Acts 12
Herod’s Violence to the Church
1
Now about that time Herod the king stretched out
his hand to harass some from the church.
2
Then he killed James the brother of John with
the sword.
3
And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he
proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it
was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.
4
So when he had arrested him, he put him
in prison, and delivered him to four
squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to
bring him before the people after Passover.
Peter Freed from Prison
5
Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant
prayer was offered to God for him by the church.
6
And when Herod was about to bring him out, that
night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains
between two soldiers; and the guards before the
door were keeping the prison.
7
Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by
him, and a light shone in the prison; and he
struck Peter on the side and raised him up,
saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off
his hands.
8
Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and
tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said
to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.”
9
So he went out and followed him, and did not
know that what was done by the angel was real,
but thought he was seeing a vision.
10
When they were past the first and the second
guard posts, they came to the iron gate that
leads to the city, which opened to them of its
own accord; and they went out and went down one
street, and immediately the angel departed from
him.
11
And when Peter had come to himself, he said,
“Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent
His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of
Herod and from all the expectation of the
Jewish people.”
12
So, when he had considered this, he came
to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose
surname was Mark, where many were gathered
together praying.
13
And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a
girl named Rhoda came to answer.
14
When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of
her gladness she did not open the gate, but
ran in and announced that Peter stood before the
gate.
15 But they said to her, “You are beside
yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was
so. So they said, “It is his angel.”
16
Now Peter continued knocking; and when they
opened the door and saw him, they were
astonished.
17
But motioning to them with his hand to keep
silent, he declared to them how the Lord had
brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go,
tell these things to James and to the brethren.”
And he departed and went to another place.
18
Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small
stir among the soldiers about what had become of
Peter.
19 But when Herod had searched for him and
not found him, he examined the guards and
commanded that they should be put to
death.
And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and
stayed there.
Herod’s Violent Death
20
Now Herod had been very angry with the people of
Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one
accord, and having made Blastus the king’s
personal aide their friend, they asked for
peace, because their country was supplied with
food by the king’s country.
21
So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel,
sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.
22
And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a
god and not of a man!”
23
Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck
him, because he did not give glory to God. And
he was eaten by worms and died.
24
But the word of God grew and multiplied.
Barnabas and Saul Appointed
25
And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem
when they had fulfilled their ministry,
and they also took with them John whose surname
was Mark.
