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Now on [a]the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, (A)bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold, (B)an angel of the Lord suddenly (C)appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Rise up quickly.” And (D)his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and [b]put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he *said to him, “Wrap your garment around yourself and follow me.” And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but was thinking he was seeing (E)a vision. 10 And when they had passed the first and second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which (F)opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. 11 When Peter (G)came [c]to himself, he said, “Now truly I know that (H)the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all [d]that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of (I)John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and (J)were praying. 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gate, (K)a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 And when she recognized Peter’s voice, (L)because of her joy she did not open the gate. But she ran in and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate. 15 And they said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is (M)his angel.” 16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door, they saw him and were astounded. 17 But (N)motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he recounted to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to (O)James and (P)the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place.

18 Now when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what [e]had become of Peter. 19 And when Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they (Q)be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to (R)Caesarea and was spending time there.

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 12:6 Lit that night
  2. Acts 12:8 Lit bind
  3. Acts 12:11 Lit in himself
  4. Acts 12:11 Lit the expectation of the people of the Jews
  5. Acts 12:18 Lit therefore had become

Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison

The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.

So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. 10 They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.

11 Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders[a] had planned to do to me!”

12 When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. 13 He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”

15 “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”

16 Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. 17 He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place.

18 At dawn there was a great commotion among the soldiers about what had happened to Peter. 19 Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough search for him. When he couldn’t be found, Herod interrogated the guards and sentenced them to death. Afterward Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.

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Footnotes

  1. 12:11 Or the Jewish people.