Daily Bread

¹² When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark,^(A) where many people had gathered and were praying.^{(B) 13} Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door.^{(C) 14} When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed^(D) she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

¹⁵ “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”^(E)

¹⁶ But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. ¹⁷ Peter motioned with his hand^(F) for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James^(G) and the other brothers and sisters^(H) about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

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.^(I)

Herod’s Death

Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea^(J) and stayed there. ²⁰ He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon;^(K) they now joined together and sought an audience with him. After securing the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king’s country for their food supply.^(L)

²¹ On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. ²² They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” ²³ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel^(M) of the Lord struck him down,^(N) and he was eaten by worms and died.

²⁴ But the word of God^(O) continued to spread and flourish.^(P)