou-me que a ninguém chamasse impuro ou imundo;29 por isso, sem objeção, vim logo que fui chamado. Pergunto, pois, por que razão me mandaste chamar?30 Respondeu-lhe Cornélio: Faz agora quatro dias que eu estava orando à hora nona em minha casa, e eis que se apresentou diante de mim um varão de vestidura resplandecente,31 e disse: Cornélio, a tua oração foi ouvida, e as tuas esmolas foram lembradas na presença de Deus.32 Envia, pois, a Jope e chama a Simão, que tem por sobrenome Pedro; este se acha hospedado na casa de Simão, curtidor, à beira-mar.33 Portanto mandei logo chamar-te, e tu fizeste bem em vir. Agora, pois, todos nós estamos aqui diante de Deus, para ouvir tudo o que te foi ordenado pelo Senhor.34 Pedro começou a falar, e disse: Na verdade reconheço que Deus não se deixa levar de respeitos humanos,35 mas que em toda a nação aquele que o teme e faz o que é justo, este lhe é aceito;36 esta é a mensagem que Deus enviou aos filhos de Israel, evangelizando-lhes a paz por meio de Jesus Cristo-este é o Senhor de todos.37 Vós sabeis o que sucedeu por toda a Judéia, começando desde a Galiléia, depois do batismo que pregou João,38 como Deus ungiu a Jesus de Nazaré com o Espírito Santo e poder, o qual andou por toda a parte, fazendo o bem e sarando a todos os oprimidos do Diabo,39 porque Deus era com ele; e nós somos testemunhas de tudo o que se fez na terra dos judeus e em Jerusalém; ao qual também tiraram a vida, pendurando-o em um madeiro.40 A este ressuscitou Deus ao terceiro dia, e concedeu que fosse ele manifesto,41 não a todo o povo, mas às testemunhas que Deus tinha antes escolhido, a nós que comemos e bebemos com ele, depois que ressurgiu dentre os mortos;42 e nos mandou pregar ao povo e testificar que ele é o que por Deus tem sido constituído juiz de vivos e mortos.43 A ele todos os profetas dão testemunho de que, por meio de seu nome, todo o que nele crê, recebe remissão de pecados.44 Enquanto Pedro ainda falava estas coisas, desceu o Espírito Santo sobre todos os que ouviam a palavra.45 Admiraram-se todos os crentes que eram da circuncisão, quantos vieram com Pedro, porque também sobre os gentios foi derramado o dom do Espírito Santo;46 pois os ouviam falar outras línguas e engrandecer a Deus. Então perguntou Pedro:47 Porventura pode alguém negar a água, para que não sejam batizados estes, que receberam o Espírito Santo como nós?48 E ordenou que fossem batizados em nome de Jesus Cristo. Então lhe rogaram que se demorasse ali alguns dias.

1 Now in Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment.2 He was a devout man who feared God, as did everyone in his home. He gave many gifts to the poor among the people and always prayed to God.3 One day about three in the afternoon he had a vision and clearly saw an angel of God coming to him and saying to him, "Cornelius!"4 He stared at the angel in terror and asked, "What is it, Lord?"He answered him, "Your prayers and your gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial before God.5 Send men now to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter.6 He is a guest of Simon, a leatherworker, whose house is by the sea."7 When the angel who had spoken to him had gone, Cornelius summoned two of his household servants and a devout soldier, one of those who served him regularly.8 He explained everything to them and sent them to Joppa.9 Around noon the next day, while they were on their way and coming close to the town, Peter went up on the roof to pray.10 He became very hungry and wanted to eat, and while the food was being prepared, he fell into a trance11 and saw heaven open and something like a large linen sheet coming down, being lowered by its four corners to the ground.12 In it were all kinds of four-footed animals, reptiles, and birds of the air.13 Then a voice told him,"Get up, Peter! Kill something and eat it."14 But Peter said, "Absolutely not, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean!"15 Again a voice came to him a second time,"You must stop calling unclean what God has made clean."16 This happened three times. Then the sheet was quickly taken into heaven.17 While Peter was still at a loss to know what the vision he had seen could mean, the men sent by Cornelius asked for Simon's house and went to the gate.18 They called out and asked if Simon who was called Peter was staying there.19 Peter was still thinking about the vision when the Spirit said to him, "Look! Three men are looking for you.20 Get up, go downstairs, and don't hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them."21 So Peter went to the men and said, "I'm the man you're looking for. Why are you here?"22 The men replied, "Cornelius, a centurion and an upright and God-fearing man who is respected by the whole Jewish nation, was instructed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his home to hear what you have to say."23 So Peter invited them in, and they were his guests. The next day he got up and went with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa went along with him.24 The next day they arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called his relatives and close friends together.25 When Peter was about to go in, Cornelius met him, bowed down at his feet, and began to worship him.26 But Peter made him get up, saying, "Stand up! I, too, am only a man."27 As Peter talked with him, he went in and found that many people had gathered.28 He said to them, "You understand how wrong it is for a Jew to associate or visit with a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should stop calling anyone common or unclean,29 and that is why I didn't hesitate when I was sent for. Now may I ask why you sent for me?"30 Cornelius replied, "Four days ago at this very hour, three o'clock in the afternoon, I was praying in my home. All at once a man in radiant clothes stood in front of me31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your gifts to the poor have been remembered before God.32 So send messengers to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter, to come to you. He is a guest in the home of Simon, a leatherworker, by the sea.’33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. All of us are here now in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has ordered you to say."34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said, "Now I understand that God shows no partiality.35 Indeed, the person who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him in any nation.36 He has sent his word to the descendants of Israel and brought them the good news of peace through Jesus Christ. This man is the Lord of everyone.37 You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached.38 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him.39 We are witnesses of everything he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They hung him on a tree and killed him,40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear—41 not to all the people, but to us who were chosen by God to be witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.42 He also ordered us to preach to the people and to testify solemnly that this is the one ordained by God to be the judge of the living and the dead.43 To him all the prophets testify that everyone who believes in him receives the forgiveness of sins through his name."44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all the people who were listening to his message.45 Then the circumcised believers who had come with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too.46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.Then Peter said,47 "No one can stop us from using water to baptize these people who have received the Holy Spirit in the same way that we did, can he?"48 So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for several days.