Peter's Report to the Church at Jerusalem
1 The apostles and the other believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 When Peter went to Jerusalem, those who were in favor of circumcising Gentiles criticized him, saying, 3 “You were a guest in the home of uncircumcised Gentiles, and you even ate with them!” 4 So Peter gave them a complete account of what had happened from the very beginning:
5 “While I was praying in the city of Joppa, I had a vision. I saw something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners from heaven, and it stopped next to me. 6 I looked closely inside and saw domesticated and wild animals, reptiles, and wild birds. 7 Then I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat!’ 8 But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord! No ritually unclean or defiled food has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 The voice spoke again from heaven, ‘Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.’ 10 This happened three times, and finally the whole thing was drawn back up into heaven. 11 At that very moment three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea arrived at the house where I was staying. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them without hesitation. These six fellow believers from Joppa accompanied me to Caesarea, and we all went into the house of Cornelius. 13 He told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send someone to Joppa for a man whose full name is Simon Peter. 14 He will speak words to you by which you and all your family will be saved.’ 15 And when I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came down on them just as on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 It is clear that God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; who was I, then, to try to stop God!”
18 When they heard this, they stopped their criticism and praised God, saying, “Then God has given to the Gentiles also the opportunity to repent and live!”
The Church at Antioch
19 Some of the believers who were scattered by the persecution which took place when Stephen was killed went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message to Jews only. 20 But other believers, who were from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and proclaimed the message to Gentiles also, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's power was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 The news about this reached the church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad and urged them all to be faithful and true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and many people were brought to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he took him to Antioch, and for a whole year the two met with the people of the church and taught a large group. It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.
27 About that time some prophets went from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and by the power of the Spirit predicted that a severe famine was about to come over all the earth. (It came when Claudius was emperor.) 29 The disciples decided that they each would send as much as they could to help their fellow believers who lived in Judea. 30 They did this, then, and sent the money to the church elders by Barnabas and Saul.
1 سَمِعَ الرّسُلُ والإخوَةُ في اليَهوديّةِ أنّ غَيرَ اليَهودِ أيضًا قَبِلوا كلامَ اللهِ.
2 فلمّا صَعِدَ بُطرُسُ إلى أُورُشليمَ، خاصَمَهُ أهلُ الخِتانِ وقالوا لَه: 3 «دَخَلْتَ إلى قَومٍ غَيرِ مَختونينَ وأكَلتَ مَعَهُم!» 4 فرَوى لهُم بُطرُسُ كُلّ ما جَرى لَه، قالَ: 5 كُنتُ أُصَلّي في مدينةِ يافا، فرَأَيتُ في الغَيبوبَةِ رُؤيا، فإذا شيءٌ مِثلُ قِطعَةِ قماشٍ كبـيرةٍ مَعقودةٍ بِأَطرافِها الأربعةِ يَتَدلّى مِنَ السّماءِ حتى وصَلَ إليّ. 6 ونَظَرتُ إلَيهِ جيّدًا، فرأَيتُ علَيهِ دَوابّ الأرضِ والوحوشَ والزّحافاتِ وطُيورَ السّماءِ، 7 وسَمِعتُ صَوتًا يَقولُ لي: يا بُطرُسُ، قُمِ اَذبَحْ وكُلْ! 8 فَقلتُ: لا، يا ربّ! ما دخَلَ فَمي طَعامٌ نَجِسٌ أو دَنِسٌ مِنْ قَبلُ! 9 فأجابَني الصوتُ ثانيَةً مِنَ السّماءِ: ما طَهّرَهُ اللهُ لا تَعتَبِرْهُ أنتَ نَجِسًا. 10 وحدَثَ هذا ثلاثَ مَرّاتٍ، ثُمّ اَرتَفَعَ الشّيءُ كُلّهُ إلى السّماءِ. 11 وفي تِلكَ السّاعةِ وقَفَ ثلاثَةُ رِجالٍ بِبابِ البَيتِ الذي كُنتُ فيهِ، وكانوا مُرسَلِـينَ إليّ مِنْ قيصرِيّةَ. 12 فأمرَني الرّوحُ أنْ أذهَبَ مَعَهُم مِنْ دونِ تردّدٍ. فَرافَقَني هَؤلاءِ الإخوَةُ السِتّةُ إلى قيصريّةَ، فدَخَلْنا بَيتَ كُورنيليوسَ، 13 فأخبرَنا كيفَ رأى الملاكَ يَقِفُ في بَيتِهِ ويَقولُ لَه: أرسِلْ إلى يافا، وجِـئْ بسِمعانَ الذي يُقالُ لَه بُطرُسُ، 14 فهوَ يُكلّمُكَ كلامًا تَخلُصُ بِه أنتَ وجميعُ أهلِ بَيتِكَ. 15 فلمّا بدأَتُ أتكَلّمُ، نزَلَ الرّوحُ القُدُسُ علَيهِم مِثلَما نزَلَ علَينا نَحنُ في البَدءِ. 16 فتذَكّرْتُ ما قالَ الرّبّ: عَمّدَ يوحنّا بالماءِ، وأمّا أنتُم فتَتَعَمّدونَ بالرّوحِ القُدُسِ. 17 فإذا كانَ اللهُ وهَبَ هَؤلاءِ ما وهَبَنا نَحنُ عِندَما آمنّا بالرّبّ يَسوعَ المَسيحِ، فمَنْ أكونُ أنا لأُقاوِمَ اللهَ؟»
18 فلمّا سَمِعَ الحاضِرونَ هذا الكلامَ، هَدَأوا ومَجّدوا اللهَ وقالوا: «أنعَمَ اللهُ، إذًا، على غَيرِ اليَهودِ أيضًا بالتّوبَةِ سَبـيلاً إلى الحَياةِ!»
كنيسة أنطاكيا
19 وأمّا المُؤمِنونَ الذينَ شتّتَهُمُ الاضطهادُ الذي نزَلَ بِهِم بَعدَ مَقتَلِ إستِفانوسَ، فاَنتقَلوا إلى فينيقيةَ وقُبرُصَ وأنطاكيةَ، وكانوا لا يُبَشّرونَ أحدًا بِكلامِ اللهِ إلاّ اليَهودَ. 20 ولكِنّ بَعضَ هَؤلاءِ المُؤمنينَ مِنْ قُبرُصَ وقيرينَ جاؤوا إلى أنطاكيةَ وأخذوا يُخاطِبونَ النّاطِقينَ باللغَةِ اليونانيّةِ أيضًا ويُبَشّرونَهُم بِالرّبّ يَسوعَ. 21 وكانَت يَدُ الرّبّ معَهُم، فآمنَ مِنهُم كثيرونَ واَهتدَوا إلى الرّبّ.
22 وبلَغَ الخبَرُ مسامِعَ الكَنيسةِ في أُورُشليمَ، فأرسلوا بَرنابا إلى أنطاكيةَ. 23 فلمّا جاءَ ورَأى نعمَةَ اللهِ فرِحَ وشَجّعَهُم كُلّهُم على الثّباتِ في الرّبّ بِكُلّ قُلوبِهِم. 24 وكانَ بِرنابا رَجُلاً صالِحًا، مُمتلِئًا مِنَ الرّوحِ القُدُسِ والإيمانِ، فاَنضَمّ إلى الرّبّ جَمعٌ كبـيرٌ.
25 وذهَبَ بَرنابا إلى طَرسوسَ يَبحَثُ عَنْ شاوُلَ، 26 فلمّا وجَدَهُ جاءَ بِه إلى أنطاكيةَ. فأقاما سنَةً كامِلَةً يَجتَمِعانِ إلى جَماعَةِ الكَنيسةِ، فعَلّما جَمعًا كبـيرًا. وفي أنطاكيةَ تَسمّى التلاميذُ أوّلَ مَرّةٍ بالمَسيحيّـينَ.
27 وفي تِلكَ الأيّامِ، نَزَلَ بَعضُ الأنبـياءِ مِنْ أُورُشليمَ إلى أنطاكيةَ. 28 فقامَ أحدُهُم واَسمُهُ أغابوسُ وتَــنَــبّأَ بِوَحيٍ مِنَ الرّوحِ أنّ مَجاعَةً عَظيمةً ستَعُمّ الأرضَ كُلّها، وهيَ التي حَدَثَت في أيّامِ القَيصرِ كُلوديوسَ. 29 فعَزَمَ التلاميذُ أن يُرسِلوا، كُلّ واحدٍ وقُدرَتُهُ، مَعونةً إلى الإخوةِ المُقيمينَ في اليَهودِيّةِ. 30 وفَعَلوا ذلِكَ، فأرسَلوا مَعوناتِهِم إلى شُيوخِ الكنيسَةِ معَ بَرنابا وشاوُلَ.