Peter Reports to the Church in Jerusalem
1 The apostles and the followers in Judea heard that Gentiles had accepted God's message. 2 So when Peter came to Jerusalem, some of the Jewish followers started arguing with him. They wanted Gentile followers to be circumcised, and 3 they said, “You stayed in the homes of Gentiles, and you even ate with them!”
4 Then Peter told them exactly what had happened:
5 I was in the town of Joppa and was praying when I fell sound asleep and had a vision. I saw heaven open, and something like a huge sheet held by its four corners came down to me. 6 When I looked in it, I saw animals, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds. 7 I heard a voice saying to me, “Peter, get up! Kill these and eat them.”
8 But I said, “Lord, I can't do that! I've never taken a bite of anything that is unclean and not fit to eat.”
9 The voice from heaven spoke to me again, “When God says that something can be used for food, don't say it isn't fit to eat.” 10 This happened three times before it was all taken back into heaven.
11 Suddenly three men from Caesarea stood in front of the house where I was staying. 12 The Holy Spirit told me to go with them and not to worry. Then six of the Lord's followers went with me to the home of a man 13 who told us that an angel had appeared to him. The angel had ordered him to send to Joppa for someone named Simon Peter. 14 Then Peter would tell him how he and everyone in his house could be saved.
15 After I started speaking, the Holy Spirit was given to them, just as the Spirit had been given to us at the beginning. 16 I remembered that the Lord had said, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 17 God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So how could I have gone against God?
18 When they heard Peter say this, they stopped arguing and started praising God. They said, “God has now let Gentiles turn to him, and he has given life to them!”
The Church in Antioch
19 Some of the Lord's followers had been scattered because of the terrible trouble that started when Stephen was killed. They went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they told the message only to the Jews.
20 Some of the followers from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and started telling Gentiles the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord's power was with them, and many people turned to the Lord and put their faith in him. 22 News of what was happening reached the church in Jerusalem. Then they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
23 When Barnabas got there and saw how God had blessed them with undeserved grace, he was very glad. So he begged them to remain faithful to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 Barnabas was a good man of great faith, and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Many more people turned to the Lord.
25 Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 He found Saul and brought him to Antioch, where they met with the church for a whole year and taught many of its people. There in Antioch the Lord's followers were first called Christians.
27 During this time some prophets from Jerusalem came to Antioch. 28 One of them was Agabus. Then with the help of the Spirit, he told that there would be a terrible famine everywhere in the world. And it happened when Claudius was Emperor. 29 The followers in Antioch decided to send whatever help they could to the followers in Judea. 30 So they appointed Barnabas and Saul to take their gifts to the church leaders in Jerusalem.
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.
