Book of Common Prayer
Herod kills James
12 Around that time, King Herod began to use violence towards some members of the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 When he saw that it pleased the Judaeans, he proceeded to arrest Peter, too. (This was around the time of the Festival of Unleavened Bread.) 4 So, when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and gave four squads of soldiers the job of guarding him, with the intention of bringing him out to the people after Passover. 5 So Peter was kept in prison. But the church prayed earnestly to God on his behalf.
Peter’s rescue and Rhoda’s mistake
6 On the night when Herod was intending to bring Peter out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. There were guards on the doors, watching the prison. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood there, and a light shone in the cell.
The angel hit Peter on the side and woke him up.
“Get up quickly!” he said.
The chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel spoke again.
“Get dressed and put on your sandals,” he said. So Peter did.
“Put on your cloak and follow me,” said the angel.
9 So he went out, following the angel. He didn’t think all this business with the angel was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They went through the first set of guards; then the second; and then they came to the iron gate that led into the city. It opened all by itself. They went out and walked along a street. Suddenly the angel left him.
11 Then Peter came to his senses.
“Now I know it’s true!” he said. “The Lord sent his angel and snatched me out of Herod’s hands. He rescued me from all the things the Judaeans were intending to do.”
12 Once he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary, John Mark’s mother. Lots of people were gathered there, praying. 13 Peter knocked at the door in the outer gate, and a maid called Rhoda came to answer it. 14 When she heard Peter’s voice, she was so excited that she didn’t open the gate. Instead, she ran back in and told them that Peter was standing outside the gate.
15 “You’re mad!” they said to her. But she insisted that it really was true.
“It must be his angel!” they said.
16 Meanwhile Peter carried on knocking. They opened the door and saw him, and were astonished. 17 He made a sign with his hand for them to be quiet. Then he told them how the Lord had led him out of the prison.
“Tell this to James, and to the other brothers and sisters,” he said.
Then he left, and went somewhere else.
33 “We are Abraham’s descendants!” they replied. “We’ve never been anyone’s slaves! How can you say that ‘you’ll become free’?”
34 “I’m telling you the solemn truth,” Jesus replied. “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 The slave doesn’t live in the house forever; the son lives there forever. 36 So, you see, if the son makes you free, you will be truly free.”
Children of Abraham—or of the devil
37 “I know you’re Abraham’s descendants,” Jesus went on. “But you’re trying to kill me, because my word doesn’t find a place among you. 38 I am speaking of what I have seen with the father; and you, too, are doing what you heard from your father.”
39 “Abraham is our father!” they replied.
“If you really were Abraham’s children,” replied Jesus, “you would do what Abraham did! 40 But now you’re trying to kill me—me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God! That’s not what Abraham did. 41 You’re doing the works of your father.”
“There wasn’t anything immoral about the way we were born!” they replied. “We’ve got one father, and that’s God!”
42 “If God really was your father,” replied Jesus, “you would love me, because I came from God, and here I am. I didn’t come on my own initiative, you see, but he sent me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I’m saying? It can only be because you can’t hear my word. 44 You are from your father—the devil! And you’re eager to get on with what he wants. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he’s never remained in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells lies, he speaks what comes naturally to him, because he is a liar—in fact, he’s the father of lies! 45 But because I speak the truth, you don’t believe me. 46 Which of you can bring a charge of sin against me? If I speak the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 The one who is from God speaks God’s words. That’s why you don’t listen, because you’re not from God.”
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.