book 12
1
那時、希律王下手苦害教會中幾個人。

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them.

2
用刀殺了約翰的哥哥雅各。

He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.

3
他見猶太人喜歡這事、又去捉拿彼得。那時正是除酵的日子。

When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

4
希律拿了彼得收在監裡、交付四班兵丁看守、每班四個人、意思要在逾越節後、把他提出來、當著百姓辦他.

After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

5
於是彼得被囚在監裡.教會卻為他切切的禱告 神。

So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

6
希律將要提他出來的前一夜、彼得被兩條鐵鍊鎖著、睡在兩個兵丁當中.看守的人也在門外看守。

The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance.

7
忽然有主的一個使者、站在旁邊、屋裡有光照耀.天使拍彼得的肋旁、拍醒了他、說、快快起來.那鐵鍊就從他手上脫落下來。

Suddenly an angel 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.

8
天使對他說、束上帶子.穿上鞋.他就那樣作.天使又說、披上外衣跟著我來。

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
彼得就出來跟著他、不知道天使所作是真的、只當見了異象。

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.

10
過了第一層第二層監牢、就來到臨街的鐵門.那門自己開了。他們出來、走過一條街、天使便離開他去了。

They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11
彼得醒悟過來、說、我現在真知道主差遣他的使者、救我脫離希律的手、和猶太百姓一切所盼望的。

Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating."

12
想了一想、就往那稱呼馬可的約翰他母親馬利亞家去.在那裡有好些人聚集禱告。

When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying.

13
彼得敲外門、有一個使女、名叫羅大出來探聽.

Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door.

14
聽得是彼得的聲音、就歡喜的顧不得開門、跑進去告訴眾人說、彼得站在門外。

When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!"

15
他們說、你是瘋了。使女極力的說、真是他。他們說、必是他的天使。

"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."

16
彼得不住的敲門.他們開了門、看見他、就甚驚奇。

But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

17
彼得擺手、不要他們作聲、就告訴他們主怎樣領他出監.又說、你們把這事告訴雅各、和眾弟兄.於是出去往別處去了。

Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place.

18
到了天亮、兵丁擾亂得很、不知道彼得往那裡去了。

In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

19
希律找他、找不著、就審問看守的人、吩咐把他們拉去殺了。後來希律離開猶太、下該撒利亞去、住在那裡。

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. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while.

20
希律惱怒推羅西頓的人.他們那一帶地方、是從王的地土得糧、因此就託了王的內侍臣伯拉斯都的情、一心來求和。

He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured 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.

21
希律在所定的日子、穿上朝服、坐在位上、對他們講論一番。

On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people.

22
百姓喊著說、這是 神的聲音、不是人的聲音。

They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man."

23
希律不歸榮耀給 神、所以主的使者立刻罰他.他被蟲所咬、氣就絕了.

Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

24
 神的道日見興旺、越發廣傳。

But the word of God continued to increase and spread.

25
巴拿巴和掃羅、辦完了他們供給的事、就從耶路撒冷回來、帶著稱呼馬可的約翰同去。

When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.