12Now at that time, Herod the king laid hands on some of those from the church to harm them.^* ²So 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 ¹²And 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).

Barnabas and Saul Sent Out from Antioch

13Now there were prophets and teachers in Antioch in the church that was there: Barnabas, and Simeon (who was called Niger), and Lucius the Cyrenian, and Manaen (a close friend of Herod the tetrarch), and Saul. ²And while^* they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart now for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³Then, after they^* had fasted and prayed and placed their^* hands on them, they sent them^* away.

Confronting a Magician on Cyprus

⁴Therefore, sent out by the Holy Spirit, they came down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed away to Cyprus. ⁵And when they^* came to Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they also had John as assistant. ⁶And when they^* had crossed over the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a certain man, a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus,⁷who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man summoned Barnabas and Saul and^* wished to hear the word of God. ⁸But Elymas the magician (for his name is translated in this way) opposed them, attempting to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ⁹But Saul (also called Paul), filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him ¹⁰and^* said, “O you who are full of all deceit and of all unscrupulousness, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness! Will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord! ¹¹And now behold, the hand of the Lord is against you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a while.”^a And immediately mist and darkness fell over him, and he was going around looking for people^* to lead him^* by the hand. ¹²Then when^* the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, because he^* was astounded at the teaching about^* the Lord.

Preaching in the Synagogue at Pisidian Antioch

¹³Now Paul and his companions^b put out to sea from Paphos and^* came to Perga in Pamphylia, but John departed from them and^* returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁴And they went on from Perga and^* arrived at Pisidian Antioch. And they entered into the synagogue on the day of the Sabbath and^* sat down. ¹⁵So after the reading from the law and the prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent word^* to them, saying, “Men and brothers, if there is any message of exhortation by you for the people, say it.”^*

¹⁶So Paul stood up,^* and motioning with his^* hand, he said, “Israelite men, and those who fear God, listen! ¹⁷The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people during their^* stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. ¹⁸And for a period of time of about forty years, he put up with them in the wilderness. ¹⁹And after^* destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave their land to his people^* as an inheritance. ²⁰This took^* about four hundred and fifty years. And after these things, he gave them^* judges until Samuel the prophet. ²¹And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. ²²And after^* removing him, he raised up David for their king, about whom he also said, testifying, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man in accordance with my heart, who will carry out all my will.’^c ²³From the descendants of this man, according to his promise, God brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus. ²⁴Before his coming^d John had publicly proclaimed^* a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. ²⁵But while John was completing his^* mission, he said, ‘What do you suppose me to be? I am not he! But behold, one is coming after me of whom I am not worthy to untie the sandals of his^* feet!’

²⁶“Men and brothers, sons of the family of Abraham and those among you who fear God—to us the message of this salvation has been sent! ²⁷For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they^* did not recognize this one, and the voices of the prophets that are read on every Sabbath, fulfilled them^* by^* condemning him.^* ²⁸And although they^* found no charge worthy of death, they asked Pilate that he be executed. ²⁹And when they had carried out all the things that were written about him, they took him^* down from the tree and^* placed him^* in a tomb. ³⁰But God raised him from the dead, ³¹who appeared for many days to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem—who are now his witnesses to the people. ³²And we proclaim the good news to you: that the promise that was made to the fathers, ³³this promise^e God has fulfilled to our children^f by^* raising Jesus, as it is also written in the second psalm,

‘You are my Son;

today I have fathered you.’^g

³⁴But that he has raised him from the dead, no more going to return to decay, he has spoken in this way: ‘I will give you the reliable divine decrees of David.’^h ³⁵Therefore he also says in another psalm,^*

‘You will not permit your Holy One to experience decay.’ⁱ

³⁶For David, after^* serving the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was buried with^j his fathers, and experienced decay. ³⁷But he whom God raised up did not experience decay.

³⁸“Therefore let it be known to you, men and brothers, that through this one forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and from all the things from which you were not able to be justified by the law of Moses, ³⁹by this one everyone who believes is justified! ⁴⁰Watch out, therefore, lest what is stated by the prophets come upon you:^*

⁴¹‘Look, you scoffers,

and be astonished and perish!

For I am doing a work in your days,

a work that you would never believe

even if someone were to tell it^* to you.’ ”^k

Response to the Message in Pisidian Antioch

⁴²And as^* they were going out, they began urging^* that these things be spoken about to them on the next Sabbath. ⁴³And after^* the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and the devout^l proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who were speaking to them and^* were persuading them to continue in the grace of God. ⁴⁴And on the coming Sabbath, nearly the whole city came together to hear the word of the Lord. ⁴⁵But when^* the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting what was…

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Footnotes

*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
aLiterally “now these were the days”
*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had arrested”) which is understood as temporal
bLiterally “whom”
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
cLiterally “to the people”
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
dLiterally “with quickness”
*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went out”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had passed”) which is understood as temporal
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went out”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came”) which is understood as temporal
eLiterally “the expectation of the people of the Jews”
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“realized”) which is understood as temporal
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“knocked”)
fLiterally “by name”
*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“ran in”) has been translated as a finite verb
*This imperfect verb is translated as an iterative imperfect (“kept insisting”)
*This imperfect verb is translated as an iterative imperfect (“kept saying”)
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“opened”) which is understood as temporal
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“departed”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“came”)
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had searched for”) which is understood as temporal
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“questioned”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“came down”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“persuading”) which is understood as temporal
gLiterally “the one over the bedroom of the king”
*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“putting on”) which is understood as temporal
*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began to call out loudly”)
hLiterally “in return for which”
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“was”) has been translated as a finite verb
*This imperfect verb has been translated as customary (“kept on increasing”)
iSome manuscripts read “from”
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had completed”) which is understood as temporal
*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “while” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“were serving”)
*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had fasted”) which is understood as temporal
*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“came”) which is understood as temporal
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“had crossed over”) which is understood as temporal
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“summoned”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “and” is supplied because the participle in the previous verse (“looked intently at”) has been translated as a finite verb
aLiterally “until the time”
*In Greek the direct object (“people”) is understood and must be supplied in the English translation; since the following noun is plural, “people” rather than “someone” is used here
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal
*Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was astounded”) which is understood as causal
*Here “about” reflects an objective genitive (“the Lord” is the object of the teaching)
bLiterally “those around Paul”
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“put out to sea”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“departed”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“went on”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“entered”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here the participle (“stood up”) is translated as a finite verb because of English style
*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“destroying”) which is understood as temporal
*The words “to his people” are supplied as a clarification of who received the land
*The words “This took” are not in the Greek text but are supplied in keeping with English style
*Here the indirect object “them” is not in the Greek text but is implied
*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“removing”) which is understood as temporal
cA quotation from 1 Sam 13:14
dLiterally “the presence of his coming”
*Here the participle (“had publicly proclaimed”) has been translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style
*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
*Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“did not recognize”) which is understood as causal
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“condemning”) which is understood as means
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “although” is supplied as a component of the genitive absolute participle (“found”) which is understood as concessive
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“took … down”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
eIt is necessary to repeat the word “promise” from the previous verse for clarity here
fSome manuscripts have “to us their children”
*Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“raising”) which is understood as means
gA quotation from Ps 2:7
hA quotation from Isa 55:3
*The word “psalm” is not in the Greek text but is implied
iA quotation from Ps 16:10
*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the participle (“serving”) which is understood as temporal
jLiterally “was gathered to”
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
*Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
kA quotation from Hab 1:5
*Here “as” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“were going out”)
*The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here (“began urging”)
*Here “after” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“had broken up”)
lOr “God-fearing”
*Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“were speaking to”) has been translated as a finite verb
*Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“saw”) which is understood as temporal