prEritAH 12
1 tasmin samayE hErOdrAjO maNPalyAH kiyajjanEbhyO duHkhaM dAtuM prArabhat|
Around this time King Herod began to persecute some members of the church.
2 vizESatO yOhanaH sOdaraM yAkUbaM karavAlAghAtEn hatavAn|
He had James, John's brother, executed by sword.
3 tasmAd yihUdIyAH santuSTA abhavan iti vijnjAya sa pitaramapi dharttuM gatavAn|
When he saw that the Jews were pleased by this, he had Peter arrested too. (This was during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.)
4 tadA kiNvazUnyapUpOtsavasamaya upAtiSTat; ata utsavE gatE sati lOkAnAM samakSaM taM bahirAnEyyAmIti manasi sthirIkRtya sa taM dhArayitvA rakSNArtham yESAm EkaikasaMghE catvArO janAH santi tESAM caturNAM rakSakasaMghAnAM samIpE taM samarpya kArAyAM sthApitavAn|
After having Peter arrested, he threw him in prison, with four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. He planned to have Peter brought out for a public trial after the Passover.
5 kintuM pitarasya kArAsthitikAraNAt maNPalyA lOkA avizrAmam Izvarasya samIpE prArthayanta|
While Peter was kept in prison the church prayed earnestly to God for him.
6 anantaraM hErOdi taM bahirAnAyituM udyatE sati tasyAM rAtrau pitarO rakSakadvayamadhyasthAnE zRgkhaladvayEna baddhvaH san nidrita AsIt, dauvArikAzca kArAyAH sammukhE tiSThanatO dvAram arakSiSuH|
The night before Herod was to have him put on trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, chained to each of them, and with guards at the door keeping watch.
7 Etasmin samayE paramEzvarasya dUtE samupasthitE kArA dIptimatI jAtA; tataH sa dUtaH pitarasya kukSAvAvAtaM kRtvA taM jAgarayitvA bhASitavAn tUrNamuttiSTha; tatastasya hastasthazRgkhaladvayaM galat patitaM|
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. The angel shook Peter awake, saying “Quick! Get up!” The chains fell from his wrists,
8 sa dUtastamavadat, baddhakaTiH san pAdayOH pAdukE arpaya; tEna tathA kRtE sati dUtastam uktavAn gAtrIyavastraM gAtrE nidhAya mama pazcAd Ehi|
and the angel told him, “Get dressed, and put on your sandals.” So he did. Then the angel told him, “Put on your coat and follow me.”
9 tataH pitarastasya pazcAd vrajana bahiragacchat, kintu dUtEna karmmaitat kRtamiti satyamajnjAtvA svapnadarzanaM jnjAtavAn|
So Peter followed the angel out. He didn't realize that what the angel was doing was actually happening—he thought he was seeing a vision.
10 itthaM tau prathamAM dvitIyAnjca kArAM lagghitvA yEna lauhanirmmitadvArENa nagaraM gamyatE tatsamIpaM prApnutAM; tatastasya kavATaM svayaM muktamabhavat tatastau tatsthAnAd bahi rbhUtvA mArgaikasya sImAM yAvad gatau; tatO'kasmAt sa dUtaH pitaraM tyaktavAn|
They passed the first and second sets of guards, and came to the iron gate that led into the city. This opened for them by itself. They went out and down the street, when suddenly the angel left him.
11 tadA sa cEtanAM prApya kathitavAn nijadUtaM prahitya paramEzvarO hErOdO hastAd yihUdIyalOkAnAM sarvvAzAyAzca mAM samuddhRtavAn ityahaM nizcayaM jnjAtavAn|
When Peter came to his senses, he said, “Now I realize this really happened! The Lord sent an angel to rescue me from Herod's power, and from everything that the Jewish people had planned.”
12 sa vivicya mArkanAmrA vikhyAtasya yOhanO mAtu rmariyamO yasmin gRhE bahavaH sambhUya prArthayanta tannivEzanaM gataH|
Now that he was conscious of what had happened, Peter went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark. Many believers had gathered there, and were praying.
13 pitarENa bahirdvAra AhatE sati rOdAnAmA bAlikA draSTuM gatA|
When he knocked on the gateway door, a servant girl called Rhoda came to open up.
14 tataH pitarasya svaraM zruvA sA harSayuktA satI dvAraM na mOcayitvA pitarO dvArE tiSThatIti vArttAM vaktum abhyantaraM dhAvitvA gatavatI|
But recognizing Peter's voice, in her excitement she didn't open the door. Instead she ran back inside shouting, “Peter's at the door!”
15 tE prAvOcan tvamunmattA jAtAsi kintu sA muhurmuhuruktavatI satyamEvaitat|
“You're mad!” they told her. But she kept on insisting it was true. So they said, “It must be his angel.”
16 tadA tE kathitavantastarhi tasya dUtO bhavEt|
Peter continued knocking. When they did eventually open the door, they saw it was him, and were totally shocked.
17 pitarO dvAramAhatavAn EtasminnantarE dvAraM mOcayitvA pitaraM dRSTvA vismayaM prAptAH|
Peter held up his hand for them to be quiet, and then explained to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. “Let James and the brothers know about this,” he told them, and then left to go somewhere else.
18 tataH pitarO niHzabdaM sthAtuM tAn prati hastEna sagkEtaM kRtvA paramEzvarO yEna prakArENa taM kArAyA uddhRtyAnItavAn tasya vRttAntaM tAnajnjApayat, yUyaM gatvA yAkubaM bhrAtRgaNanjca vArttAmEtAM vadatEtyuktA sthAnAntaraM prasthitavAn|
When daylight came the soldiers were totally confused as to what had happened to Peter.
19 prabhAtE sati pitaraH kva gata ityatra rakSakANAM madhyE mahAn kalahO jAtaH|
Herod had a thorough search made for him, but he couldn't be found. After interrogating the guards, Herod ordered that they should be executed. Then Herod left Judea and went to stay in Caesarea.
20 hErOd bahu mRgayitvA tasyOddEzE na prAptE sati rakSakAn saMpRcchya tESAM prANAn hantum AdiSTavAn|
Now Herod had become furious with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They sent a joint delegation to see him and managed to win Blastus, the king's personal assistant, over to their side. They pleaded for peace with Herod because they were dependent on the king's territory for food.
21 pazcAt sa yihUdIyapradEzAt kaisariyAnagaraM gatvA tatrAvAtiSThat|
When the day came for their appointment with the king, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and gave a speech to them.
22 sOrasIdOnadEzayO rlOkEbhyO hErOdi yuyutsau sati tE sarvva EkamantraNAH santastasya samIpa upasthAya lvAstanAmAnaM tasya vastragRhAdhIzaM sahAyaM kRtvA hErOdA sArddhaM sandhiM prArthayanta yatastasya rAjnjO dEzEna tESAM dEzIyAnAM bharaNam abhavatM
The audience shouted in response, “This is the voice of a god, not that of a man!”
23 ataH kutracin nirupitadinE hErOd rAjakIyaM paricchadaM paridhAya siMhAsanE samupavizya tAn prati kathAm uktavAn|
Immediately the angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory. He was consumed by worms and died.
24 tatO lOkA uccaiHkAraM pratyavadan, ESa manujaravO na hi, IzvarIyaravaH|
But the word of God spread, and more and more people believed.
25 tadA hErOd Izvarasya sammAnaM nAkarOt; tasmAddhEtOH paramEzvarasya dUtO haThAt taM prAharat tEnaiva sa kITaiH kSINaH san prANAn ajahAt| kintvIzvarasya kathA dEzaM vyApya prabalAbhavat| tataH paraM barNabbAzaulau yasya karmmaNO bhAraM prApnutAM tAbhyAM tasmin sampAditE sati mArkanAmnA vikhyAtO yO yOhan taM sagginaM kRtvA yirUzAlamnagarAt pratyAgatau|
Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem once they had finished their mission, taking John Mark with them.
