Acts 12
1 Now, at about that time, Herod the king put forth his hands to ill- treat certain members of the church;
It was about this time that King Herod [Agrippa sent soldiers] [MTY] who seized [and put in prison] some of the [leaders] of the congregation [in Jerusalem. He did that] because he wanted to make the believers suffer.
2 and beheaded James, the brother of John, with the sword.
He commanded [a soldier] to cut off the head of [the apostle] James, the [older] brother of [the apostle] John.
3 And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. (This was during the days of unleavened bread.)
When Herod realized that he had pleased the [leaders of the] Jewish people by [doing that], he commanded [soldiers] to arrest Peter [in order to kill him], too. This happened during the festival [when the Jewish people ate] bread [that] did not have yeast.
4 He 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.
After [they] seized Peter, they put him in prison. They arranged for four groups of soldiers to guard Peter. Each [group] had four soldiers. [Every three hours a different group began to guard him while the others rested]. Herod wanted to bring Peter out [of prison and judge him] in front of the [Jewish] people after the Passover [Festival was finished. He then planned to command soldiers to execute Peter].
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer to God was made by the church for him.
So [for several days] Peter was kept {they kept Peter} in prison. But the [other believers] in the congregation at [Jerusalem] were praying earnestly to God [that he would help] Peter.
6 Now 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,
The night [before] Herod planned to bring Peter out [from prison to have him executed] publicly, Peter was sleeping [in the prison] between two soldiers, with two chains binding his arms [to the arms of the soldiers. Two other] soldiers were guarding the prison doors.
7 suddenly 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.
Suddenly an angel [from] the Lord [God] stood [beside Peter], and a [bright] light shone in his cell. The angel poked Peter in the side and woke him up and said, “Get up quickly!” [While Peter was getting up], the chains fell off from his wrists. [However, the soldiers were not aware of what was happening].
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."
Then the angel said to Peter, “Put on your clothes and sandals!” So Peter did. Then the angel said to him, “Fasten your belt/girdle [around you(sg)] and put on your sandals!” So Peter did that. Then the angel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me!”
9 So 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.
So, [after Peter put on his cloak and sandals], he followed [the angel] out [of the prison cell], but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening. He thought [that he] was seeing a vision.
10 And 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.
Peter and the angel walked by the soldiers who were guarding the two doors, [but the soldiers did not see them. Then] they came to the iron gate that [led] out into the city. The gate opened by itself, and Peter and the angel walked out [of the prison]. After they had walked [a ways] along one street, the angel suddenly disappeared.
11 Peter, 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."
Then Peter [finally] realized that [what had happened to him was not a vision, but] it had really happened. So he said [to himself], “Now I really know that the Lord [God] sent an angel [to help me]. He rescued me from what Herod planned to do [MTY] [to me], and [also] from all the things that the Jewish [leaders] [SYN] expected [that Herod would do to me].”
12 So, 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.
When Peter realized [that God had rescued him], he went to Mary’s house. She was the mother of John whose other name was Mark. Many [believers] had assembled there, and they were praying [that God would help Peter somehow].
13 When he knocked at the door of the gate, a maid servant named Rhoda came to answer.
When Peter knocked at the outer entrance, a servant girl named Rhoda came to find out [who was outside the door].
14 And 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.
[When Peter answered her], she recognized his voice, but she was so happy [and excited] that she did not open the door! Instead, she ran back [into the house]. She [excitedly] announced [to the other believers] that Peter was standing outside the door.
15 "You are mad," they said. But she confidently insisted that it was so. "It is his angel," they said.
But [one of] them said to her, “You [(sg)] are crazy!” But she continued saying that it was [really true. Then] they repeatedly said, “[No], [it cannot be Peter]. It is [probably] the angel [who was guarding] him [who has come] (OR, It is the angel [who has guarded/protected] him, [and he has come to tell us that] Peter [has died].)”
16 Meanwhile Peter continued to knock, until at last they opened the door, and were amazed to see that it was really he.
But Peter continued knocking [on the door. So when someone finally] opened the door, they saw that it was Peter, and they were completely amazed!
17 He 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.
Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet. Then he told them exactly how the Lord [God] had led him out of the prison. He [also] said, “Tell James, the [leader] of our [congregation], and our [other] fellow believers what has happened.” Then [Peter left and] went away to another town.
18 When morning came there was no small stir among the soldiers as to what could possibly have become of Peter.
The next morning the soldiers [who had been guarding] Peter became terribly distressed, [because they did not know] what had happened to him.
19 Then 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.
Then Herod [heard about it]. So he [commanded soldiers] to search for Peter, but they did not find him. Then he questioned the soldiers [who had been guarding Peter], and asked them, “[How did Peter get away when you were there guarding him?]” [But they could not explain it. So] he commanded them to be led away [to be executed] {[other soldiers] to lead them away [to execute them]}. [Afterwards], Herod went from Judea [province] down to Caesarea, where he stayed [for some time].
20 Now 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.
King Herod had been furiously angry with the people [who lived] in Tyre and Sidon [cities. Then] one day some men [who represented them] came unitedly [to Caesarea in order to meet with] Herod. They persuaded Blastus, who was one of Herod’s important officials, to tell [Herod] that the people [in their cities] wanted to make peace [with him. They wanted to be able to trade with the people that Herod ruled], because they needed to buy food from those regions. [Herod had commanded the people in the areas he ruled to stop selling food to the people in those cities].
21 So on the appointed day, Herod put on his royal robes, and after taking his seat upon the throne, began to harangue them.
On the day that Herod had planned to [meet with them], he put on (very expensive clothes that showed that he was king/his royal robes). Then he sat on his (throne/chair from which he ruled [people]), and [formally] addressed [all] the people [who had gathered there].
22 "The voice of a god, and not of a man," the people kept shouting.
Those who [were listening to him] shouted repeatedly, “[This man who] is speaking is a god, not a man!”
23 Instantly an angel of the Lord smote him, because he had not given God the glory, and being eaten up by worms, he died.
So, because Herod [let the people praise him] instead of praising God, immediately an angel [from] the Lord [God] caused Herod to become seriously ill. [Many] worms ate his intestines, and [soon] he died [very painfully].
24 But the word of God grew and multiplied;
[The believers] continued telling God’s message to people in many places, and ([the number of people who believed in Jesus] was continually increasing/there were continually more and more people who were believing in Jesus).
25 and after discharging their mission, Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, bringing with them John, surnamed Mark.
When Barnabas and Saul finished [delivering the money to help the Jewish believers in Judea], they left Jerusalem and returned [to Antioch, in Syria province]. They took John, whose other name was Mark, with them.
