1. At that time King Herod caused terrible suffering for some members of the church.
2. He ordered soldiers to cut off the head of James, the brother of John.
3. When Herod saw that this pleased the Jewish people, he had Peter arrested during the Festival of Thin Bread.
4. He put Peter in jail and ordered four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to put him on trial in public after the festival.
5. While Peter was being kept in jail, the church never stopped praying to God for him.
6. The night before Peter was to be put on trial, he was asleep and bound by two chains. A soldier was guarding him on each side, and two other soldiers were guarding the entrance to the jail.
7. Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared, and light flashed around in the cell. The angel poked Peter in the side and woke him up. Then he said, “Quick! Get up!”The chains fell off his hands,
8. and the angel said, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” Peter did what he was told. Then the angel said, “Now put on your coat and follow me.”
9. Peter left with the angel, but he thought everything was only a dream.
10. They went past the two groups of soldiers, and when they came to the iron gate to the city, it opened by itself. They went out and were going along the street, when all at once the angel disappeared.
11. Peter now realized what had happened, and he said, “I am certain that the Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod and from everything the Jewish leaders planned to do to me.”
12. Then Peter went to the house of Mary the mother of John whose other name was Mark. Many of the Lord's followers had come together there and were praying.
13. Peter knocked on the gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer.
14. When she heard Peter's voice, she was too excited to open the gate. She ran back into the house and said that Peter was standing there.