Book of Common Prayer

12 ) At that time Herod the king caught some of the church people and troubled them.

² He killed James the brother of John with a long knife or sword.

³ He saw that this pleased the leaders of the Jews, so he caught Peter also. This happened at the Jewish feast which they had each year to remember leaving Egypt. (It was called the Passover Feast.)

⁴ After Herod had caught Peter, he put him in prison. He told four groups of soldiers to guard him. There were four soldiers in each group. He planned to bring him out for trial before the people. But he would do it after the Passover Feast.

⁵ So Peter was kept in prison. And the church people asked God to help him.

⁶ The night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. He was tied to them with two chains. Guards were at the door of the prison.

⁷ An angel from the Lord came to him and a light shone in the prison. He hit Peter's side and woke him up. `Be quick,' he said. `Get up!' His chains fell off his hands.

⁸ `Put on your belt and your shoes,' said the angel. Peter did so. `And now,' said the angel, `put on your coat and follow me.'

⁹ Peter followed him out. He did not know that what the angel had done was true. He thought he was dreaming.

¹⁰ They passed the first and the second guard. Then they came to the iron gate out to the city. It opened for them by itself. So they went all the way down a street. Then the angel left him.

¹¹ When Peter came to himself, he said, `Now I know truly that the Lord has sent his angel. He has saved me from Herod and from all that the Jewish leaders are hoping will happen to me.'

¹² And when he thought about this, he went to Mary's house. Mary was John Mark's mother. Many people were meeting there, talking to God [about Peter].

¹³ Peter knocked at the outside door. A young servant woman named Rhoda went to answer.

¹⁴ When she knew it was Peter's voice, she was very glad. She did not open the door. But she ran in and told the people that Peter was at the door.

¹⁵ They said, `You are crazy.' But she kept on saying that Peter was really there. Then they said, `It must be his angel.'

¹⁶ Peter kept on knocking. When they opened the door and saw him, they were very much surprised.

¹⁷ He put out his hand for them to be quiet. Then he told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, `Tell James and the brothers about this.' Then he went away to another place.

2 After a few days he came back to Capernaum. People soon heard that he was at home.

² Many came together right away. The house was full. There was no more room, not even outside near the door. Jesus was telling them God's message.

³ Four men brought a sick man to Jesus. The man could not move his arms or legs.

⁴ But they could not get in the house where Jesus was, because there were so many people. So they went up on the roof. They made a hole in the roof. Then they let down the mat with the sick man on it.

⁵ Jesus saw that they believed he would be healed. So he said to the sick man, `Son, the wrong things you have done are forgiven.'

⁶ Some of the scribes were sitting there.

⁷ They were thinking, `Why does this man say such wrong things against God? He is not giving God respect! Who can forgive the wrong things people do? No one but God can do that.'

⁸ Jesus understood in his spirit what the scribes were thinking. He said right away, `Why do you think these wrong things in your hearts?

⁹ Which is easier, to say to the sick man, "The wrong things you have done are forgiven," or to say, "Get up. Take up your mat and walk"?

¹⁰ I want you to know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive the wrong things people do.' So he said to the sick man,

¹¹ `I tell you, get up! Take up your mat and go home.'

¹² Right away the man stood up in front of them. He took up his mat and went home. They were all very much surprised, and they praised God. They said, `We have never seen anything like this before.'