Acts 12–13

12TH CHAPTER

An Angel Frees Peter from Prison

¹About that time King Herod devoted his attention to mistreating certain members of the church. ²He had James, the brother of John, executed. ³When he saw how this pleased the Jews, he arrested Peter too. This happened during the days of Unleavened Bread. ⁴After capturing Peter, Herod had him thrown into prison with sixteen soldiers in squads of four to guard him. Herod wanted to bring Peter to trial in front of the people after Passover. ⁵So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying very hard to God for him. 

⁶The night before Herod was going to bring Peter to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. His hands were bound with two chains, and guards were in front of the door. They were watching the prison. 

⁷Suddenly, an angel from the Lord stood near Peter, and his cell was filled with light. The angel nudged Peter’s side, woke him up, and said, “Hurry! Get up!” At that moment the chains fell from Peter’s hands. 

⁸The angel told him, “Put your shoes on, and get ready to go!” Peter did this. Then the angel told him, “Put your coat on, and follow me.” 

⁹Peter followed the angel out of the cell. He didn’t realize that what the angel was doing was actually happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. ¹⁰They passed the first and second guardposts and came to the iron gate that led into the city. This gate opened by itself for them, so they went outside and up the street. The angel suddenly left Peter. 

¹¹When Peter came to his senses, he said, “Now I’m sure that the Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod and from everything the Jewish people are expecting to happen to me.” 

¹²When Peter realized what had happened, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark. Many people had gathered at her home and were praying. ¹³Peter knocked on the door of the entryway, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. ¹⁴When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so happy that instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and reported, “Peter is standing at the door!” 

¹⁵The people told her, “You’re crazy!” But she insisted that Peter was at the door. They said, “It has to be his angel.” 

¹⁶But Peter kept knocking. When they opened the door, they were shocked to see him. ¹⁷Peter motioned with his hand to quiet them down and told them how the Lord had taken him out of prison. He added, “Tell James and the other believers about this.” Then he left and went somewhere else. 

¹⁸In the morning the soldiers were in an uproar over what had happened to Peter. ¹⁹Herod searched for Peter but couldn’t find him. So he questioned the guards and gave orders to have them executed. 

Herod’s Death

Then Herod left Judea and went to Caesarea, where he stayed for a while. 

²⁰Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They were going to meet with Herod. They had agreed on what they wanted to do: They enlisted the help of Blastus to ask Herod for terms of peace. This was because their cities depended on Herod for their food supply. (Blastus was in charge of the king’s living quarters.) 

²¹The appointed day came. Herod, wearing his royal clothes, sat on his throne and began making a speech to them. ²²The people started shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” 

²³Immediately, an angel from the Lord killed Herod for not giving glory to God. Herod was eaten by maggots, and he died. 

²⁴But God’s word continued to spread and win many followers. 

Barnabas and Saul Travel to Cyprus

²⁵After Barnabas and Saul delivered the contribution ⸤to the leaders in Jerusalem⸥, they returned ⸤to Antioch⸥ from Jerusalem. They brought John Mark with them. 

13TH CHAPTER

¹Barnabas, Simeon (called the Black), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (a close friend of Herod since childhood), and Saul were prophets and teachers in the church in Antioch. 

²While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me. I want them to do the work for which I called them.” ³After fasting and praying, Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul, and released them ⸤from their work in Antioch⸥. 

⁴After Barnabas and Saul were sent by the Holy Spirit, they went to the city of Seleucia and from there sailed to the island of Cyprus. ⁵Arriving in the city of Salamis, they began to spread God’s word in the synagogues. John Mark had gone along to help them. ⁶They went through the whole island as far as the city of Paphos. 

In Paphos they met a Jewish man named Barjesus. He was an astrologer who claimed to be a prophet. ⁷He was associated with an intelligent man, Sergius Paulus, who was the governor of the island. The governor sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear God’s word. ⁸Elymas, whose name means astrologer, opposed them and tried to distort the meaning of the faith so that the governor wouldn’t believe. 

⁹But Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit. He stared at Elymas ¹⁰and said, “You are full of dirty tricks and schemes, you son of the devil! You hate everything that has God’s approval. Quit trying to distort the truth about the way the Lord wants people to live. ¹¹The Lord is against you now. For a while you will be blind, unable to see the light of day.” 

Suddenly, Elymas couldn’t see a thing. He tried to find people to lead him. ¹²When the governor saw what had happened, he believed. The Lord’s teachings amazed him. 

Paul and Barnabas Go to Antioch Near Pisidia

¹³Paul and his men took a ship from Paphos and arrived in Perga, a city in Pamphylia. John Mark deserted them there and went back to Jerusalem. ¹⁴Paul and Barnabas left Perga and arrived in Antioch, a city near Pisidia. On the day of rest—a holy day, they went into the synagogue and sat down. 

¹⁵After reading from Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent ⸤a message⸥ to Paul and Barnabas. The message said, “Brothers, if you have any words of encouragement for the people, feel free to speak.” 

¹⁶Then Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and said, “Men of Israel and converts to Judaism, listen to me. ¹⁷The God of the people of Israel chose our ancestors and made them a strong nation while they lived as foreigners in Egypt. He used his powerful arm to bring them out of Egypt, ¹⁸and he put up with them for about forty years in the desert. ¹⁹Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as an inheritance. ²⁰He did all this in about four hundred and fifty years. 

“After that he gave his people judges until the time of the prophet Samuel. 

²¹“Then the people demanded a king, so God gave them Saul, son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin. After forty years ²²God removed Saul and made David their king. God spoke favorably about David. He said, ‘I have found that David, son of Jesse, is a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ 

²³“God had the Savior, Jesus, come to Israel from David’s descendants, as he had promised. ²⁴Before Jesus began his ministry, John ⸤the Baptizer⸥ told everyone in Israel about the baptism of repentance.^a25When John was finishing his work, he said, ‘Who do you think I am? I’m not the person you’re looking for. He will come later. I’m not even good enough to untie his sandals.’ 

²⁶“Brothers—descendants of Abraham and converts to Judaism—the message that God saves people was sent to us. ²⁷The people who live in Jerusalem and their rulers didn’t know who Jesus was. They didn’t understand the prophets’ messages, which are read every day of rest—a holy day. So they condemned Jesus and fulfilled what the prophets had said. ²⁸Although they couldn’t find any good reason to kill him, they asked Pilate to have him executed. ²⁹When they had finished doing everything that was written about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb. ³⁰But God brought him back to life, ³¹and for many days he appeared to those who had come with him to Jerusalem from Galilee. These people are now witnesses and are testifying to the Jewish people about him. ³²We are telling you the Good News: What God promised our ancestors has happened. ³³God has fulfilled the promise for us, their descendants, by bringing Jesus back to life. This is what Scripture says in the second psalm: 

‘You are my Son. 

Today I have become your Father.’ 

³⁴“God stated that he brought Jesus back to life and that Jesus’ body never decayed. He said, ‘I will give you the enduring love promised to David.’ ³⁵Another psalm says, ‘You will not allow your holy one to decay.’ ³⁶After doing God’s will by serving the people of his time, David died. He was laid to rest with his ancestors, but his body decayed. ³⁷However, the man God brought back to life had a body that didn’t decay. 

³⁸“So, brothers, I’m telling you that through Jesus your sins can be forgiven. Sins kept you from receiving God’s approval through Moses’ Teachings. ³⁹However, everyone who believes in Jesus receives God’s approval. 

⁴⁰“Be careful, or what the prophets said may happen to you. 

⁴¹‘Look, you mockers! 

Be amazed and die! 

I am going to do something in your days 

that you would not believe even if it were reported to you!’ ” 

⁴²As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak on the same subject the next day of rest—a holy day. ⁴³When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas. Paul and Barnabas talked with them and were persuading them to continue trusting God’s good will.^b

⁴⁴On the next day of rest—a holy day, almost the whole city gathered to hear the Lord’s word. ⁴⁵When the Jews saw the crowds, they became very jealous. They used insulting language to contradict whatever Paul said. 

⁴⁶Paul and Barnabas told them boldly, “We had to speak God’s word to you first. Since you reject the word and consider yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, we are now going to turn to people of other nations. ⁴⁷The Lord gave us…