Daily Readings - 27/04/2026

^11:1 The apostles and the brothers in Judaea heard that the pagans too had accepted the word of God,

^11:2 and when Peter came up to Jerusalem the Jews criticised him

^11:3 and said, ‘So you have been visiting the uncircumcised and eating with them, have you?’

^11:4 Peter in reply gave them the details point by point:

^11:5 ‘One day, when I was in the town of Jaffa,’ he began ‘I fell into a trance as I was praying and had a vision of something like a big sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners. This sheet reached the ground quite close to me.

^11:6 I watched it intently and saw all sorts of animals and wild beasts – everything possible that could walk, crawl or fly.

^11:7 Then I heard a voice that said to me, “Now, Peter; kill and eat!”

^11:8 But I answered: Certainly not, Lord; nothing profane or unclean has ever crossed my lips.

^11:9 And a second time the voice spoke from heaven, “What God has made clean, you have no right to call profane”.

^11:10 This was repeated three times, before the whole of it was drawn up to heaven again.

^11:11 Just at that moment, three men stopped outside the house where we were staying; they had been sent from Caesarea to fetch me,

^11:12 and the Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going back with them. The six brothers here came with me as well, and we entered the man’s house.

^11:13 He told us he had seen an angel standing in his house who said, “Send to Jaffa and fetch Simon known as Peter;

^11:14 he has a message for you that will save you and your entire household”.

^11:15 I had scarcely begun to speak when the Holy Spirit came down on them in the same way as it came on us at the beginning,

^11:16 and I remembered that the Lord had said, “John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit”.

^11:17 I realised then that God was giving them the identical thing he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ; and who was I to stand in God’s way?’

^11:18 This account satisfied them, and they gave glory to God. ‘God’ they said ‘can evidently grant even the pagans the repentance that leads to life.’

^41:1 Happy the man who cares for the poor and the weak: if disaster strikes, Yahweh will come to his help.

^41:2 Yahweh will guard him, give him life and happiness in the land; ah, do not let his enemies treat him as they please!

^41:3 Yahweh will be his comfort on his bed of sickness; most carefully you make his bed when he is sick.

^41:4 I for my part said, ‘Yahweh, take pity on me! Cure me, for I have sinned against you.’

^41:5 My enemies say of me with malice, ‘How long before he dies and his name perishes?’

^41:6 They visit me, their hearts full of spite, they offer hollow comfort, and go out to spread the news.

^41:7 All who hate me whisper to each other about me, reckoning I deserve the misery I suffer,

^41:8 ‘This sickness is fatal that has overtaken him, he is down at last, he will never get up again’.

^41:9 Even my closest and most trusted friend, who shared my table, rebels against me.

^41:10 But Yahweh, take pity on me! Raise me up, and I will pay them back;

^41:11 and by this I shall know that I enjoy your favour, if my enemy fails to triumph over me;

^41:12 and I, whom you uphold, go unscathed, set by you in your presence for ever.

^41:13 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from all eternity and for ever! Amen. Amen![*a]

^10:1 ‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand.

^10:2 The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock;

^10:3 the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out.

^10:4 When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice.

^10:5 They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’

^10:6 Jesus told them[*a] this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them.

^10:7 So Jesus spoke to them again: ‘I tell you most solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold.

^10:8 All others who have come are thieves and brigands; but the sheep took no notice of them

^10:9 I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture.

^10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.