Acts 12:1-16 ▼

1 About that time, King Herod (King Herod Agrippa) reached out to harm \put forth the hands to mistreat/ some who belonged to the church {ekklēsias}.

2 He had James (supplanter / follower), the brother of John (YHWH is gracious), put to death with the sword.

3 And seeing that this pleased the Jews (people of praise), Herod proceeded to seize Peter (rock) 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 (rock) was kept in prison, but the church {ekklēsias} was fervently praying to God {Theon} for him.

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

7 Suddenly an angel (messenger) of the Lord {Kyriou} appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter (rock) 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 (messenger). Peter did so, and the angel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow (accompany) me.

9 So Peter followed him out, but he was unaware that what the angel (messenger) 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 (messenger) suddenly left him.

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

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

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

14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, “Peter (rock) is standing at 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 (messenger).

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