Acts 12

1About this time, King Herod arrested some people who belonged to the church. He wanted to hurt them.

2He had James, the brother of John, killed with a sword.

3When Herod saw that this pleased the Jewish leaders, he also arrested Peter. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

4After arresting Peter, Herod put him in prison. He handed Peter over to four groups of four soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

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

6The night before Herod planned to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. He was bound with two chains, and guards stood watch at the entrance.

7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. The angel hit Peter on the side to wake him up. He said: Quick, get up! Then the chains fell off Peter's wrists.

8Then the angel said to him: Put on your clothes and sandals. Peter did this. The angel said: Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.

9Peter followed him out of the prison. But he did not know that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision.

10They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate that led to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they walked through it. When they had walked the length of one street, the angel suddenly left him.

11Then Peter came to his senses and said: Now I know for certain that the Lord sent His angel. He rescued me from Herod's power and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen to me.

12When Peter realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (also called Mark). Many people had gathered there and were praying.

13Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.

14When Rhoda recognized Peter's voice, she was so happy that she ran back without opening the door. She said: Peter is at the door!

15They said to her: You are out of your mind. But she kept insisting it was true. So they said: It must be his angel.

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

17Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet. He told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. He said: Tell James and the other believers about this. Then he left for another place.

18In the morning, the soldiers were very upset, wondering what had happened to Peter.

19Herod searched everywhere for Peter but could not find him. So he questioned the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

20Herod had been angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they joined together and asked to meet with him. First they won the support of Blastus, a trusted servant of the king. Then they asked for peace, because they depended on the king's country for their food.

21On the chosen day, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and gave a speech to the people.

22They shouted: This is the voice of a god, not of a man.

23Right away, an angel of the Lord struck Herod down, because he did not give the praise to God. Herod was eaten by worms and died.

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