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Acts · Literal Standard Version

Acts 12 Literal Standard Version

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About LSV
  • Protestant
  • OT: Masoretic Hebrew
  • NT: Majority (Byzantine) text
  • Protestant (66 books)
  • Very literal
  • 2020
  • CC BY-SA 4.0

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

1 And about that time, Herod the king put forth his hands to do evil to certain of those of the Assembly, 2 and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, 3 and having seen that it is pleasing to the Jews, he added to lay hold of Peter also—and they were the days of the Unleavened [Bread]— 4 whom also having seized, he put in prison, having delivered [him] to four squads of four soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him forth to the people after the Passover. 5 Peter, therefore, indeed, was kept in the prison, and fervent prayer was being made by the Assembly to God for him, 6 and when Herod was about to bring him forth, the same night was Peter sleeping between two soldiers, having been bound with two chains, guards were also keeping the prison before the door, 7 and behold, a messenger of the LORD stood by, and a light shone in the buildings, and having struck Peter on the side, he raised him up, saying, “Rise in haste,” and his chains fell from off [his] hands. 8 The messenger also said to him, “Gird yourself, and bind on your sandals”; and he did so; and he says to him, “Cast your garment around and follow me”; 9 and having gone forth, he was following him, and he did not know that it is true that which is done through the messenger, and was thinking he saw a vision, 10 and having passed through a first ward, and a second, they came to the iron gate that is leading into the city, which opened to them of its own accord, and having gone forth, they went on through one street, and immediately the messenger departed from him. 11 And Peter having come to himself, said, “Now I have known of a truth that the LORD sent forth His messenger, and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and all the expectation of the people of the Jews”; 12 also, having considered, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, who is surnamed Mark, where there were many thronged together and praying. 13 And Peter having knocked at the door of the porch, there came a girl to listen, by name Rhoda, 14 and having known the voice of Peter, from the joy she did not open the porch, but having run in, told of the standing of Peter before the porch, 15 and they said to her, “You are mad”; and she was confidently affirming [it] to be so, and they said, “It is his messenger”; 16 and Peter was continuing knocking, and having opened, they saw him, and were astonished, 17 and having beckoned to them with the hand to be silent, he declared to them how the LORD brought him out of the prison, and he said, “Declare these things to James and to the brothers”; and having gone forth, he went on to another place. 18 And day having come, there was not a little stir among the soldiers what then was become of Peter, 19 and Herod having sought for him, and having not found, having examined the guards, commanded [them] to be led away to punishment, and having gone down from Judea to Caesarea, he was abiding [there]. 20 And Herod was highly displeased with the Tyrians and Sidonians, and with one accord they came to him, and having made a friend of Blastus, who [is] over the bed-chambers of the king, they were asking peace, because of their country being nourished from the king’s; 21 and on a set day, Herod having clothed himself in kingly clothing, and having sat down on the judgment seat, was making an oration to them, 22 and the populace were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 And immediately a messenger of the LORD struck him in return for that he did not give the glory to God, and having been eaten of worms, he expired. 24 And the word of God grew and multiplied, 25 and Barnabas and Saul turned back out of Jerusalem, having fulfilled the ministry, having also taken John with [them], who was surnamed Mark.

People & places in this chapter

From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.

People

  • Blastus

    Royal chamberlain

    The king's chamberlain whom the people of Tyre and Sidon won over to seek peace with Herod.

    Cited in the guide: Acts 12:20

  • Herod

    King of Judea

    The Herod who killed James the brother of John, arrested Peter, and was struck down by an angel of the Lord when he accepted worship as a god; he was eaten by worms and died.

    Cited in the guide: Acts 12:1; Acts 12:21; Acts 12:23

  • Mary

    Mother of John Mark

    A Jerusalem believer in whose house many were gathered praying when Peter was released from prison.

    Cited in the guide: Acts 12:12

  • Rhoda

    Servant girl in Jerusalem

    The servant girl who recognized Peter's voice at the gate and ran to tell the others, leaving him standing outside.

    Cited in the guide: Acts 12:13

Cross references (22)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Matthew 24:9; John 15:20; Matthew 10:17–18; Luke 22:53; John 16:2
  2. 2 Hebrews 11:37; Matthew 20:23; Matthew 4:21–22; Mark 10:38; Mark 10:35
  3. 3 Exodus 23:15; John 12:43; Acts 24:27; Leviticus 23:6–14; Exodus 12:14–20
  4. 4 Proverbs 19:21; Luke 22:33; Luke 21:12; John 13:36–38; Acts 4:28
  5. 5 1 Corinthians 12:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:16; Ephesians 6:18–20; 2 Corinthians 1:11
  6. 6 Hebrews 13:6; Acts 21:33; 1 Samuel 23:26–27; 2 Timothy 1:16; Philippians 4:6–7
  7. 7 Acts 16:26; Acts 5:19; Psalm 146:7; Psalm 105:18–20; Psalm 142:6–7
  8. 9 Psalm 126:1; Hebrews 11:8; Genesis 45:26; Acts 26:19; Acts 10:3
  9. 10 Acts 5:19; Acts 16:26; Isaiah 45:1–2; Numbers 15:34; Genesis 42:17
  10. 11 Daniel 6:22; Daniel 3:28; 2 Peter 2:9; Psalm 34:7; Psalm 33:18
  11. 12 1 John 5:14–15; Acts 12:5; Matthew 18:19–20; Acts 12:25; Acts 13:5
  12. 13 Luke 13:25; Acts 12:16; John 18:16–17
  13. 14 Luke 24:41; Matthew 28:8
  14. 15 Matthew 18:10; Luke 24:37–38; Luke 24:11; Mark 16:14; Acts 26:24
  15. 17 Acts 21:40; Acts 13:16; Acts 19:33; Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18
  16. 18 Acts 5:22–25; Acts 16:27; Acts 19:23
  17. 19 Acts 16:27; John 12:10–11; Psalm 37:32–33; Acts 21:8; 1 Kings 20:43
  18. 20 Ezra 3:7; Ezekiel 27:17; Matthew 11:21–22; Luke 14:31–32; Luke 16:8
  19. 22 Acts 14:10–13; Jude 16; Revelation 13:4; Psalm 12:2; Daniel 6:7
  20. 23 Psalm 115:1; Acts 10:25–26; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Acts 14:14–15; Daniel 4:30–37
  21. 24 Acts 6:7; Acts 19:20; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Matthew 16:18; Acts 11:21
  22. 25 Acts 12:12; Acts 15:37; 1 Peter 5:13; Acts 11:29–30; Acts 4:36

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Commentary 12:1 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles (Homily XXVI)

    "At that time," of course meaning the time immediately following: for this is the custom of Scripture. And he well says that Herod "the king" (did this): this was not he of Christ's time.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11 (1889)

  2. Quotes verse 12:2 Augustine of Hippo, Tractates on the Gospel of John (Chapter XXI — 19-25)

    Was there not present there amongst those seven, another son of Zebedee, the brother of John, who, after His ascension, is plainly recorded to have been slain by Herod? But some one may say that, as James was not crucified, it was properly enough said to Peter, "Follow me," inasmuch as he underwent not only death, but, like Christ, even …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 7 (1888)

  3. Quotes verse 12:23 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily IV)

    … temple at Jerusalem, fire burst out from the foundations, and utterly hindered them all; and when both his treasurer, and his uncle and namesake, made the sacred vessels the subject of their open insolence, the one was "eaten with worms, and gave up the ghost," the other "burst asunder in the midst." Moreover, the fountains failing, when sacrifices were made …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)

  4. Quotes verse 12:7 Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Psalms (Psalm XXXIV)

    He delivered Peter, when the Angel came unto him being in prison, and said, "Arise, and go forth," and suddenly his chains were loosed, and he followed the Angel, and He delivered him.

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)