| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1About that time King Herod laid hands on some from the church to harm them. | 1About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. |
| 2He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword. | 2He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. |
| 3When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) | 3When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration. ) |
| 4When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. | 4Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. |
| 5So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly praying to God for him. | 5But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him. Peter’s Miraculous Escape from Prison |
| 6On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. | 6The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. |
| 7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, "Get up quickly!" And the chains fell off Peter's wrists. | 7Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. |
| 8The angel said to him, "Fasten your belt and put on your sandals." Peter did so. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me." | 8Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. |
| 9Peter went out and followed him; he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. | 9So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. |
| 10After they had passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, when at once the angel left him. | 10They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. |
| 11When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting to happen." | 11Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!” |
| 12When Peter realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying. | 12When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. |
| 13When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered. | 13He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. |
| 14When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told them that Peter was standing at the gate. | 14When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!” |
| 15But they said to her, "You've lost your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was Peter, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!" | 15“You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.” |
| 16Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were greatly astonished. | 16Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed. |
| 17He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet and then related how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, "Tell James and the brothers these things," and then he left and went to another place. | 17He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place. |
| 18At daybreak there was great consternation among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. | 18At dawn there was a great commotion among the soldiers about what had happened to Peter. |
| 19When Herod had searched for him and did not find him, he questioned the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there. | 19Herod Agrippa ordered a thorough search for him. When he couldn’t be found, Herod interrogated the guards and sentenced them to death. Afterward Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while. The Death of Herod Agrippa |
| 20Now Herod was having an angry quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they joined together and presented themselves before him. And after convincing Blastus, the king's personal assistant, to help them, they asked for peace, because their country's food supply was provided by the king's country. | 20Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, |
| 21On a day determined in advance, Herod put on his royal robes, sat down on the judgment seat, and made a speech to them. | 21and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. |
| 22But the crowd began to shout, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" | 22The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!” |
| 23Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. | 23Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died. |
| 24But the word of God kept on increasing and multiplying. | 24Meanwhile, the word of God continued to spread, and there were many new believers. |
| 25So Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem when they had completed their mission, bringing along with them John Mark. | 25When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, taking John Mark with them. |
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