Peter Reports to the Church

1 Now the apostles and the brothers¹ who were throughout Judea ^rheard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, ^sthe circumcision party² criticized him, saying, 3 “You went to uncircumcised men and ^tate with them.” 4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5 ^u“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a ^vtrance I saw a ^wvision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. 6 Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I said, ^x‘By no means, Lord; for ^ynothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ^z‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. 12 And the ^aSpirit told me to go with them, ^bmaking no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; 14 he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them ^cjust as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ^d‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave the same ^egift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^fwho was I that I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they ^gglorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.”

Praise the Name of the Lord

The New Heaven and the New Earth

1 Then I saw a ^qnew heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, ^rnew Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a ^sbride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a ^tloud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place¹ of God is with man. ^uHe will ^vdwell with them, and ^wthey will be his people,² and God himself will be with them as their God.³ 4 He will ^xwipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, ^y“Write this down, for ^zthese words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! ^aI am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the ^bwater of life ^cwithout payment. 7 ^dThe one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my ^eson.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the ^tSpirit of truth comes, ^uhe will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 ^vAll that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy

16 ^w“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So ^xsome of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but ^yyour sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts ^zwill rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.

A New Commandment

31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man ^mglorified, and ⁿGod is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, ^oyet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and ^pjust as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 ^qA new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have ^rlove for one another.”