A modern English translation drawn directly from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Translated word-for-word where possible, by a committee with scholarly oversight.
Uses the same source texts as the ESV, NASB, and most academic Bibles, including the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and the Nestle-Aland critical edition.
Acts 12
Acts 12 is the twelfth chapter of the book of Acts. The 25-verse chapter records King Herod's persecution of the church, Peter's escape from prison, and Herod's death.
King Herod has the apostle James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword, and, seeing that this pleases some, he arrests Peter during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, intending to bring him out after the Passover. Peter is kept under heavy guard while the church prays fervently for him.
The night before his trial, an angel of the Lord appears in Peter's cell, wakes him, and his chains fall off. Peter follows the angel past the guards, and the iron gate to the city opens by itself. Only once outside does Peter realize it is not a vision, saying that the Lord has rescued him "from Herod's grasp." He goes to a house where believers are praying; a servant girl named Rhoda is so overjoyed to hear his voice that she leaves him at the gate, and the others do not believe her until they see him. Peter describes his escape and departs.
When Herod cannot find Peter, he has the guards executed and goes to Caesarea. There, dressed in royal robes and addressing the people, he is hailed as "the voice of a god, not a man." Because he does not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord strikes him down, and he dies. The chapter closes by noting that the word of God continued to spread.
People & Beings in Acts 12
Herod AgrippaJames, son of ZebedeeJohn the ApostlePeter
- Herod Agrippa The king who killed the apostle James, imprisoned Peter, and was struck down by an angel.
- James, son of Zebedee One of the Twelve apostles, the brother of John, and the first of the apostles whose death the New Testament records.
- John the Apostle One of the Twelve apostles, the son of Zebedee and brother of James, part of Jesus's inner circle.
- Peter A fisherman who became one of Jesus' twelve apostles and a leader of the early church.
Verse 1. About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church.
Verse 2. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
Verse 3. And seeing that this pleased the Jews, Herod proceeded to seize Peter during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
Verse 4. He arrested him and put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out to the people after the Passover.
Verse 5. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him.
Verse 6. On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.
Verse 7. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.
Verse 8. “Get dressed and put on your sandals,” said the angel. Peter did so, and the angel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
Verse 9. So Peter followed him out, but he was unaware that what the angel was doing was real. He thought he was only seeing a vision.
Verse 10. They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the length of one block, the angel suddenly left him.
Verse 11. Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”
Verse 12. And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.
Verse 13. He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
Verse 14. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, “Peter is standing at the gate!”
Verse 15. “You are out of your mind,” they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”
Verse 16. But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.
Verse 17. Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.
Verse 18. At daybreak there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.
Verse 19. After Herod had searched for him unsuccessfully, he examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent some time there.
Verse 20. Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.
Verse 21. On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.
Verse 22. And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”
Verse 23. Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Verse 24. But the word of God continued to spread and multiply.
Verse 25. When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, bringing with them John, also called Mark.
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