17. But the high priest rose up and all who were his supporters, that is, the party of the Sadducees, and being filled with jealousy and indignation and rage,
18. They seized and arrested the apostles (special messengers) and put them in the public jail.
19. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and, leading them out, said,
20. Go, take your stand in the temple courts and declare to the people the whole doctrine concerning this Life (the eternal life which Christ revealed).
21. And when they heard this, they accordingly went into the temple about daybreak and began to teach. Now the high priest and his supporters who were with him arrived and called together the council (Sanhedrin), even all the senate of the sons of Israel, and they sent to the prison to have [the apostles] brought.
22. But when the attendants arrived there, they failed to find them in the jail; so they came back and reported,
23. We found the prison quite safely locked up and the guards were on duty outside the doors, but when we opened [it], we found no one on the inside.
24. Now when the military leader of the temple area and the chief priests heard these facts, they were much perplexed and thoroughly at a loss about them, wondering into what this might grow.