Peter Is Rescued
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers,
1bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison.
7
And behold,
2an angel of the Lord
3stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell.
4He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly. ” And
5the chains fell off his hands.
8
And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and
6put on your sandals. ” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me. ”
9
And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but
7thought he was seeing a vision.
10
When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city.
8It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.
11
When Peter
9came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that
10the Lord has sent his angel and
11rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting. ”
12
When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of
12John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and
13were praying.
13
And when he knocked at the door of the gateway,
14a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer.
14
Recognizing Peter’s voice,
15in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate.
15
They said to her, “You are out of your mind. ” But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, “It is
16his angel! ”
16
But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed.
17
But
17motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to
18James and to
19the brothers. ” Then he departed and went to another place.
18
Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.
19
And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and
20ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there.