1 Por essa época, o rei Herodes Agripa começou a perseguir violentamente algumas pessoas da igreja. 2 Mandou matar à espada Tiago, irmão de João. 3 Quando Herodes viu quanto isso agradava os judeus, também prendeu Pedro durante a celebração da Festa dos Pães sem Fermento. 4 Depois, lançou-o na cadeia, sob a guarda de quatro escoltas, cada uma com quatro soldados. A intenção de Herodes era apresentar Pedro aos judeus para julgamento público depois da Páscoa. 5 Enquanto Pedro estava no cárcere, a igreja orava fervorosamente a Deus por ele.

6 Na noite antes de Pedro ser levado a julgamento, ele dormia, preso com duas correntes entre dois soldados, e outros montavam guarda na porta da prisão. 7 De repente, uma luz intensa brilhou na cela, e um anjo do Senhor apareceu. Tocou no lado de Pedro para acordá-lo e disse: "Depressa! Levante-se!", e as correntes caíram dos pulsos de Pedro. 8 Então o anjo lhe disse: "Vista-se e calce as sandálias", e Pedro obedeceu. "Agora vista a capa e siga-me", ordenou o anjo.

9 Pedro deixou a cela, seguindo o anjo. O tempo todo, porém, pensava que era uma visão, sem entender que era real o que ocorria. 10 Passaram o primeiro e o segundo postos de guarda e, quando chegaram ao portão de ferro que dava para a cidade, o portão se abriu sozinho para eles. Os dois passaram e foram caminhando ao longo da rua até que, subitamente, o anjo o deixou.

11 Por fim, Pedro caiu em si. "É verdade mesmo!", disse ele. "O Senhor enviou seu anjo para me salvar daquilo que Herodes e os judeus planejavam me fazer!"

12 Quando Pedro se deu conta disso, foi à casa de Maria, mãe de João Marcos, onde muitos estavam reunidos para orar. 13 Ele bateu à porta da frente, e uma serva chamada Rode foi atender. 14 Ao reconhecer a voz de Pedro, ficou tão contente que, em vez de abrir a porta, correu de volta para dentro dizendo a todos: "Pedro está à porta!".

15 Eles, porém, disseram: "Você está fora de si!". Diante da insistência dela, concluíram: "Deve ser o anjo dele".

16 Enquanto isso, Pedro continuava a bater. Quando, por fim, abriram a porta e o viram, ficaram admirados. 17 Ele fez um sinal para se acalmarem e lhes contou como o Senhor o havia tirado da prisão. "Contem a Tiago e aos outros irmãos o que aconteceu", disse ele. Então foi para outro lugar.

18 Ao amanhecer, houve grande alvoroço entre os soldados a respeito do que tinha acontecido a Pedro. 19 Herodes ordenou que fosse feita uma busca completa por ele. Não conseguindo encontrá-lo, interrogou os guardas e mandou executá-los. Depois disso, Herodes partiu da Judeia e foi passar algum tempo em Cesareia.

20 O rei Herodes estava muito irado com o povo de Tiro e Sidom. Assim, as duas cidades se uniram na tentativa de se reconciliar com o rei, pois dependiam de suas terras para obter alimento. Então, tendo conquistado o apoio de Blasto, assistente pessoal do rei, 21 conseguiram uma audiência. No dia marcado, Herodes, vestindo seus trajes reais, sentou-se em seu trono e fez um discurso para eles. 22 O povo o ovacionava, gritando: "É a voz de um deus, e não de um homem!".

23 No mesmo instante, um anjo do Senhor feriu Herodes com uma enfermidade, pois ele não ofereceu a glória a Deus. Foi comido por vermes e morreu.

24 Enquanto isso, a palavra de Deus continuava a se espalhar, e havia muitos novos convertidos.

25 Quando Barnabé e Saulo terminaram sua missão em Jerusalém, voltaram levando consigo João Marcos.

1 About that time, Herod arrested some people who belonged to the church and mistreated them.

2 He even had James the brother of John killed with a sword.

3 When he saw how this was agreeable to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter, too. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

4 When he arrested him, he put him in prison and turned him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, planning to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

5 So Peter was being kept in prison, but earnest prayer to God for him was being offered by the church.

6 That very night, before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, and guards in front of the door were watching the prisoners.

7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on his side, woke him up, and said, "Get up quickly!" His chains fell from his wrists.

8 Then the angel said to him, "Tuck in your shirt and put on your sandals!" He did this. Then the angel told him, "Put on your coat and follow me!"

9 So he went out and began to follow him, not realizing that what was being done by the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision.

10 They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate that led into the city. It opened by itself for them, and they went outside and proceeded one block when the angel suddenly left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I'm sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from everything the Jewish people were expecting!"

12 When he realized what had happened, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where a large number of people had gathered and were praying.

13 When he knocked at the outer gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer it.

14 On recognizing Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed that she didn't open the gate but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate.

15 They said to her, "You're out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. Then they said, "It's his angel."

16 Meanwhile, Peter kept on knocking and knocking. When they opened the gate, they saw him and were amazed.

17 He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet, and then he told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He added, "Tell this to James and the brothers." Then he left and went somewhere else.

18 When morning came, there was no little commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

19 Herod searched for him but didn't find him, so he questioned the guards and ordered them to be executed. Then he left Judea, went down to Caesarea, and stayed there for a while.

20 Now Herod had a violent quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they came to him as a group. After they had won over Blastus, who took care of the king's bedroom, they asked for peace because their country depended on the king's country for food.

21 Therefore, on a day that was set, Herod put on his royal robes, sat down on the royal seat, and made a speech to them.

22 The people kept shouting, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man!"

23 Immediately the angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God continued to grow and spread.

25 When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission, they returned to Jerusalem, bringing with them John who was also called Mark.