Peter’s Arrest and Deliverance
12 Now about that time [a]Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them. 2 And he (A)had James the brother of John (B)put to death with a sword. 3 When he saw that it (C)pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now [b]it was during (D)the days of Unleavened Bread. 4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four [c](E)squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after (F)the Passover to bring him out before the people. 5 So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.
6 On [d]the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, (G)bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. 7 And behold, (H)an angel of the Lord suddenly (I)appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And (J)his chains fell off his hands. 8 And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and [e]put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he *said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” 9 And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing (K)a vision. 10 When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which (L)opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11 When Peter (M)came [f]to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that (N)the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all [g]that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of (O)John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and (P)were praying. 13 When he knocked at the door of the gate, (Q)a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, (R)because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. 15 They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is (S)his angel.” 16 But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But (T)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to [h](U)James and (V)the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place.
18 Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to [i]what could have become of Peter. 19 When Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they (W)be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to (X)Caesarea and was spending time there.
Death of Herod
20 Now he was very angry with the people of (Y)Tyre and Sidon; and with one accord they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because (Z)their country was fed by the king’s country. 21 On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the [j]rostrum and began delivering an address to them. 22 The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 23 And immediately (AA)an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and [k]died.
24 But (AB)the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.
25 And (AC)Barnabas and (AD)Saul returned [l]from Jerusalem (AE)when they had fulfilled their [m]mission, taking along with them (AF)John, who was also called Mark.
Footnotes
- Acts 12:1 I.e. Herod Agrippa I
- Acts 12:3 Lit they were the days
- Acts 12:4 Lit quaternions; a quaternion was composed of four soldiers
- Acts 12:6 Lit that night
- Acts 12:8 Lit bind
- Acts 12:11 Lit in himself
- Acts 12:11 Lit the expectation of the people of the Jews
- Acts 12:17 Or Jacob
- Acts 12:18 Lit what therefore had become
- Acts 12:21 Or judgment seat
- Acts 12:23 Lit breathed his last breath
- Acts 12:25 Two early mss read to Jerusalem
- Acts 12:25 Lit ministry
Cross references
- Acts 12:2 : Matt 4:21; 20:23
- Acts 12:2 : Mark 10:39
- Acts 12:3 : Acts 24:27; 25:9
- Acts 12:3 : Ex 12:15; 23:15; Acts 20:6
- Acts 12:4 : John 19:23
- Acts 12:4 : Ex 12:1-27; Mark 14:1; Acts 12:3
- Acts 12:6 : Acts 21:33
- Acts 12:7 : Acts 5:19
- Acts 12:7 : Luke 2:9; 24:4
- Acts 12:7 : Acts 16:26
- Acts 12:9 : Acts 9:10
- Acts 12:10 : Acts 5:19; 16:26
- Acts 12:11 : Luke 15:17
- Acts 12:11 : Dan 3:28; 6:22
- Acts 12:12 : Acts 12:25; 13:5, 13; 15:37, 39; Col 4:10; 2 Tim 4:11; Philem 24; 1 Pet 5:13
- Acts 12:12 : Acts 12:5
- Acts 12:13 : John 18:16f
- Acts 12:14 : Luke 24:41
- Acts 12:15 : Matt 18:10
- Acts 12:17 : Acts 13:16; 19:33; 21:40
- Acts 12:17 : Mark 6:3; Acts 15:13; 21:18; 1 Cor 15:7; Gal 1:19; 2:9, 12
- Acts 12:17 : Acts 1:15
- Acts 12:19 : Acts 16:27; 27:42
- Acts 12:19 : Acts 8:40
- Acts 12:20 : Matt 11:21
- Acts 12:20 : 1 Kin 5:11; Ezra 3:7; Ezek 27:17
- Acts 12:23 : 2 Sam 24:16; 2 Kin 19:35; Acts 5:19
- Acts 12:24 : Acts 6:7; 19:20
- Acts 12:25 : Acts 4:36; 13:1ff
- Acts 12:25 : Acts 4:36; 13:1ff
- Acts 12:25 : Acts 11:30
- Acts 12:25 : Acts 12:12