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Peter's Arrest and Deliverance

¹ Now about that time ^(F1)Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm.² And he ^(C1)had James the brother of John ^(C2)executed with a sword.³ When he saw that it ^(C1)pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. (Now these were ^(F1)(C2)the days of Unleavened Bread.)⁴ When he had arrested him, he put him in prison, turning him over to four ^(F1)(C1)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending only after ^(C2)the Passover to bring him before the people.⁵ So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God ^(F1)intensely by the church.

⁶ On ^(F1)the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, ^(C1)bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.⁷ And behold, ^(C1)an angel of the Lord suddenly ^(C2)stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And ^(C3)his chains fell off his hands.⁸ And the angel said to him, "Put on your belt and ^(F1)strap on your sandals." And he did so. And he ^(*)said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me."⁹ And he went out and continued to follow, and yet he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing ^(C1)a vision.¹⁰ Now when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which ^(C1)opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.¹¹ When Peter ^(C1)came ^(F1)to himself, he said, "Now I know for sure that ^(C2)the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all ^(F2)that the Jewish people were expecting."¹² And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of ^(C1)John, who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and ^(C2)were praying.¹³ When he knocked at the door of the gate, ^(C1)a slave woman named Rhoda came to answer.¹⁴ When she recognized Peter's voice, ^(C1)because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.¹⁵ They said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. They said, "It is ^(C1)his angel."¹⁶ But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed.¹⁷ But ^(C1)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, "Report these things to ^(F1)(C2)James and ^(C3)the brothers." Then he left and went to another place.

¹⁸ Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to ^(F1)what could have become of Peter.¹⁹ When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they ^(C1)be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to ^(C2)Caesarea and was spending time there.

Death of Herod

²⁰ Now he was very angry with the people of ^(C1)Tyre and Sidon; and with one mind they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king's chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because ^(C2)their country was supported with grain from the king's country.²¹ On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the ^(F1)rostrum and began delivering an address to them.²² The people repeatedly cried out, "The voice of a god and not of a man!"²³ And immediately ^(C1)an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and ^(F1)died.

²⁴ But ^(C1)the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

²⁵ And ^(C1)Barnabas and ^(C1)Saul returned ^(C2)when they had fulfilled their ^(F1)mission to Jerusalem, taking along with them ^(C3)John, who was also called Mark.