1Now, at about that time, Herod the king put forth his hands to ill- treat certain members of the church; 2and beheaded James, the brother of John, with the sword. 3And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. (This was during the days of unleavened bread.) 4He had him arrested and thrown in prison, and put under guard of sixteen soldiers. He intended, after the Passover, to bring him forth to the people.¶ 5So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer to God was made by the church for him. 6Now when Herod was about to bring him forth, on that very night, while Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison, 7suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him saying, "Rise up quickly." At once the chains dropped from his hands. 8"Gird yourself," said the angel, "and put on your sandals." He did so. Then he said unto him, "Throw your cloak about you, and follow me." 9So Peter went out, following him, but did not realize that what the angel was doing was real, but supposed that he was seeing a vision. 10And when they had passed the first guard and the second, they came to the iron gate that led to the city. This opened to them of its own accord; and they went out passed on through one street; and suddenly the angel left him. 11Peter, coming to himself, said, "Now I know for a certainty that the Lord has sent his angel and released me from the hand of Herod, and from all that the Jewish people were anticipating." 12So, after he had thought things over, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, surnamed Mark, where a large number of people were assembled, praying. 13When he knocked at the door of the gate, a maid servant named Rhoda came to answer. 14And when she recognized Peter’s voice, for very joy she did not open the door, but ran in and told them that Peter was standing in front of the gate. 15"You are mad," they said. But she confidently insisted that it was so. "It is his angel," they said. 16Meanwhile Peter continued to knock, until at last they opened the door, and were amazed to see that it was really he. 17He motioned to them to keep quiet, and told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell all this to James," he said, "and to the brothers," and away he went to another place. 18When morning came there was no small stir among the soldiers as to what could possibly have become of Peter. 19Then Herod had search made for him, and could not find him. After sharply questioning the guards, he ordered them off to execution. He then went down from Judea to Caesarea, where he stayed for some time.¶ 20Now Herod was violently displeased with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him, with one accord, and after conciliating Blastus, the royal chamberlain, they begged for peace because their country depended upon the king’s country for its food supply. 21So on the appointed day, Herod put on his royal robes, and after taking his seat upon the throne, began to harangue them. 22"The voice of a god, and not of a man," the people kept shouting. 23Instantly an angel of the Lord smote him, because he had not given God the glory, and being eaten up by worms, he died. 24But the word of God grew and multiplied; 25and after discharging their mission, Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, bringing with them John, surnamed Mark.¶