Then the angel went away, and Cornelius called two of his house servants and a soldier, a religious man who was one of his personal attendants.

The next day, as they were on their way and coming near Joppa, Peter went up on the roof of the house about noon in order to pray.

It was about three o'clock one afternoon when he had a vision, in which he clearly saw an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius!"

I sat there grieving until the time for the evening sacrifice to be offered, and people began to gather around me---all those who were frightened because of what the God of Israel had said about the sins of those who had returned from exile.

When the time came for the evening sacrifice, I got up from where I had been grieving, and still wearing my torn clothes, I knelt in prayer and stretched out my hands to the LORD my God.

On the twenty-fourth day of the same month the people of Israel gathered to fast in order to show sorrow for their sins. They had already separated themselves from all foreigners. They wore sackcloth and put dust on their heads as signs of grief. Then they stood and began to confess the sins that they and their ancestors had committed.

For about three hours the Law of the LORD their God was read to them, and for the next three hours they confessed their sins and worshiped the LORD their God.

I went on praying, confessing my sins and the sins of my people Israel and pleading with the LORD my God to restore his holy Temple.

While I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came flying down to where I was. It was the time for the evening sacrifice to be offered.

They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them

His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

"Don't be alarmed," he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is not here---he has been raised! Look, here is the place where he was placed.

They stood there puzzled about this, when suddenly two men in bright shining clothes stood by them.