⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,^(A) and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel^(B) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.^(C)

⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.^{(D) 10} They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,^(E) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself^(F) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me^(G) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

¹⁸ In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. ¹⁹ After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.^(A)

Herod’s Death

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea^(B) and stayed there.