12:1 About that time King Herod¹ laid hands on² some from the church to harm them.³ 12:2 He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword.⁴ 12:3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.)⁵ 12:4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads⁶ of soldiers to guard him. Herod⁷ planned⁸ to bring him out for public trial⁹ after the Passover. 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly¹⁰ praying to God for him.¹¹ 12:6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial,¹² Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while¹³ guards in front of the door were keeping watch¹⁴ over the prison. 12:7 Suddenly¹⁵ an angel of the Lord¹⁶ appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck¹⁷ Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s¹⁸ wrists.¹⁹ 12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt²⁰ and put on your sandals.” Peter²¹ did so. Then the angel²² said to him, “Put on your cloak²³ and follow me.” 12:9 Peter²⁴ went out²⁵ and followed him;²⁶ he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real,²⁷ but thought he was seeing a vision. 12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards,²⁸ they came to the iron²⁹ gate leading into the city. It³⁰ opened for them by itself,³¹ and they went outside and walked down one narrow street,³² when at once the angel left him. 12:11 When³³ Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued³⁴ me from the hand³⁵ of Herod³⁶ and from everything the Jewish people³⁷ were expecting to happen.”

12:12 When Peter³⁸ realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark,³⁹ where many people had gathered together and were praying. 12:13 When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered.⁴⁰ 12:14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told⁴¹ them⁴² that Peter was standing at the gate. 12:15 But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!”⁴³ But she kept insisting that it was Peter,⁴⁴ and they kept saying,⁴⁵ “It is his angel!”⁴⁶ 12:16 Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door⁴⁷ and saw him, they were greatly astonished.⁴⁸ 12:17 He gave them a signal⁴⁹ with his hand to be quiet and then related to them how the Lord had brought⁵⁰ him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place.⁵¹

12:18 At daybreak⁵² there was great consternation⁵³ among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 12:19 When Herod⁵⁴ had searched⁵⁵ for him and did not find him, he questioned⁵⁶ the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution.⁵⁷ Then⁵⁸ Herod⁵⁹ went down from Judea to Caesarea⁶⁰ and stayed there.

12:20 Now Herod⁶¹ was having an angry quarrel⁶² with the people of Tyre⁶³ and Sidon.⁶⁴ So they joined together⁶⁵ and presented themselves before him. And after convincing⁶⁶ Blastus, the king’s personal assistant,⁶⁷ to help them,⁶⁸ they asked for peace,⁶⁹ because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country. 12:21 On a day determined in advance, Herod⁷⁰ put on his royal robes,⁷¹ sat down on the judgment seat⁷² and made a speech⁷³ to them. 12:22 But the crowd⁷⁴ began to shout,⁷⁵ “The voice of a god,⁷⁶ and not of a man!” 12:23 Immediately an angel of the Lord⁷⁷ struck⁷⁸ Herod⁷⁹ down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.⁸⁰ 12:24 But the word of God⁸¹ kept on increasing⁸² and multiplying.

12:25 So Barnabas and Saul returned from⁸³ Jerusalem⁸⁴ when they had completed⁸⁵ their mission,⁸⁶ bringing along with them John Mark.⁸⁷