Praise the Name of the Lord

Peter Reports to the Church

1 Now the apostles and ^rthe brothers¹ who were throughout Judea heard 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 ^t“You went to uncircumcised men and ^uate with them.” 4 But Peter began and explained it to them in order: 5 ^v“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, 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, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘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 Spirit told me to go with them, ^wmaking no distinction. ^xThese 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 ^yhe will declare to you a message by which ^zyou will be saved, you and all your household.’ 15 As I began to speak, ^athe Holy Spirit fell on them ^bjust as on us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ^c‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then ^dGod gave ^ethe same gift to them as he gave to us ^fwhen we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, ^gwho was I ^hthat I could stand in God’s way?” 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they ⁱglorified God, saying, ^j“Then to the Gentiles also God has ^kgranted ^lrepentance that leads to life.”

A New Commandment

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

The New Heaven and the New Earth

1 Then I saw ^ya new heaven and a new earth, for ^zthe first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw ^athe holy city, ^bnew Jerusalem, ^ccoming down out of heaven from God, ^dprepared ^eas a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, ^fthe dwelling place¹ of God is with man. He will ^gdwell with them, and they will be his people,² and God himself will be with them as their God.³ 4 ^hHe will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and ⁱdeath shall be no more, ^jneither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

5 And ^khe who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I ^lam making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for ^mthese words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, ⁿ“It is done! ^oI am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. ^pTo the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.