Acts 12

1 About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church.

1 那時，希律王下手苦害教會中幾個人，

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

2 用刀殺了約翰的哥哥雅各。

3 And seeing that this pleased the Jews, Herod proceeded to seize Peter during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

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。

4 He arrested him and put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

4 希律拿了彼得，收在監裏，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，當着百姓辦他。

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

5 於是彼得被囚在監裏；教會卻為他切切地禱告上帝。

6 On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.

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

7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.

7 忽然，有主的一個使者站在旁邊，屋裏有光照耀，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。

8 “Get dressed and put on your sandals,” said the angel. Peter did so, and the angel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”

8 天使對他說：「束上帶子，穿上鞋。」他就那樣做。天使又說：「披上外衣，跟着我來。」

9 So Peter followed him out, but he was unaware that what the angel was doing was real. He thought he was only seeing a vision.

9 彼得就出來跟着他，不知道天使所做是真的，只當見了異象。

10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the length of one block, the angel suddenly left him.

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。

11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent His angel and rescued me from Herod’s grasp and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating.”

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。」

12 And when he had realized this, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered together and were praying.

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

13 He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.

13 彼得敲外門，有一個使女，名叫羅大，出來探聽，

14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that she forgot to open the gate, but ran inside and announced, “Peter is standing at the gate!”

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。」

15 “You are out of your mind,” they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

15 他們說：「你是瘋了！」使女極力地說：「真是他！」他們說：「必是他的天使！」

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

16 彼得不住地敲門。他們開了門，看見他，就甚驚奇。

17 Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.

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。

18 At daybreak there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

18 到了天亮，兵丁擾亂得很，不知道彼得往哪裏去了。

19 After Herod had searched for him unsuccessfully, he examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent some time there.

19 希律找他，找不着，就審問看守的人，吩咐把他們拉去殺了。後來希律離開猶太，下凱撒利亞去，住在那裏。

20 Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.

20 希律惱怒泰爾、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。

21 On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.

21 希律在所定的日子，穿上朝服，坐在位上，對他們講論一番。

22 And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”

22 百姓喊着說：「這是神的聲音，不是人的聲音。」

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

23 希律不歸榮耀給上帝，所以主的使者立刻罰他，他被蟲所咬，氣就絕了。

24 But the word of God continued to spread and multiply.

24 上帝的道日見興旺，越發廣傳。

25 When Barnabas and Saul had fulfilled their mission to Jerusalem, they returned, bringing with them John, also called Mark.

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