Atos 12

Tiago morto à espada. Pedro é livre da prisão

1 Naquele tempo, o rei Herodes mandou prender alguns da igreja para os maltratar. 2 Ordenou que *Mt 4.21; cp.Mt 20.23matassem à espada Tiago, irmão de João. 3 Vendo que isso *cp.At 24.27;25.9agradava aos judeus, fez ainda mais: mandou prender também a Pedro — e eram *Êx 12.15;23.15;At 20.6os dias dos Pães Asmos — 4 e, tendo-o feito prender, lançou-o no cárcere, entregando-o a quatro escoltas de *cp.Jo 19.23quatro soldados cada uma para o guardarem, tencionando apresentá-lo ao povo depois da *Mc 14.1;At 12.3Páscoa. 5 Pedro, pois, estava guardado no cárcere; mas a igreja orava com insistência a Deus por ele. 6 Quando Herodes estava para apresentá-lo, nessa mesma noite, Pedro dormia entre dois soldados, *At 21.33acorrentado com duas cadeias, e sentinelas, à porta, guardavam o cárcere. 7 Eis que *Lc 2.9;24.4sobreveio *At 5.19um anjo do Senhor, e uma luz brilhou na prisão; e ele, tocando o lado de Pedro, o despertou, dizendo: Levanta-te depressa. *cp.At 16.26As cadeias caíram-lhe das mãos. 8 O anjo acrescentou: Cinge-te e calça as tuas sandálias. Ele assim o fez. Disse-lhe mais: Cobre-te com a tua capa e segue-me. 9 Pedro, saindo, seguia-o e não sabia que era real o que se fazia por meio do anjo, mas julgava que era *At 9.10uma visão. 10 Depois de terem passado a primeira e a segunda sentinela, chegaram ao portão de ferro que dá para a cidade, o qual se lhes *cp.At 5.19;16.26abriu por si mesmo; e, saindo, andaram uma rua, e logo o anjo o deixou. 11 Pedro, *cp.Lc 15.17tornando a si, disse: Agora, sei verdadeiramente que *cp.Dn 3.28;6.22o Senhor enviou o seu anjo e me livrou da mão de Herodes e de tudo o que esperava o povo judaico. 12 Depois de refletir, foi à casa de Maria, mãe *At 12.25;At 13.5,13;15.37,39;Cl 4.10;2Tm 4.11;Fm 24;1Pe 5.13de João, que tem por sobrenome Marcos, onde muitas pessoas estavam congregadas *At 12.5e oravam. 13 Quando ele bateu ao postigo do portão, veio uma *Jo 18.16s.criada chamada Rode ver quem era; 14 reconhecendo a voz de Pedro, *Lc 24.41de gozo não abriu o portão, mas, correndo para dentro, contou que Pedro estava ali. 15 Eles lhe disseram: Estás louca. Ela, porém, asseverava que era ele. Diziam: É o *Mt 18.10seu anjo. 16 Mas Pedro continuava a bater; quando abriram o portão, viram-no e ficaram atônitos. 17 Mas ele, *At 13.16;19.33;21.40acenando-lhes com a mão que se calassem, contou-lhes como o Senhor o tirou do cárcere e acrescentou: Anunciai isso *At 15.13;21.18;1Co 15.7;Gl 1.19;2.9,12; cp.Mc 6.3a Tiago e *At 1.15aos irmãos. E, saindo, retirou-se para outro lugar. 18 Logo que amanheceu, houve grande alvoroço entre os soldados sobre o que teria acontecido a Pedro. 19 Herodes, tendo-o procurado e não o achando, inquiriu as sentinelas e mandou *cp.At 16.27;27.42que fossem justiçadas; e, descendo da Judeia *At 8.40a Cesareia, ali se demorou.

A morte de Herodes

20 Herodes estava irritado contra os de *Mt 11.21Tiro e de Sidom; porém eles, de comum acordo, se apresentaram a ele e, depois de alcançar o favor de Blasto, camarista do rei, pediam paz, porque *cp.1Rs 5.11;Ed 3.7;Ez 27.17era do país do rei que se abastecia o país deles. 21 Num dia designado, Herodes, vestido de traje real, sentado no trono, dirigia-lhes uma fala; 22 e o povo clamava: É voz de um deus e não de um homem. 23 No mesmo instante, um *At 5.19; cp.2Sm 24.16;2Rs 19.35anjo do Senhor o feriu, por ele não haver dado glória a Deus; e, comido de vermes, expirou.

24 Entretanto, *At 6.7;19.20a palavra de Deus crescia e se multiplicava.

25 *At 13.1ss.; vd.4.36Barnabé e Saulo, *At 11.30tendo acabado o seu serviço, voltaram de Jerusalém, levando consigo a *At 12.12João, que tem por sobrenome Marcos.

1 Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly. 2 He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. 3 When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread. 4 When he had arrested him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. 5 Peter therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him. 6 The same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison.

7 And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, "Stand up quickly!" His chains fell off his hands. 8 The angel said to him, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." He did so. He said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me." 9 And he went out and followed him. He didn’t know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

11 When Peter had come to himself, he said, "Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting." 12 Thinking about that, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. 13 When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she didn’t open the gate for joy, but ran in and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

15 They said to her, "You are crazy!" But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel." 16 But Peter continued knocking. When they had opened, they saw him and were amazed. 17 But he, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, "Tell these things to James and to the brothers." Then he departed and went to another place.

18 Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. 19 When Herod had sought for him and didn’t find him, he examined the guards, then commanded that they should be put to death. He went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

20 Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came with one accord to him and, having made Blastus, the king’s personal aide, their friend, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. 21 On an appointed day, Herod dressed himself in royal clothing, sat on the throne, and gave a speech to them. 22 The people shouted, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn’t give God the glory. Then he was eaten by worms and died.

24 But the word of God grew and multiplied. 25 Barnabas and Saul returned to*12:25 TR reads "from" instead of "to" Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their service, also taking with them John who was called Mark.