Acts 12

1About that time King Herod laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church, to mistreat them.

2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.

3When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he went on to arrest Peter too. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.

4After seizing him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying earnestly to God for him.

6The night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching the prison.

7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.

8Then the angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” He did so. Then the angel said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”

9Peter went out and followed him. He did not realize that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.

10They passed the first guard and then the second, and came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went out and walked along one street. Then suddenly the angel left him.

11When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.”

12When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.

13When he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.

14When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate.

15They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.”

16Meanwhile Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.

17He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell James and the brothers and sisters about this.” Then he left and went to another place.

18When morning came, there was no small commotion among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.

19Herod searched for him and could not find him, so he questioned the guards and ordered them to be led away to execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

20Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came to him together, and after winning over Blastus, the king’s personal attendant, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for its food.

21On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and gave a public speech to them.

22The people kept shouting, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!”

23Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give the glory to God. He was eaten by worms and died.

24But the word of God continued to grow and spread.

25Barnabas and Saul returned after they had completed their service in Jerusalem, taking with them John, who was called Mark.