Peter Rescued by an Angel
6 Now when Herod was about to bring him [out], on that [very] night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door were watching the prison.
7
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood near [him], and a light shone in the prison cell. And striking Peter's side, he woke him up, saying, "Get up {quickly}!" And his chains fell off of [his] hands.
8
And the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put 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] was following [him]. And he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but was thinking [he] was seeing a vision.
10
And [after they] had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened for them by itself, and they went out [and] went forward [along] one narrow street, and at once the angel departed from him.
11
And [when] Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I know truly that the Lord has sent out his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and all {that the Jewish people expected}!"
12
And [when he] realized [this], he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John (who is also called Mark), where many [people] were gathered together and were praying.
13
And [when] he knocked at the door of the gateway, a female slave {named} Rhoda came up to answer.
14
And recognizing Peter's voice, because of [her] joy she did not open the gate, but ran in [and] announced [that] Peter was standing at the gate.
15
But they said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting it was so. And they kept saying, "It is his angel!"
16
But Peter was continuing to knock, and [when they] opened [the door] they saw him and were astonished.
17
But motioning to them with [his] hand to be silent, he related to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Report these [things] to James and to the brothers," and he departed [and] went to another place.
18
Now [when] day came, there was not a little commotion among the soldiers [as to] what then had become of Peter.
19
And [when] Herod had searched for him and did not find [him], he questioned the guards [and] ordered [that they] be led away to execution. And he came down from Judea to Caesarea [and] stayed [there].