1 N ow about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them.

Or in quel tempo il re Erode cominciò a perseguitare alcuni membri della chiesa.

2 A nd he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.

E fece morire di spada Giacomo, fratello di Giovanni.

3 W hen he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread.

E, vedendo che questo era gradito ai Giudei, fece arrestare anche Pietro (or erano i giorni degli Azzimi).

4 W hen he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.

Dopo averlo arrestato, lo mise in prigione e lo affidò alla custodia di quattro picchetti di quattro soldati ciascuno, intendendo di farlo comparire davanti al popolo dopo la Pasqua.

5 S o Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

Ma, mentre Pietro era custodito nella prigione, continue orazioni a Dio erano fatte dalla chiesa per lui.

6 O n the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.

Or la notte, prima che Erode lo facesse comparire in pubblico, Pietro dormiva in mezzo a due soldati, legato con due catene; e le guardie davanti alla porta custodivano la prigione.

7 A nd behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands.

Ed ecco, un angelo del Signore sopraggiunse e una luce risplendette nella cella; e, percosso il fianco di Pietro, lo svegliò, dicendo: «Alzati in fretta!». E le catene gli caddero dalle mani.

8 A nd the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”

Quindi l'angelo gli disse: «Cingiti allacciati i sandali». Ed egli fece così. Poi gli disse: «Avvolgiti nel mantello e seguimi».

9 A nd he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

E Pietro, uscito, lo seguiva senza rendersi conto che ciò che gli stava accadendo per mezzo dell'angelo fosse vero infatti egli pensava di avere una visione.

10 W hen they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

Ora, come oltrepassarono il primo e il secondo posto di guardia, giunsero alla porta di ferro che conduceva in città, ed essa si aprí da sé davanti a loro, e, usciti percorsero una strada, e all'improvviso l'angelo lo lasciò.

11 W hen Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”

Quando rientrò in sé, Pietro disse: «Ora per certo riconosco che il Signore ha mandato il suo angelo e mi ha liberato dalle mani di Erode e ha resa vana tutta l'attesa del popolo dei Giudei».

12 A nd when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

Quando si rese conto della situazione, si recò alla casa di Maria, madre di Giovanni, soprannominato Marco, dove molti fratelli erano radunati e pregavano.

13 W hen he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer.

Appena Pietro bussò alla porta d'ingresso, una serva di nome Rode si avvicinò cautamente per ascoltare.

14 W hen she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

E, riconosciuta la voce di Pietro, per la gioia non aprí la porta, ma corse dentro e annunziò che Pietro stava davanti all'ingresso.

15 T hey said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel.”

Ma essi le dissero: «Tu vaneggi». Ella però affermava che era cosí. E quelli dicevano: «E' il suo angelo».

16 B ut Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed.

Pietro intanto continuava a bussare. Or essi, avendo aperto, lo videro e sbigottirono.

17 B ut motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place.

Ma egli, fatto loro cenno con la mano di tacere, raccontò loro come il Signore lo aveva fatto uscire dalla prigione. Poi disse: «Riferite queste cose a Giacomo e ai fratelli». Poi uscí e si recò in un altro luogo.

18 N ow when day came, there was no small disturbance among the soldiers as to what could have become of Peter.

Quando si fece giorno vi fu un gran subbuglio fra i soldati, perché non sapevano cosa fosse avvenuto di Pietro.

19 W hen Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and was spending time there. Death of Herod

Ed Erode lo mandò a cercare ma non lo trovò e, dopo avere interrogato le guardie, comandò che fossero condotte al supplizio. Poi discese dalla Giudea a Cesarea e là si fermò per un podi tempo.

20 N ow he was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and with one accord they came to him, and having won over Blastus the king’s chamberlain, they were asking for peace, because their country was fed by the king’s country.

Or Erode era indignato contro i Tiri e i Sidoni; ma essi di comune accordo si presentarono a lui e, persuaso Blasto, ciambellano del re, chiedevano pace perché il loro paese era rifornito di viveri dalla liberalità del re.

21 O n an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them.

Nel giorno stabilito Erode, vestito del manto regale e seduto sul trono, teneva loro un discorso.

22 T he people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”

Il popolo lo acclamava, dicendo: «Voce di Dio e non di uomo!».

23 A nd immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

In quell'istante un angelo del Signore lo colpí, perché non aveva dato gloria a Dio; e morí roso dai vermi.

24 B ut the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.

Ora la parola di Dio cresceva e si diffondeva.

25 A nd Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.

E Barnaba e Saulo, ultimata la loro missione, ritornarono da Gerusalemme ad Antiochia, avendo preso con loro Giovanni, soprannominato Marco.