Acts 12
12
An Angel Helps Peter Escape From Prison
1About this time, King Herod arrested some people who belonged to the church. He planned to make them suffer greatly. 2He had James killed with a sword. James was John’s brother. 3Herod saw that the death of James pleased some Jews. So he arrested Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4After Herod arrested Peter, he put him in prison. Peter was placed under guard. He was watched by four groups of four soldiers each. Herod planned to put Peter on public trial. It would take place after the Passover Feast.
5So Peter was kept in prison. But the church prayed hard to God for him.
6It was the night before Herod was going to bring him to trial. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. Two chains held him there. Lookouts stood guard at the entrance. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared. A light shone in the prison cell. The angel struck Peter on his side. Peter woke up. “Quick!” the angel said. “Get up!” The chains fell off Peter’s wrists.
8Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” Peter did so. “Put on your coat,” the angel told him. “Follow me.” 9Peter followed him out of the prison. But he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. 10They passed the first and second guards. Then they came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself. They went through it. They walked the length of one street. Suddenly the angel left Peter.
11Then Peter realized what had happened. He said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent his angel. He set me free from Herod’s power. He saved me from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”
12When Peter understood what had happened, he went to Mary’s house. Mary was the mother of John Mark. Many people had gathered in her home. They were praying there. 13Peter knocked at the outer entrance. A servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14She recognized Peter’s voice. She was so excited that she ran back without opening the door. “Peter is at the door!” she exclaimed.
15“You’re out of your mind,” they said to her. But she kept telling them it was true. So they said, “It must be his angel.”
16Peter 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 explained how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said. Then he went to another place.
18In the morning the soldiers were bewildered. They couldn’t figure out what had happened to Peter. 19So Herod had them look everywhere for Peter. But they didn’t find him. Then Herod questioned the guards closely. He ordered that they be put to death.
Herod Dies
Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. 20He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they got together and asked for a meeting with him. This was because they depended on the king’s country to supply them with food. They gained the support of Blastus and then asked for peace. Blastus was a trusted personal servant of the king.
21The appointed day came. Herod was seated on his throne. He was wearing his royal robes. He made a speech to the people. 22Then they shouted, “This is the voice of a god. It’s not the voice of a man.” 23Right away an angel of the Lord struck Herod down. Herod had not given praise to God. So he was eaten by worms and died.
24But God’s word continued to spread and many people believed the message.
Barnabas and Saul Are Sent Off
25Barnabas and Saul finished their task. Then they returned from Jerusalem. They took John Mark with them.
Currently Selected:
Acts 12: NIrV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Acts 12
12
James Martyred and Peter Jailed
1About that time King Herod violently attacked some who belonged to the church, 2and he executed James,#Mt 4:21; 20:23 John’s brother, with the sword. 3When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.#Ex 12:15; 23:15; Ac 12:5; 20:6; 24:27; 25:9; 2Co 1:11; Eph 6:18 4After the arrest, he put him in prison and assigned 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 fervently to God for him.
Peter Rescued
6When Herod was about to bring him out for trial, that very night Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison. 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord#Lk 1:11; Col 4:1; Jd 5 appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, “Quick, get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists.#Lk 2:9; 5:19; 16:26; 24:4 8“Get dressed,” the angel told him, “and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Wrap your cloak around you,” he told him, “and follow me.” 9So he went out and followed, and he did not know that what the angel did was really happening, but he thought he was seeing a vision.#Ps 126:1; Ac 9:10 10After they passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went outside and passed one street, and suddenly the angel left him.#Ac 5:19; 16:26
11When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from all that the Jewish people expected.”#Ps 33:18–19; 34:7; Dn 3:28; 6:22; Lk 15:17; 2Co 1:10 12As soon as he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark,#Ac 12:25; 15:37,39; Col 4:10; 2Tm 4:11; Phm 24; 1Pt 5:13 where many had assembled and were praying. 13He knocked at the door of the outer gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. 14She recognized Peter’s voice, and because of her joy, she did not open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the outer gate.
15“You’re out of your mind!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true, and they said, “It’s his angel.”#Mt 18:10; Lk 24:21 16Peter, however, kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.
17Motioning to them with his hand#Ac 13:16; 19:33; 21:40 to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Tell these things to James#Ac 15:13; 21:18; Gl 1:19; 2:9,12 and the brothers,” he said, and he left and went to another place.
18At daylight, there was a great commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19After Herod had searched and did not find him, he interrogated the guards and ordered their execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.#Ac 8:40; 16:27; 27:42
Herod’s Death
20Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Together they presented themselves before him. After winning over Blastus, who was in charge of the king’s bedroom, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food from the king’s country.#1Kg 5:11; Ezr 3:7; Ezk 27:17; Mt 11:21 21On an appointed day, dressed in royal robes and seated on the throne, Herod delivered a speech to them. 22The assembled people began to shout, “It’s the voice of a god and not of a man!” 23At once an angel of the Lord#Lk 1:11; Col 4:1; Jd 5 struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.#1Sm 25:38; 2Sm 24:16–17; Ps 115:1
24But the word of God spread and multiplied.#Ac 6:7; 19:20 25After they had completed their relief mission, Barnabas and Saul returned to#12:25 Other mss read from Jerusalem, taking along John who was called Mark.#Ac 4:36; 11:30; 12:12
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers