¹Now at that very appointed-time Herod the king put forth his hands to mistreat some of those of the assembly.

²He killed James the brother of John with the sword.

³And when he had seen that it is pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded to take Peter also — these were the days of the Unleavened Bread —

⁴whom also when he had seized, he put in prison, having delivered him to four sets of four soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.

⁵Peter indeed was therefore kept in the prison; however prayer was fervently being made to God by the assembly concerning him.

⁶When then Herod was about to bring him forth, in that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door were watching the prison.

⁷And behold, a messenger of the Lord stood by and a light shone in the cell; then when he had struck the side of Peter, he woke him up, saying, Rise up with speed. And the chains fell off his hands.

⁸Then the messenger said to him, Dress yourself and put on your sandals. And he did so. And he says to him, Wrap your cloak around yourself and follow me.

⁹And when he had gone forth, he was following him; and he did not know that what is happening through the messenger is real, however he was thinking he was seeing a vision.

¹⁰Then when they had passed through a first guard and a second, they came to the iron gate which is leading into the city, which opened to them by itself; and when they had gone out, they went on through one street, and immediately the messenger departed from him.

¹¹And Peter, having come to himself, said, Now I truly know that the Lord has sent forth his messenger and delivered me out of the hand of Herod and all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

¹²When he had considered it also, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John who is called Mark, where many were gathered together and praying.

¹³Then when he was knocking at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer;

¹⁴and when she had recognized the voice of Peter, from the joy she did not open the gate, but when she had run in, she reported Peter to have been standing before the gate.

¹⁵And they said to her, You rave. But she was insisting it to be so. And they were saying, It is his messenger.

¹⁶But Peter was continuing knocking; then when they had opened it, they saw him and were amazed.

¹⁷Then when he had made a sign to them with the hand to be silent, he related to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison; then he said, Report these things to James and to the brothers. And when he had gone out, he went to another place.

¹⁸Now when day was coming, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers, what then has become of Peter.

¹⁹Then Herod, when he had sought after him and had not found him, had examined the guards and commanded them to be led away to death; and when he had gone down from Judea to Caesarea, he was staying there.

²⁰Now Herod was furiously angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians; then with one accord they were coming to him, and when they had gained Blastus who was over the bedchamber of the king, they were seeking peace, because their region was being nourished by the king's.

²¹Now on the appointed day Herod, having put on royal apparel and having sat on the throne, was making an address to them.

²²And the people were crying out, This is the voice of a god and not of a man!

²³Then immediately a messenger of the Lord struck him, in return for that he did not give the glory to God, and having been eaten by worms he breathed his last.

²⁴But the word of God was continuing to grow and was being multiplied.

²⁵Then Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem, having fulfilled the mission, having taken with them also John, the one having been called Mark.