Acts 12 : 1 (NLV)
At that time King Herod used his power to make it hard for the Christians in the church.
Acts 12 : 2 (NLV)
He killed James, the brother of John, with a sword.
Acts 12 : 3 (NLV)
When he saw that it made the Jews happy, he took hold of Peter also. This was during the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt.
Acts 12 : 4 (NLV)
Herod took Peter and put him in prison and had sixteen soldiers watch him. After the special religious gathering was over, he planned to bring Peter out to the people.
Acts 12 : 5 (NLV)
So Peter was held in prison. But the church kept praying to God for him.
Acts 12 : 6 (NLV)
The night before Herod was to bring him out for his trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. He was tied with two chains. Soldiers stood by the door and watched the prison.
Acts 12 : 7 (NLV)
All at once an angel of the Lord was seen standing beside him. A light shone in the building. The angel hit Peter on the side and said, "Get up!" Then the chains fell off his hands.
Acts 12 : 8 (NLV)
The angel said, "Put on your belt and shoes!" He did. The angel said to Peter, "Put on your coat and follow me."
Acts 12 : 9 (NLV)
Peter followed him out. He was not sure what was happening as the angel helped him. He thought it was a dream.
Acts 12 : 10 (NLV)
They passed one soldier, then another one. They came to the big iron door that leads to the city and it opened by itself and they went through. As soon as they had gone up one street, the angel left him.
Acts 12 : 11 (NLV)
As Peter began to see what was happening, he said to himself, "Now I am sure the Lord has sent His angel and has taken me out of the hands of Herod. He has taken me also from all the things the Jews wanted to do to me."
Acts 12 : 12 (NLV)
After thinking about all this, he went to Mary's house. She was the mother of John Mark. Many Christians were gathered there praying.
Acts 12 : 13 (NLV)
When Peter knocked at the gate, a girl named Rhoda went to see who it was.
Acts 12 : 14 (NLV)
She knew Peter's voice, but in her joy she forgot to open the gate. She ran in and told them that Peter was standing outside the gate.
Acts 12 : 15 (NLV)
They said to her, "You are crazy." But she said again that it was so. They kept saying, "It is his angel."
Acts 12 : 16 (NLV)
Peter kept knocking. When they opened the gate and saw him, they were surprised and wondered about it.
Acts 12 : 17 (NLV)
He raised his hand and told them not to talk but to listen to him. He told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. He said, "Tell all these things to James and to the other Christian brothers." Then he went to another place.
Acts 12 : 18 (NLV)
In the morning the soldiers were very troubled about what had happened to Peter.
Acts 12 : 19 (NLV)
Herod looked for him but could not find him. He asked the soldiers who watched the prison about Peter. Herod said that the soldiers must be killed because Peter got away. Then Herod went down from the country of Judea to the city of Caesarea to stay for awhile.
Acts 12 : 20 (NLV)
Herod was very angry with the people of the cities of Tyre and Sidon. They went to him and asked for peace to be made between them and the king. They asked this because their country got food from the king's country. The people made friends with Blastus, the king's helper.
Acts 12 : 21 (NLV)
A day was set aside. On that day Herod put on purple clothes a king wears. He sat on his throne and spoke to the people.
Acts 12 : 22 (NLV)
They all started to speak with a loud voice, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man."
Acts 12 : 23 (NLV)
The angel of the Lord knocked him down because he did not give honor to God. He was eaten by worms and died.
Acts 12 : 24 (NLV)
The Word of God was heard by many people and went into more places.
Acts 12 : 25 (NLV)
Saul and Barnabas went back to Jerusalem after they had finished their work. They took John Mark with them.
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