Acts:12:1-19

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* Now at that time Herod the king put [forth ]his hands to harm some from the church . * And he put to death James the brother of John with the sword . * And seeing that it was pleasing to the Jews , he proceeded further to arrest Peter also (these were during the Days of Unleavened Bread ), * whom also seizing , he put him in prison , and handed him over to four four-man squads of soldiers to guard him , planning after the Passover to bring him again to the people . * Therefore Peter was kept in prison ; but earnest prayer was being made by the church to God [on ] behalf of him . * But when Herod was about to bring him forth , on that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers , having been bound with two chains ; and guards before the door were keeping the prison . * And behold , an angel of the Lord stood [there ], and a light shined in the prison room ; and striking the side of Peter , he roused him saying , "Arise quickly !"And his chains fell away from his hands . * And the angel said to him , "Gird yourself and put on your sandals "; and he did so . And he said to him , "Put on your cloak and follow me ." * And going out , he was following him , and did not know that the thing taking place by the angel was true , but he was thinking that he was seeing a vision . * And going though the first and the second guard [posts ], they came to the iron gate which leads into the city , which was opened to them of its own accord ; and going out , they went forward one street , and immediately the angel withdrew from him . * And Peter , having come to himself , said , "Now I know truly that the Lord has sent forth His angel , and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jews ." * And realizing [this ], he came to the house of Mary , the mother of John whose surname was Mark , where a considerable [number ] were gathered together and were praying . * And when Peter knocked at the door of the gate , a servant girl came to answer , named Rhoda . * When she recognized Peter 's voice , because of her gladness she did not open the gate , but running in , she announced that Peter stood at the gate . * But they said to her , "You are mad !"Yet she kept insisting that it was so . So they said , "It is his angel ." * But Peter was continuing knocking ; and opening [the door ] they saw him , and were astounded . * And motioning to them with his hand to be silent , he related to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison . And he said , "Tell these things to James and to the brothers ."And going out , he went to another place . * Now when day came , there was no small disturbance among the soldiers , as to what had become of Peter . * And Herod , seeking for him and not finding him , he examined the guards , and commanded that they be executed . And going down from Judea to Caesarea , he was spending time [there ].

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