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Now as Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen.
And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
When Jesus came into Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever.
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”
Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.
Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”
Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.”
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.
And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified.
And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”
And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”
And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.”
Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.
When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?”
He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?”
When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are exempt.
“However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.”
“If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.
“But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed.
Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”
Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too.
And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed.
Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?
“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”
But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.”
When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.”
A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.”
Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen.
And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach.
And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her.
And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them.
Simon and his companions searched for Him;
they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.”
He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.”
And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter),
And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James.
They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing.
They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was.
Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded.
And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”
And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.
But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John, and brought them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them;
Elijah appeared to them along with Moses; and they were talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
For he did not know what to answer; for they became terrified.
Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him!”
All at once they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.
As they were coming down from the mountain, He gave them orders not to relate to anyone what they had seen, until the Son of Man rose from the dead.
They seized upon that statement, discussing with one another what rising from the dead meant.
They asked Him, saying, “Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
And He said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt?
“But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.”
When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them.
Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.”
Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.”
As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew were questioning Him privately,
“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?”
And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you.
“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be frightened; those things must take place; but that is not yet the end.
“But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.
“When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.
“You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
“But pray that it may not happen in the winter.
“And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him;
“But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.
“Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.
“Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door.
“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come.
“Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—
in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep.
“What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’ ”
But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.”
And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, that this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny Me three times.”
But Peter kept saying insistently, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all were saying the same thing also.
And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled.
And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.”
And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour?
“Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him.
And He came the third time, and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough; the hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.
“Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”
Peter had followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the officers and warming himself at the fire.
As Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came,
and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.”
But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.” And he went out onto the porch.
The servant-girl saw him, and began once more to say to the bystanders, “This is one of them!”
But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders were again saying to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you are a Galilean too.”
But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about!”
Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he began to weep.
“But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’ ”
They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Then He got up and left the synagogue, and entered Simon’s home. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her.
And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land. And He sat down and began teaching the people from the boat.
When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.”
Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”
When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break;
so they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them. And they came and filled both of the boats, so that they began to sink.
But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus’ feet, saying, “Go away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had taken;
and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men.”
When they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Him.
Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew;
And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.”
When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him, except Peter and John and James, and the girl’s father and mother.
And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”
Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.
Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; but when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men standing with Him.
And as these were leaving Him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three tabernacles: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not realizing what he was saying.
While he was saying this, a cloud formed and began to overshadow them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!”
And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent, and reported to no one in those days any of the things which they had seen.
On the next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met Him.
Peter said, “Lord, are You addressing this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?”
Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.”
And Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, so that we may eat it.”
They said to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare it?”
And He said to them, “When you have entered the city, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him into the house that he enters.
“And you shall say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?” ’
“And he will show you a large, furnished upper room; prepare it there.”
And they left and found everything just as He had told them; and they prepared the Passover.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;
but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”
And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”
Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance.
After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.
And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, “This man was with Him too.”
But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know Him.”
A little later, another saw him and said, “You are one of them too!” But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, “Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.”
But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.”
And he went out and wept bitterly.
But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.
saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.”
One of the two who heard John speak and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
He found first his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which translated means Christ).
He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.
One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him,
Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
So He came to Simon Peter. He said to Him, “Lord, do You wash my feet?”
Jesus answered and said to him, “What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter.”
Peter said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.”
Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.”
Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.”
Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.”
Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.
Simon Peter then, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear; and the slave’s name was Malchus.
So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”
Simon Peter was following Jesus, and so was another disciple. Now that disciple was known to the high priest, and entered with Jesus into the court of the high priest,
but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
Then the slave-girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
Now the slaves and the officers were standing there, having made a charcoal fire, for it was cold and they were warming themselves; and Peter was also with them, standing and warming himself.
Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.”
One of the slaves of the high priest, being a relative of the one whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?”
Peter then denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed.
So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb.
The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first;
And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there,
For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will also come with you.” They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing.
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put his outer garment on (for he was stripped for work), and threw himself into the sea.
Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.”
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.”
Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!”
Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?”
Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.
At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said,
But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words.
“Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?”
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer.
When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms.
But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us!”
And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.
But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!”
And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened.
With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.
While he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the so-called portico of Solomon, full of amazement.
But when Peter saw this, he replied to the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this, or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk?
“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.
but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses.
“And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also.
As they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.
When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?”
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people,
if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well,
Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.
And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply.
But when they had ordered them to leave the Council, they began to confer with one another,
saying, “What shall we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy miracle has taken place through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
“But so that it will not spread any further among the people, let us warn them to speak no longer to any man in this name.”
And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge;
for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
When they had threatened them further, they let them go (finding no basis on which to punish them) on account of the people, because they were all glorifying God for what had happened;
When they had been released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them.
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?
And Peter responded to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for such and such a price?” And she said, “Yes, that was the price.”
Then Peter said to her, “Why is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out as well.”
And immediately she fell at his feet and breathed her last, and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.
to such an extent that they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on any one of them.
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John,
who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.
Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
saying, “Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!
“For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity.”
But Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back to Jerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda.
There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed.
Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.” Immediately he got up.
Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, “Do not delay in coming to us.”
So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.
But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up.
And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive.
And Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.
“Now dispatch some men to Joppa and send for a man named Simon, who is also called Peter;
he is staying with a tanner named Simon, whose house is by the sea.”
On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance;
and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground,
A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!”
But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean.”
Again a voice came to him a second time, “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.”
Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate;
and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there.
While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.
“But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.”
Peter went down to the men and said, “Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?”
They said, “Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you.”
So he invited them in and gave them lodging.
And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
On the following day he entered Caesarea. Now Cornelius was waiting for them and had called together his relatives and close friends.
When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.
But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am just a man.”
As he talked with him, he entered and found many people assembled.
And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean.
“That is why I came without even raising any objection when I was sent for. So I ask for what reason you have sent for me.”
‘Therefore send to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner by the sea.’
“So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
Opening his mouth, Peter said:
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality,
“We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message.
All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered,
And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised took issue with him,
saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
But Peter began speaking and proceeded to explain to them in orderly sequence, saying,
“I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object coming down like a great sheet lowered by four corners from the sky; and it came right down to me,
and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air.
“I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’
“But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
“But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’
“And behold, at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent to me from Caesarea.
“The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man’s house.
“And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here;
and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’
“And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.
“And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
“Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.
So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.
On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.
And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands.
And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer.
When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.
They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel.”
But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed.
But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place.
Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter.
When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there.
After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.
“Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name.
Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”
whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you,
Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.
But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised
(for He who effectually worked for Peter in his apostleship to the circumcised effectually worked for me also to the Gentiles),
and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we might go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.
But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.
The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.
But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?
“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.
and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed,
Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!
She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, Mark.
Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.
I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,
knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.
For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.
This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,
but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.