Acts 12

Modern

Literal

James Killed, Peter Imprisoned

¹About that time, King Herod^a reached out to harm^b some who belonged to the church.

¹Now at that time, Herod the king put forth the hands to mistreat some of those of the church.

²He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.

²And he put to death James the brother of John with the sword.

³And seeing that this pleased the Jews, Herod proceeded to seize Peter during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.^a

³And having seen that it is pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also—now these were the days of the Unleavened—

⁴He arrested him and put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

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

The Rescue of Peter

⁵So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him.

⁵Therefore indeed Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer was fervently being made to God by the church concerning him.

⁶On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.

⁶And when Herod was about to bring him forth, on that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, having been bound with two chains, and guards before the door were keeping the prison.

⁷Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.

⁷And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by, and a light shone in the cell. And having struck Peter’s side, he woke him up, saying, “Rise up in haste.” And his chains fell off the hands.

⁸“Get dressed and put on your sandals,” said the angel. Peter did so, and the angel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”

⁸And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he says to him, “Wrap around you your cloak and follow me.”

⁹So Peter followed him out, but he was unaware that what the angel was doing was real. He thought he was only seeing a vision.

⁹And having gone out, he was following, and he did not know that what is happening by means of the angel is real, but he was thinking he saw a vision.

¹⁰They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the length of one block, the angel suddenly left him.

¹⁰And having passed through a first and a second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city, which opened to them by itself. And having gone out, they went on through one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

¹¹Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”

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

¹²And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.

¹²And having considered, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John who is called Mark, where there were many gathered together and praying.

¹³He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.

¹³And of him having knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.

¹⁴When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, “Peter is standing at the gate!”

¹⁴And having recognized Peter’s voice, from joy she did not open the gate, but having run in, she reported Peter to be standing before the gate.

¹⁵“You are out of your mind,” they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

¹⁵And they said to her, “You are out of your mind.” But she kept insisting it to be so. And they kept saying, “It is his angel.”

¹⁶But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.

¹⁶But Peter continued knocking. And having opened, they saw him and were amazed.

¹⁷Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.

¹⁷And having motioned to them with the hand to be silent, he related to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and to the brothers.” And having gone out, he went to another place.

¹⁸At daybreak there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

¹⁸Now day having come, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what then was become of Peter.

¹⁹After Herod had searched for him unsuccessfully, he examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent some time there.

¹⁹And Herod, having sought after him and not having found him, having examined the guards, commanded them to be led away. And having gone down from Judea to Caesarea, he stayed there.

The Death of Herod

²⁰Now Herod was in a furious dispute^a with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.

²⁰Now he was furiously angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians, and they came to him with one accord. And having gained Blastus, who was over the bedchamber of the king, they were seeking peace because of their region being nourished by the king’s.

²¹On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.

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

²²And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”

²²And the people were crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”

²³Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

²³And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God. And having been eaten by worms, he breathed his last.

²⁴But the word of God continued to spread and multiply.

²⁴But the word of God continued to grow and to multiply.

²⁵When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission to Jerusalem, they returned,^a bringing with them John, also called Mark.

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