12:1 About that time King Herod 1 laid hands on 2 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, 5 he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) 6 12:4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads 7 of soldiers to guard him. Herod 8 planned 9 to bring him out for public trial 10 after the Passover. 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly 11 praying to God for him. 12 12:6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, 13 Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while 14 guards in front of the door were keeping watch 15 over the prison. 12:7 Suddenly 16 an angel of the Lord 17 appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck 18 Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s 19 wrists. 20 12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt 21 and put on your sandals.” Peter 22 did so. Then the angel 23 said to him, “Put on your cloak 24 and follow me.” 12:9 Peter 25 went out 26 and followed him; 27 he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, 28 but thought he was seeing a vision. 12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, 29 they came to the iron 30 gate leading into the city. It 31 opened for them by itself, 32 and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, 33 when at once the angel left him. 12:11 When 34 Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued 35 me from the hand 36 of Herod 37 and from everything the Jewish people 38 were expecting to happen.”
12:12 When Peter 39 realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, 40 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. 41 12:14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told 42 them 43 that Peter was standing at the gate. 12:15 But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!” 44 But she kept insisting that it was Peter, 45 and they kept saying, 46 “It is his angel!” 47 12:16 Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door 48 and saw him, they were greatly astonished. 49 12:17 He motioned to them 50 with his hand to be quiet and then related 51 how the Lord had brought 52 him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place. 53
12:18 At daybreak 54 there was great consternation 55 among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 12:19 When Herod 56 had searched 57 for him and did not find him, he questioned 58 the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. 59 Then 60 Herod 61 went down from Judea to Caesarea 62 and stayed there.