Acts 12:1-10 ▼

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

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

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

4 He 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.

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

6 On 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.

7 Suddenly 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.

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.”

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

10 They 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.