More Persecution
1 About this time King Herod began to persecute some members of the church. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death by the sword. 3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he went ahead and had Peter arrested. (This happened during the time of the Festival of Unleavened Bread.) 4 After his arrest Peter was put in jail, where he was handed over to be guarded by four groups of four soldiers each. Herod planned to put him on trial in public after Passover. 5 So Peter was kept in jail, but the people of the church were praying earnestly to God for him.
Peter Is Set Free from Prison
6 The night before Herod was going to bring him out to the people, Peter was sleeping between two guards. He was tied with two chains, and there were guards on duty at the prison gate. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood there, and a light shone in the cell. The angel shook Peter by the shoulder, woke him up, and said, “Hurry! Get up!” At once the chains fell off Peter's hands. 8 Then the angel said, “Tighten your belt and put on your sandals.” Peter did so, and the angel said, “Put your cloak around you and come with me.” 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, not knowing, however, if what the angel was doing was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed by the first guard station and then the second, and came at last to the iron gate that opens into the city. The gate opened for them by itself, and they went out. They walked down a street, and suddenly the angel left Peter.
11 Then Peter realized what had happened to him, and said, “Now I know that it is really true! The Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod's power and from everything the Jewish people expected to happen.”
12 Aware of his situation, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outside door, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer it. 14 She recognized Peter's voice and was so happy that she ran back in without opening the door, and announced that Peter was standing outside. 15 “You are crazy!” they told her. But she insisted that it was true. So they answered, “It is his angel.”
16 Meanwhile Peter kept on knocking. At last they opened the door, and when they saw him, they were amazed. 17 He motioned with his hand for them to be quiet, and he explained to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell this to James and the rest of the believers,” he said; then he left and went somewhere else.
18 When morning came, there was a tremendous confusion among the guards—what had happened to Peter? 19 Herod gave orders to search for him, but they could not find him. So he had the guards questioned and ordered them put to death.
After this, Herod left Judea and spent some time in Caesarea.
The Death of Herod
20 Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, so they went in a group to see him. First they convinced Blastus, the man in charge of the palace, that he should help them. Then they went to Herod and asked him for peace, because their country got its food supplies from the king's country.
21 On a chosen day Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to the people. 22 “It isn't a man speaking, but a god!” they shouted. 23 At once the angel of the Lord struck Herod down, because he did not give honor to God. He was eaten by worms and died.
24 Meanwhile the word of God continued to spread and grow.
25 Barnabas and Saul finished their mission and returned from Jerusalem, taking John Mark with them.
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.