prEritAH 12
1 tasmin samayE hErOdrAjO maNPalyAH kiyajjanEbhyO duHkhaM dAtuM prArabhat|
It was at that time that King Herod began to ill-treat some of the members of the church.
2 vizESatO yOhanaH sOdaraM yAkUbaM karavAlAghAtEn hatavAn|
He had James, the brother of John, beheaded;
3 tasmAd yihUdIyAH santuSTA abhavan iti vijnjAya sa pitaramapi dharttuM gatavAn|
and, when he saw that the Jews were pleased with this, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the Festival of the 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 seizing Peter, Herod put him in prison, and entrusted him to the keeping of four Guards of four soldiers each, intending, after the Passover, to bring him up before the people.
5 kintuM pitarasya kArAsthitikAraNAt maNPalyA lOkA avizrAmam Izvarasya samIpE prArthayanta|
So Peter was kept in prison, but meanwhile the prayers of the church were being earnestly offered to God on his behalf.
6 anantaraM hErOdi taM bahirAnAyituM udyatE sati tasyAM rAtrau pitarO rakSakadvayamadhyasthAnE zRgkhaladvayEna baddhvaH san nidrita AsIt, dauvArikAzca kArAyAH sammukhE tiSThanatO dvAram arakSiSuH|
Just when Herod was intending to bring him before the people, on that very night Peter was asleep between two soldiers, chained to them both, while there were sentries in front of the door, guarding the prison.
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 stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. The angel struck Peter on the side, and roused him with the words, ‘Get up quickly.’
8 sa dUtastamavadat, baddhakaTiH san pAdayOH pAdukE arpaya; tEna tathA kRtE sati dUtastam uktavAn gAtrIyavastraM gAtrE nidhAya mama pazcAd Ehi|
The chains dropped from his wrists, and then the angel said, ‘Put on your belt and sandals.’ When Peter had done so, the angel added, ‘Throw your cloak round you and follow me.’
9 tataH pitarastasya pazcAd vrajana bahiragacchat, kintu dUtEna karmmaitat kRtamiti satyamajnjAtvA svapnadarzanaM jnjAtavAn|
Peter followed him out, not knowing that what was happening under the angel’s guidance was real, but thinking that 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|
Passing the first Guard, and then the second, they came to the iron gate leading into the city, which opened to them of itself; and, when they had passed through that, and had walked along one street, all at once the angel left him.
11 tadA sa cEtanAM prApya kathitavAn nijadUtaM prahitya paramEzvarO hErOdO hastAd yihUdIyalOkAnAM sarvvAzAyAzca mAM samuddhRtavAn ityahaM nizcayaM jnjAtavAn|
Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I know beyond all doubt that the Lord has sent his angel, and has rescued me from Herod’s hands and from all that the Jewish people have been expecting.’
12 sa vivicya mArkanAmrA vikhyAtasya yOhanO mAtu rmariyamO yasmin gRhE bahavaH sambhUya prArthayanta tannivEzanaM gataH|
As soon as he realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also known as Mark, where a number of people were gathered together, praying.
13 pitarENa bahirdvAra AhatE sati rOdAnAmA bAlikA draSTuM gatA|
On his knocking at the door in the gate, a maidservant, named Rhoda, came to answer it.
14 tataH pitarasya svaraM zruvA sA harSayuktA satI dvAraM na mOcayitvA pitarO dvArE tiSThatIti vArttAM vaktum abhyantaraM dhAvitvA gatavatI|
She recognized Peter’s voice, but in her joy left the gate unopened, and ran in, and told them that Peter was standing outside.
15 tE prAvOcan tvamunmattA jAtAsi kintu sA muhurmuhuruktavatI satyamEvaitat|
‘You are mad!’ they exclaimed. But, when she persisted that it was so, they said, ‘It must be his spirit!’
16 tadA tE kathitavantastarhi tasya dUtO bhavEt|
Meanwhile Peter went on knocking, and, when they opened the gate and saw him, they were amazed.
17 pitarO dvAramAhatavAn EtasminnantarE dvAraM mOcayitvA pitaraM dRSTvA vismayaM prAptAH|
Peter signed to them with his hand to be silent, and then told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison, adding, ‘Tell James and the others all this.’ Then he left the house, and went away to another place.
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|
In the morning there was a great stir among the soldiers – what could have become of Peter!
19 prabhAtE sati pitaraH kva gata ityatra rakSakANAM madhyE mahAn kalahO jAtaH|
And, when Herod had made further search for him and failed to find him, he closely questioned the Guard, and ordered them away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to stay at Caesarea.
20 hErOd bahu mRgayitvA tasyOddEzE na prAptE sati rakSakAn saMpRcchya tESAM prANAn hantum AdiSTavAn|
It happened that Herod was deeply offended with the people of Tyre and Sidon, but they went in a body to him, and, having succeeded in winning over Blastus, the Chamberlain, they begged Herod for a reconciliation, because their country was dependent on the king’s for its food supply.
21 pazcAt sa yihUdIyapradEzAt kaisariyAnagaraM gatvA tatrAvAtiSThat|
On an appointed day Herod, wearing his state robes, seated himself on his throne, and delivered an oration.
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 people kept shouting, ‘It is the voice of God, and not of a person!’
23 ataH kutracin nirupitadinE hErOd rAjakIyaM paricchadaM paridhAya siMhAsanE samupavizya tAn prati kathAm uktavAn|
Instantly an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give God the glory; and he was attacked with worms, and died.
24 tatO lOkA uccaiHkAraM pratyavadan, ESa manujaravO na hi, IzvarIyaravaH|
Meanwhile the Lord’s message kept extending, and spreading far and wide.
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|
When Barnabas and Saul had carried out their mission, they returned to Jerusalem, and took with them John, who was also known as Mark.
