1 N ow about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.

Nessa ocasião, o rei Herodes prendeu alguns que pertenciam à igreja, com a intenção de maltratá-los,

2 H e killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.

e mandou matar à espada Tiago, irmão de João.

3 W hen he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This was during the days of unleavened bread.

Vendo que isso agradava aos judeus, prosseguiu, prendendo também Pedro durante a festa dos pães sem fermento.

4 W hen he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.

Tendo-o prendido, lançou-o no cárcere, entregando-o para ser guardado por quatro escoltas de quatro soldados cada uma. Herodes pretendia submetê-lo a julgamento público depois da Páscoa.

5 P eter therefore was kept in the prison, but constant prayer was made by the assembly to God for him.

Pedro, então, ficou detido na prisão, mas a igreja orava intensamente a Deus por ele.

6 T he same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison.

Na noite anterior ao dia em que Herodes iria submetê-lo a julgamento, Pedro estava dormindo entre dois soldados, preso com duas algemas, e sentinelas montavam guarda à entrada do cárcere.

7 A nd behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side, and woke him up, saying, “Stand up quickly!” His chains fell off from his hands.

Repentinamente apareceu um anjo do Senhor, e uma luz brilhou na cela. Ele tocou no lado de Pedro e o acordou. “Depressa, levante-se!”, disse ele. Então as algemas caíram dos punhos de Pedro.

8 T he angel said to him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” He did so. He said to him, “Put on your cloak, and follow me.”

O anjo lhe disse: “Vista-se e calce as sandálias”. E Pedro assim fez. Disse-lhe ainda o anjo: “Ponha a capa e siga-me”.

9 A nd he went out and followed him. He didn’t know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision.

E, saindo, Pedro o seguiu, não sabendo que era real o que se fazia por meio do anjo; tudo lhe parecia uma visão.

10 W hen they were past the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went out, and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

Passaram a primeira e a segunda guarda, e chegaram ao portão de ferro que dava para a cidade. Este se abriu por si mesmo para eles, e passaram. Tendo saído, caminharam ao longo de uma rua e, de repente, o anjo o deixou.

11 W hen Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I truly know that the Lord has sent out his angel and delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from everything the Jewish people were expecting.”

Então Pedro caiu em si e disse: “Agora sei, sem nenhuma dúvida, que o Senhor enviou o seu anjo e me libertou das mãos de Herodes e de tudo o que o povo judeu esperava”.

12 T hinking about that, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

Percebendo isso, ele se dirigiu à casa de Maria, mãe de João, também chamado Marcos, onde muita gente se havia reunido e estava orando.

13 W hen Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.

Pedro bateu à porta do alpendre, e uma serva chamada Rode veio atender.

14 W hen she recognized Peter’s voice, she didn’t open the gate for joy, but ran in, and reported that Peter was standing in front of the gate.

Ao reconhecer a voz de Pedro, tomada de alegria, ela correu de volta, sem abrir a porta, e exclamou: “Pedro está à porta!”

15 T hey said to her, “You are crazy!” But she insisted that it was so. They said, “It is his angel.”

Eles porém lhe disseram: “Você está fora de si!” Insistindo ela em afirmar que era Pedro, disseram-lhe: “Deve ser o anjo dele”.

16 B ut Peter continued knocking. When they had opened, they saw him, and were amazed.

Mas Pedro continuou batendo e, quando abriram a porta e o viram, ficaram perplexos.

17 B ut he, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell these things to James, and to the brothers.” Then he departed, and went to another place.

Mas ele, fazendo-lhes sinal para que se calassem, descreveu como o Senhor o havia tirado da prisão e disse: “Contem isso a Tiago e aos irmãos”. Então saiu e foi para outro lugar.

18 N ow as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter.

De manhã, não foi pequeno o alvoroço entre os soldados quanto ao que tinha acontecido a Pedro.

19 W hen Herod had sought for him, and didn’t find him, he examined the guards, and commanded that they should be put to death. He went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.

Fazendo uma busca completa e não o encontrando, Herodes fez uma investigação entre os guardas e ordenou que fossem executados. A Morte de Herodes Depois Herodes foi da Judéia para Cesaréia e permaneceu ali durante algum tempo.

20 N ow Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. They came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus, the king’s personal aide, their friend, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food.

Ele estava cheio de ira contra o povo de Tiro e Sidom; contudo, eles haviam se reunido e procuravam ter uma audiência com ele. Tendo conseguido o apoio de Blasto, homem de confiança do rei, pediram paz, porque dependiam das terras do rei para obter alimento.

21 O n an appointed day, Herod dressed himself in royal clothing, sat on the throne, and gave a speech to them.

No dia marcado, Herodes, vestindo seus trajes reais, sentou-se em seu trono e fez um discurso ao povo.

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

Eles começaram a gritar: “É voz de deus, e não de homem”.

23 I mmediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn’t give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

Visto que Herodes não glorificou a Deus, imediatamente um anjo do Senhor o feriu; e ele morreu comido por vermes.

24 B ut the word of God grew and multiplied.

Entretanto, a palavra de Deus continuava a crescer e a espalhar-se.

25 B arnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their service, also taking with them John who was called Mark.

Tendo terminado sua missão, Barnabé e Saulo voltaram de Jerusalém, levando consigo João, também chamado Marcos.