Herod Causes Trouble for the Church
1 At that time King Herod caused terrible suffering for some members of the church. 2 He ordered soldiers to cut off the head of James, the brother of John. 3 When Herod saw that this pleased the Jewish people, he had Peter arrested during the Festival of Thin Bread. 4 He put Peter in jail and ordered four squads of soldiers to guard him. Herod planned to put him on trial in public after the festival.
5 While Peter was being kept in jail, the church never stopped praying to God for him.
Peter Is Rescued
6 The night before Peter was to be put on trial, he was asleep and bound by two chains. A soldier was guarding him on each side, and two other soldiers were guarding the entrance to the jail. 7 Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared, and light flashed around in the cell. The angel poked Peter in the side and woke him up. Then he said, “Quick! Get up!”
The chains fell off his hands, 8 and the angel said, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” Peter did what he was told. Then the angel said, “Now put on your coat and follow me.” 9 Peter left with the angel, but he thought everything was only a dream. 10 They went past the two groups of soldiers, and when they came to the iron gate to the city, it opened by itself. They went out and were going along the street, when all at once the angel disappeared.
11 Peter now realized what had happened, and he said, “I am certain that the Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod and from everything the Jewish leaders planned to do to me.” 12 Then Peter went to the house of Mary the mother of John whose other name was Mark. Many of the Lord's followers had come together there and were praying.
13 Peter knocked on the gate, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she heard Peter's voice, she was too excited to open the gate. She ran back into the house and said Peter was standing there.
15 “You are crazy!” everyone told her. But she kept saying it was Peter. Then they said, “It must be his angel.” 16 But Peter kept on knocking, until finally they opened the gate. They saw him and were completely amazed.
17 Peter motioned for them to keep quiet. Then he told how the Lord had led him out of jail. He also said, “Tell James and the others what has happened.” After that, he left and went somewhere else.
18 The next morning the soldiers who had been on guard were terribly worried and wondered what had happened to Peter. 19 Herod ordered his own soldiers to search for him, but they could not find him. Then he questioned the guards and had them put to death. After this, Herod left Judea to stay in Caesarea for a while.
Herod Dies
20 Herod and the people of Tyre and Sidon were very angry with each other. But their country got its food supply from the region that he ruled. So a group of them went to see Blastus, who was one of Herod's high officials. They convinced Blastus that they wanted to make peace between their cities and Herod, 21 and a day was set for them to meet with him.
Herod came dressed in his royal robes. He sat down on his throne and made a speech. 22 The people shouted, “You speak more like a god than a man!” 23 At once an angel from the Lord struck him down because he took the honor that belonged to God. Later, Herod was eaten by worms and died.
24 God's message kept spreading. 25 And after Barnabas and Saul had done the work they were sent to do, they went back to Jerusalem with John, whose other name was Mark.
Kula kwe dziyidziwa
1 Mu tjibaka itjetjo Mambo Herode katangisa kudziyidza bamwe be gubungano. 2 Ngono kabulaya Jakubo nkulu wa Johani nge bukanu. 3 Kati ebona kuti ikoku kwashathisa Bajuta, kadwilila kabhata Pita. Ikoku kwakashingikala mu tjibaka tje Nzano we Tjiwunga tjisina mbidzo. 4 Herode kati asunga Pita kanlonga mu ng'umba ye busungwa, kwaakayisiwa kulindiwa nge makoko manna enlinda nge kulabadzana, limwe ne limwe layo lina balume banna. Wakabe akazwimisila kuti unowonsumikilisa mbeli kwe bathu shule kwe Nzano we Kupinda pezhugwi. 5 Ndizo Pita kagadziwa mu ng'umba ye busungwa, koga gubungano likantembezelela nge masimba ku Ndzimu.
Pita unosunungugwa mu ng'umba ye busungwa
6 Mu busiku gwakabe Herode ewomuka enzhisa mbeli kwe bathu, Pita wakabe ali lele pakati kwe balindi babili akasungwa nge ketani mbili, ngono kwakabe kuna balindi pa nkoba we ng'umba ye busungwa. 7 Tjinyolotjo ntumwa wa She kaboneka, tjedza tjikapenya mu ng'umba ye busungwa ina Pita ngono ntumwa iwoyo kazunguza Pita mu lubadu kati, “Muka ulibilidza.” Ipapo ketani dzikawa mu maboko a Pita. 8 Ntumwa we kudzimu kati, “Ambala zwiambalo uambale khwebana dzidzo.” Pita kathama sa ikoko, ngono ntumwa we kudzimu kati, “Ambala hazu dzidzo unditobele.” 9 Pita kantobela kabhuda mu ng'umba ye busungwa, koga asingazibe kuti kene tjakabe tjishingwa nge ntumwa we kudzimu tjakabe tjili tjakwako; wakabe ekumbula kuti unobona mbono. 10 Bakapinda balindi be kutanga ne be bubili bakaswika ku nkoba we zhalilo lakathamwa nge tshipi unobhudila ku nzi. Nkoba ukazwizhula, ngono bakabhuda. Bakatobela zila bakanowila mu imwe zila kakale, ngono tjinyolotjo ntumwa kasiya Pita.
11 Ipapo Pita kadzimunuka ngono kati, “Ngwenu ndoziba nge malebeswa kuti She batuma ntumwa wabo kundiangulila mu maboko a Herode ne mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjabe tjiyi tjowoshingikala nge Bajuta.”
12 Kati abona ikoku, kayenda ku nzi wa Mariya, mme ba Johani wakabe limwe zina lile lili Mako, kwakabe kwakakubungana bathu banjinji betembezela. 13 Pita kakokodza pa nkoba utjakuzhe, ngono nlandakadzi unoyi Roda kazha kudabila. 14 Kaziba hwi la Pita, ngono kashatha kwazo kwaakalabukila shule mukati asingazhule nkoba, ngono kaleba kuti Pita umile kuzhe. 15 Bakati kunli, “Unopenga!” Koga katshambilidza kuti malebeswa. Ndizo bakadabila beti, “Ntumwa uwe.”
16 Pita iye kadwilila nge kukokodza. Gwe bupelo bakazhula nkoba, ngono bakati bembona bakatjenama. 17 Kabanyaladza nge luboko, ngono katjenesa sekwa adusiwa mu ng'umba ye busungwa ndi She. Kabe eti ku bali, “Ikoku mukubudze Jakubo ne zwikamu zose.” Ipapo kamilika kayenda ku gumwe bugalo.
18 Kukati kuyedza kukabepo kushangana misholo kukulu pakati kwe balindi ngekwe kuti Pita uponi. 19 Herode kalaya kuti ashakwe, ngono bakasimbone. Ndizo kabhuzwisisa balindi, ngono kalaya kuti babulawe.
Shule kwa ikoku, Herode kabhuda mu Judiya kayenda ku Sizariya kapitsha mazhubako.
Lufu gwa Herode
20 Herode kagwadzilamoyo bathu be Tire ne Sidoni kwazo, ndizo bakayenda kunli bali mbunga. Tje kutanga bakazwihwananya na Bhulasito, nlume wakabe ali iye nlingi we nzi wa Mambo kuti ababhatshe. Ipapo bakayenda kuna Herode bakankumbila mbakiso, ngobe shango yabo yakabe iwana zojiwa zwayo mu shango ya Mambo.
21 Mu zhuba lakabigwa Herode kaambala hazu dzidze dze bushe, kagala pa tjigalo tjitje tje bushe kalebeleka ne bathu. 22 Bathu bakamimila beti, “Ate hwi le nthu koga ngele ndzimu!” 23 Tjinyolotjo ntumwa wa She kaloba Herode, ngobe asingalumbidze Ndzimu. Kajiwa nge wonyana kafa.
24 Koga dama le Ndzimu likadwilila ngokula ne andama.
25 Bhanabhasi na Saulo bakapedza nshingo wabo, ngono bakashanduka mu Jerusalema, bakatola Johani wakabe kakale edang'wa kuyi Mako.