1 Κατ’ ἐκεῖνον δὲ τὸν καιρὸν ἐπέβαλεν Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς τὰς χεῖρας κακῶσαί τινας τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. 2 ἀνεῖλεν δὲ Ἰάκωβον τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ἰωάνου μαχαίρῃ. 3 ἰδὼν δὲ ὅτι ἀρεστόν ἐστιν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις προσέθετο συλλαβεῖν καὶ Πέτρον, ἦσαν δὲ ἡμέραι τῶν ἀζύμων, 4 ὃν καὶ πιάσας ἔθετο εἰς φυλακήν, παραδοὺς τέσσαρσιν τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν φυλάσσειν αὐτόν, βουλόμενος μετὰ τὸ πάσχα ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν τῷ λαῷ. 5 ὁ μὲν οὖν Πέτρος ἐτηρεῖτο ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ· προσευχὴ δὲ ἦν ἐκτενῶς γινομένη ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν περὶ αὐτοῦ. 6 Ὅτε δὲ ἤμελλεν προαγαγεῖν αὐτὸν ὁ Ἡρῴδης, τῇ νυκτὶ ἐκείνῃ ἦν ὁ Πέτρος κοιμώμενος μεταξὺ δύο στρατιωτῶν δεδεμένος ἁλύσεσιν δυσίν, φύλακές τε πρὸ τῆς θύρας ἐτήρουν τὴν φυλακήν. 7 καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐπέστη, καὶ φῶς ἔλαμψεν ἐν τῷ οἰκήματι· πατάξας δὲ τὴν πλευρὰν τοῦ Πέτρου ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν λέγων Ἀνάστα ἐν τάχει. καὶ ἐξέπεσαν αὐτοῦ αἱ ἁλύσεις ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν. 8 εἶπεν δὲ ὁ ἄγγελος πρὸς αὐτόν Ζῶσαι καὶ ὑπόδησαι τὰ σανδάλιά σου. ἐποίησεν δὲ οὕτως. καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ Περιβαλοῦ τὸ ἱμάτιόν σου καὶ ἀκολούθει μοι. 9 καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἠκολούθει, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει ὅτι ἀληθές ἐστιν τὸ γινόμενον διὰ τοῦ ἀγγέλου, ἐδόκει δὲ ὅραμα βλέπειν. 10 διελθόντες δὲ πρώτην φυλακὴν καὶ δευτέραν ἦλθαν ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τὴν σιδηρᾶν τὴν φέρουσαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἥτις αὐτομάτη ἠνοίγη αὐτοῖς, καὶ ἐξελθόντες προῆλθον ῥύμην μίαν, καὶ εὐθέως ἀπέστη ὁ ἄγγελος ἀπ’ αὐτοῦ. 11 καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἐν ἑαυτῷ γενόμενος εἶπεν Νῦν οἶδα ἀληθῶς ὅτι ἐξαπέστειλεν ὁ Κύριος τὸν ἄγγελον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξείλατό με ἐκ χειρὸς Ἡρῴδου καὶ πάσης τῆς προσδοκίας τοῦ λαοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων. 12 συνιδών τε ἦλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν τῆς Μαρίας τῆς μητρὸς Ἰωάνου τοῦ ἐπικαλουμένου Μάρκου, οὗ ἦσαν ἱκανοὶ συνηθροισμένοι καὶ προσευχόμενοι. 13 κρούσαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν θύραν τοῦ πυλῶνος προσῆλθεν παιδίσκη ὑπακοῦσαι ὀνόματι Ῥόδη, 14 καὶ ἐπιγνοῦσα τὴν φωνὴν τοῦ Πέτρου ἀπὸ τῆς χαρᾶς οὐκ ἤνοιξεν τὸν πυλῶνα, εἰσδραμοῦσα δὲ ἀπήγγειλεν ἑστάναι τὸν Πέτρον πρὸ τοῦ πυλῶνος. 15 οἱ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν εἶπαν Μαίνῃ. ἡ δὲ διϊσχυρίζετο οὕτως ἔχειν. οἱ δὲ ἔλεγον Ὁ ἄγγελός ἐστιν αὐτοῦ. 16 ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἐπέμενεν κρούων· ἀνοίξαντες δὲ εἶδαν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐξέστησαν. 17 κατασείσας δὲ αὐτοῖς τῇ χειρὶ σιγᾶν διηγήσατο αὐτοῖς πῶς ὁ Κύριος αὐτὸν ἐξήγαγεν ἐκ τῆς φυλακῆς, εἶπέν τε Ἀπαγγείλατε Ἰακώβῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ταῦτα. καὶ ἐξελθὼν ἐπορεύθη εἰς ἕτερον τόπον. 18 Γενομένης δὲ ἡμέρας ἦν τάραχος οὐκ ὀλίγος ἐν τοῖς στρατιώταις, τί ἄρα ὁ Πέτρος ἐγένετο. 19 Ἡρῴδης δὲ ἐπιζητήσας αὐτὸν καὶ μὴ εὑρὼν, ἀνακρίνας τοὺς φύλακας ἐκέλευσεν ἀπαχθῆναι, καὶ κατελθὼν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας εἰς Καισάριαν διέτριβεν. 20 Ἦν δὲ θυμομαχῶν Τυρίοις καὶ Σιδωνίοις· ὁμοθυμαδὸν δὲ παρῆσαν πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ πείσαντες Βλάστον τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ κοιτῶνος τοῦ βασιλέως ᾐτοῦντο εἰρήνην, διὰ τὸ τρέφεσθαι αὐτῶν τὴν χώραν ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλικῆς. 21 τακτῇ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ ὁ Ἡρῴδης ἐνδυσάμενος ἐσθῆτα βασιλικὴν καθίσας ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος ἐδημηγόρει πρὸς αὐτούς· 22 ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἐπεφώνει Θεοῦ φωνὴ καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπου. 23 παραχρῆμα δὲ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἀνθ’ ὧν οὐκ ἔδωκεν τὴν δόξαν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ γενόμενος σκωληκόβρωτος ἐξέψυξεν. 24 Ὁ δὲ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου ηὔξανεν καὶ ἐπληθύνετο. 25 Βαρνάβας δὲ καὶ Σαῦλος ὑπέστρεψαν, ἐξ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, πληρώσαντες τὴν διακονίαν, συνπαραλαβόντες Ἰωάνην τὸν ἐπικληθέντα Μάρκον.
Acts · Nestle Greek New Testament (1904)
Acts 12 Nestle Greek New Testament (1904)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (3)
- Verses the critical text omits (e.g. Matthew 17:21, Acts 8:37) are shown as empty.
- Follows the edition's own numbering where it differs (e.g. Acts 19:40 includes the KJV's 19:41; 2 Corinthians 13 has 13 verses; 3 John has 15; Revelation 12 has 18).
- Angle brackets < > and double square brackets [[ ]] are the edition's own marks for doubtful passages (e.g. Mark 1:1, Mark 16:9–20, John 7:53–8:11).
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Blastus
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
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
John Mark
Son of Mary of Jerusalem, taken to Antioch by Paul and Barnabas; he left them early on the first journey, then went with Barnabas to Cyprus, and was later counted by Paul as…
Cited in the guide: Acts 12:12; Acts 12:25; Acts 15:37
Mary
A Jerusalem believer in whose house many were gathered praying when Peter was released from prison.
Cited in the guide: Acts 12:12
Rhoda
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 Matthew 24:9; John 15:20; Matthew 10:17–18; Luke 22:53; John 16:2
- 2 Hebrews 11:37; Matthew 20:23; Matthew 4:21–22; Mark 10:38; Mark 10:35
- 3 Exodus 23:15; John 12:43; Acts 24:27; Leviticus 23:6–14; Exodus 12:14–20
- 4 Proverbs 19:21; Luke 22:33; Luke 21:12; John 13:36–38; Acts 4:28
- 5 1 Corinthians 12:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:16; Ephesians 6:18–20; 2 Corinthians 1:11
- 6 Hebrews 13:6; Acts 21:33; 1 Samuel 23:26–27; 2 Timothy 1:16; Philippians 4:6–7
- 7 Acts 16:26; Acts 5:19; Psalm 146:7; Psalm 105:18–20; Psalm 142:6–7
- 9 Psalm 126:1; Hebrews 11:8; Genesis 45:26; Acts 26:19; Acts 10:3
- 10 Acts 5:19; Acts 16:26; Isaiah 45:1–2; Numbers 15:34; Genesis 42:17
- 11 Daniel 6:22; Daniel 3:28; 2 Peter 2:9; Psalm 34:7; Psalm 33:18
- 12 1 John 5:14–15; Acts 12:5; Matthew 18:19–20; Acts 12:25; Acts 13:5
- 13 Luke 13:25; Acts 12:16; John 18:16–17
- 14 Luke 24:41; Matthew 28:8
- 15 Matthew 18:10; Luke 24:37–38; Luke 24:11; Mark 16:14; Acts 26:24
- 17 Acts 21:40; Acts 13:16; Acts 19:33; Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18
- 18 Acts 5:22–25; Acts 16:27; Acts 19:23
- 19 Acts 16:27; John 12:10–11; Psalm 37:32–33; Acts 21:8; 1 Kings 20:43
- 20 Ezra 3:7; Ezekiel 27:17; Matthew 11:21–22; Luke 14:31–32; Luke 16:8
- 22 Acts 14:10–13; Jude 16; Revelation 13:4; Psalm 12:2; Daniel 6:7
- 23 Psalm 115:1; Acts 10:25–26; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Acts 14:14–15; Daniel 4:30–37
- 24 Acts 6:7; Acts 19:20; 2 Thessalonians 3:1; Matthew 16:18; Acts 11:21
- 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).
"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)
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)
… 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)
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)