¹⁹ But during the night an angel^(A) of the Lord opened the doors of the jail^(B) and brought them out.^{(C) 20} “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”^(D)

²¹ At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

When the high priest and his associates^(E) arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin^(F)—the full assembly of the elders of Israel—and sent to the jail for the apostles. ²² But on arriving at the jail, the officers did not find them there.^(G) So they went back and reported, ²³ “We found the jail securely locked, with the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”

⁶ The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains,^(A) and sentries stood guard at the entrance. ⁷ Suddenly an angel^(B) of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.^(C)

⁸ Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. ⁹ Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision.^{(D) 10} They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself,^(E) and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

¹¹ Then Peter came to himself^(F) and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me^(G) from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

²⁶ Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.^(A) At once all the prison doors flew open,^(B) and everyone’s chains came loose.^(C)