8. And the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your shoes." He did so. Then he said to him, "Put on your garment and follow me."

9. Peter went out and followed him, not knowing that what the angel was doing was real, but thinking that he was seeing a vision.

10. After passing through the first and second watches, they came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened to them of its own accord: they went out, and passed through a certain street, and suddenly the angel was not with him.

11. Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I see truly that the Lord has sent his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod and out of all that the Jewish people were waiting for."

12. And having looked around, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, called Mark, where many were gathered and praying.

13. And when Peter knocked at the gate, a maidservant came out to hear, whose name was Rhoda,

14. and when she recognized Peter's voice, she did not open the gate for joy, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing at the gate.

15. And they said to her, "Are you out of your mind?" But she asserted her own. And they said, This is his angel.

16. Meanwhile, Peter continued to knock. And when they opened it, they saw him, and were amazed.

17. And he, having made a sign with his hand that they should be silent, told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison, and said, "Inform James and the brothers of this." Then, going out, he went to another place.

18. At the onset of day, there was great anxiety among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.

19. Herod, having searched for him and not finding him, tried the guards and ordered them to be put to death. Then he went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

20. Herod was angry with the Tyrians and the Sidonians; but they, having agreed, came to him and, winning over to their side Vlastus, the king's bed-keeper, asked for peace, because their region was nourished by the royal region.

21. On the appointed day, Herod, dressed in royal clothes, sat down on an elevated place and spoke to them;