About that time King Herod laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.
After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.)
When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him before the people after the Passover.
While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him.
On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door were watching over the prison.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.
The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.” He did so.
Then he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening with the angel’s help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.
When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many had gathered and were praying.
Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.
When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening the gate and said nothing to them.
They said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.”
Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.
But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers and sisters.” Then he left and went to another place.
When morning came, there was no little excitement among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.
After Herod had searched for him and did not find him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.
Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while.
Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord and, after securing the support of Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace because their country depended on the king’s country for food.
On an appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered an oration to them.
The people shouted, “The voice of a god, not of a mortal!”
Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
But the word of God continued to increase and spread.
Now Barnabas and Saul returned from their mission and brought with them John, whose other name was Mark.
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