Acts 11–12

Peter’s Explanation to the Church in Jerusalem

11Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had accepted the word^a of God. ²So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision took issue with him, ³saying, “You went to men who were uncircumcised^b and ate with them!” ⁴But Peter began and^* explained it^* to them in an orderly sequence, saying, ⁵“I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision—an object something like a large sheet coming down, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came to me. ⁶As I^* looked intently into it, I was considering it,^* and I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild animals and the reptiles and the birds of the sky. ⁷And I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter, slaughter and eat!’ ⁸But I said, ‘Certainly not, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has ever entered into my mouth!’ ⁹But the voice replied from heaven for the second time, ‘The things which God has made clean, you must not consider unclean!’ ¹⁰And this happened three times, and everything was pulled up into heaven again. ¹¹And behold, at once three men who had been sent to me from Caesarea approached the house in which we were staying.^{* 12}And the Spirit told me to accompany them, not hesitating at all. So these six brothers also went with me, and we entered into the man’s house. ¹³And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is also called Peter, ¹⁴who will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household.’ ¹⁵And as I was beginning to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as also on us at the beginning. ¹⁶And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’^{c 17}Therefore if God gave them the same gift as also to us when we^* believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?” ¹⁸And when they^* heard these things, they became silent^* and praised God, saying, “Then God has granted the repentance leading to life to the Gentiles also!”

Developments in the Church in Antioch

¹⁹Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, proclaiming the message to no one except Jews alone. ²⁰But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they^* came to Antioch, began to speak^* to the Hellenists^* also, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus. ²¹And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. ²²And the report came to the attention^d of the church that was in Jerusalem about them, and they sent out Barnabas as far as^e Antioch, ²³who, when he^* arrived and saw the grace of God, rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts,^{f 24}because he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a large number were added^g to the Lord. ²⁵So he departed for Tarsus to look for Saul. ²⁶And when he^* found him,^* he brought him^* to Antioch. And it happened to them also that they met together for a whole year with the church and taught a large number of people.^* And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

²⁷Now in those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸And one of them named^h Agabus stood up and^* indicated by the Spirit that a great famine was about to come over the whole inhabited earth (which took place in the time of Claudius). ²⁹So from the disciples, according to their ability to give,ⁱ each one of them determined to send financial aid^* for support to the brothers who lived in Judea, ³⁰which they also did, sending the aid^* to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Herod Kills James and Imprisons Peter

12Now at that time, Herod the king laid hands on some of those from the church to harm them.^{* 2}So he executed James the brother of John with a sword. ³And when he^* saw that it was pleasing to the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (Now this was during the feast^a of Unleavened Bread.) ⁴After he^* had arrested him,^b he also put him^* in prison, handing him^* over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out for public trial^c after the Passover. ⁵Thus Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer was fervently being made to God by the church for him.

Peter Rescued by an Angel

⁶Now 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. ⁷And 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!”^d And his chains fell off of his^* hands. ⁸And 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!” ⁹And 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. ¹⁰And 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.

¹¹And 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!”^{e 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. ¹³And when^* he knocked at the door of the gateway, a female slave named^f Rhoda came up to answer. ¹⁴And 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. ¹⁵But 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!” ¹⁶But Peter was continuing to knock, and when they^* opened the door^* they saw him and were astonished. ¹⁷But 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.

¹⁸Now when^* day came, there was not a little commotion among the soldiers as to what then had become of Peter. ¹⁹And 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.

Herod’s Gruesome Death

²⁰Now he was very angry with the Tyrians and Sidonians. So they came to him with one purpose, and after^* persuading Blastus, the king’s chamberlain,^g they asked for peace, because their country was supported with food from the king’s country. ²¹So on an appointed day Herod, after^* putting on royal clothing and sitting down on the judgment seat, began to deliver a public address to them. ²²But the people began to call out loudly,^* “The voice of a god and not of a man!” ²³And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down because^h he did not give the glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and^* died. ²⁴But the word of God kept on increasing^* and multiplying.

²⁵So Barnabas and Saul returned toⁱ Jerusalem when they^* had completed their^* service, having taken along with them^* John (who is also called Mark).