¹ The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying,

² What do you mean, that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge?

³ As I live, says the Lord Yahweh, you shall not have [occasion] any more to use this proverb in Israel.

⁴ Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins, he shall die.

⁵ But if a man is just, and does that which is lawful and right,

⁶ and has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither has defiled his neighbor's wife, neither has come near to a woman in her impurity,

⁷ and has not wronged any, but has restored to the debtor his pledge, has taken nothing by robbery, has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

⁸ he who has not given forth on interest, neither has taken any increase, who has withdrawn his hand from iniquity, has executed true justice between man and man,

⁹ has walked in my statutes, and has kept my ordinances, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, says the Lord Yahweh.

¹⁰ If he fathers a son who is a robber, a shedder of blood, and who does any one of these things,

¹¹ and who does not any of those [duties], but even has eaten on the mountains, and defiled his neighbor's wife,

¹² has wronged the poor and needy, has taken by robbery, has not restored the pledge, and has lifted up his eyes to the idols, has committed abomination,

¹³ has given forth on interest, and has taken increase; shall he then live? he shall not live: he has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be on him.

¹⁴ Now, behold, if he fathers a son, who sees all his father's sins, which he has done, and fears, and does not such like;

¹⁵ who has not eaten on the mountains, neither has lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, has not defiled his neighbor's wife,

¹⁶ neither has wronged any, has not taken anything to pledge, neither has taken by robbery, but has given his bread to the hungry, and has covered the naked with a garment;

¹⁷ who has withdrawn his hand from the poor, who has not received interest nor increase, has executed my ordinances, has walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live.

¹⁸ As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, robbed his brother, and did that which is not good among his people, behold, he shall die in his iniquity.

¹⁹ Yet you say, Why doesn't the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son has done that which is lawful and right, and has kept all my statutes, and has done them, he shall surely live.

²⁰ The soul who sins, he shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on him.

²¹ But if the wicked turn from all his sins that he has committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

²² None of his transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him: in his righteousness that he has done he shall live.

²³ Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked? says the Lord Yahweh; and not rather that he should return from his way, and live?

²⁴ But when the righteous turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? None of his righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered: in his trespass that he has trespassed, and in his sin that he has sinned, in them shall he die.

²⁵ Yet you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, house of Israel: Is my way not equal? Aren't your ways unequal?

²⁶ When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity, and dies therein; in his iniquity that he has done shall he die.

²⁷ Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive.

²⁸ Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

²⁹ Yet says the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. house of Israel, are not my ways equal? Aren't your ways unequal?

³⁰ Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways, says the Lord Yahweh. Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

³¹ Cast away from you all your transgressions, in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, house of Israel?

³² For I have no pleasure in the death of him who dies, says the Lord Yahweh: therefore turn yourselves, and live.

¹ Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, Cornelius by name, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment,

² a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, who gave gifts for the needy generously to the people, and always prayed to God.

³ At about the ninth hour of the day, he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God coming to him, and saying to him, "Cornelius!"

⁴ He, fastening his eyes on him, and being frightened, said, "What is it, Lord?" He said to him, "Your prayers and your gifts to the needy have gone up for a memorial before God.

⁵ Now send men to Joppa, and get Simon, who is surnamed Peter.

⁶ He lodges with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside."

⁷ When the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier of those who waited on him continually.

⁸ Having explained everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

⁹ Now on the next day as they were on their journey, and got close to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon.

¹⁰ He became hungry and desired to eat, but while they were preparing, he fell into a trance.

¹¹ He saw heaven opened and a certain container descending to him, like a great sheet let down by four corners on the earth,

¹² in which were all kinds of four-footed animals of the earth, wild animals, reptiles, and birds of the sky.

¹³ A voice came to him, "Rise, Peter, kill and eat!"

¹⁴ But Peter said, "Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean."

¹⁵ A voice came to him again the second time, "What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean."

¹⁶ This was done three times, and immediately the vessel was received up into heaven.

¹⁷ Now while Peter was very perplexed in himself what the vision which he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood before the gate,

¹⁸ and called and asked whether Simon, who was surnamed Peter, was lodging there.

¹⁹ While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men seek you.

²⁰ But arise, get down, and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them."

²¹ Peter went down to the men, and said, "Behold, I am he whom you seek. Why have you come?"

²² They said, "Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous man and one who fears God, and well spoken of by all the nation of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to invite you to his house, and to listen to what you say."

²³ So he called them in and lodged them. On the next day Peter arose and went out with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him.

²⁴ On the next day they entered into Caesarea. Cornelius was waiting for them, having called together his relatives and his near friends.

²⁵ When it happened that Peter entered, Cornelius met him, fell down at his feet, and worshiped him.

²⁶ But Peter raised him up, saying, "Stand up! I myself am also a man."

²⁷ As he talked with him, he went in and found many gathered together.

²⁸ He said to them, "You yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to join himself or come to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I shouldn't call any man unholy or unclean.

²⁹ Therefore also I came without complaint when I was sent for. I ask therefore, why did you send for me?"

³⁰ Cornelius said, "Four days ago, I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour, I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,

³¹ and said, 'Cornelius, your prayer is heard, and your gifts to the needy are remembered in the sight of God.

³² Send therefore to Joppa, and summon Simon, who is surnamed Peter. He lodges in the house of Simon a tanner, by the seaside. When he comes, he will speak to you.'

³³ Therefore I sent to you at once, and it was good of you to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God to hear all things that have been commanded you by God."

³⁴ Peter opened his mouth and said, "Truly I perceive that God doesn't show favoritism;

³⁵ but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.

³⁶ The word which he sent to the children of Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all--

³⁷ you yourselves know what happened, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached;

³⁸ even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

³⁹ We are witnesses of everything he did both in the country of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they also killed, hanging him on a tree.

⁴⁰ God raised him up the third day, and gave him to be revealed,

⁴¹ not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen before by God, to us, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that this is he who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead.

⁴³ All the prophets testify about him, that through his name everyone who believes in him will receive remission of sins."

⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word.

⁴⁵ They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles.

⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in other languages and magnifying God. Then Peter answered,

⁴⁷ "Can any man forbid the water, that these who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we should not be baptized?"

⁴⁸ He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay some days.