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13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to
answer the door.
14 When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without
opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!"
15 "You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they
said, "It must be his angel."
16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they
were astonished.
17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had
brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and
then he left for another place.
18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had
become of Peter.
19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-
examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then Herod went from
Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while.
20 He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together
and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted
personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the
king's country for their food supply.
21 On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and
delivered a public address to the people.
22 They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man."
23 Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck
him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
24 But the word of God continued to increase and spread.
25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem,
taking with them John, also called Mark.
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