Content

CAP 12
1 And in the same tyme Eroude the king sente power, to turmente sum men of the chirche.
2 And he slowe bi swerd James, the brothir of Joon.
3 And he siy that it pleside to Jewis, and keste to take also Petre; and the daies of therf looues weren.
4 And whanne he hadde cauyte Petre, he sente hym in to prisoun; and bitook to foure quaternyouns of knyytis, to kepe hym, and wolde aftir pask bringe hym forth to the puple.
5 And Petre was kept in prisoun; but preier was maad of the chirche with out ceessing to God for hym.
6 But whanne Eroude schulde bringe hym forth, in that nyyt Petre was slepinge bitwixe twei knyytis, and was boundun with twei cheynes; and the keperis bifor the dore kepten the prisoun.
7 And lo! an aungel of the Lord stoode nyy, and liyt schoon in the prisoun hous. And whanne he hadde smyte the side of Petre, he reiside hym, and seide, Rise thou swiftli. And anoon the cheynes felden doun fro hise hoondis.
8 And the aungel seide to hym, Girde thee, and do on thin hoosis. And he dide so. And he seide to hym, Do aboute thee thi clothis, and sue me.
9 And he yede out, and suede hym; and he wiste not that it was soth, that was don bi the aungel; for he gesside hym silf to haue sey a visioun.
10 And thei passiden the first and the secounde warde, and camen to the iren yate that ledith to the citee, which anoon was opened to hem. And thei yeden out, and camen in to o street, and anoon the aungel passide awei fro hym.
11 And Petre turnede ayen to hym silf, and seide, Now Y woot verili, that the Lord sente his aungel, `and delyueride me fro the hoond of Eroude, and fro al the abiding of the puple of Jewis.
12 And he bihelde, and cam to the hous of Marie, modir of Joon, that is named Marcus, where many weren gaderid togidre, and preiynge.
13 And whanne he knockid at the dore of the yate, a damysel, Rode bi name, cam forth to se.
14 And whanne sche knewe the vois of Petre, for ioye sche openyde not the yate, but ran in, and telde, that Petre stood at the yate.
15 And thei seiden `to hir, Thou maddist. But sche affermyde, that it was so. And thei seiden, It is his aungel.
16 But Petre abood stille, and knockide. And whanne thei hadden opened the dore, thei sayen hym, and wondriden.
17 And he bekenyde to hem with his hoond to be stille, and telde hou the Lord hadde led hym out of the prisoun. And he seide, Telle ye to James and to the britheren these thingis. And he yede out, and wente in to an othere place.
18 And whanne the dai was come, ther was not lytil troubling among the knyytis, what was don of Petre.
19 And whanne Eroude hadde souyt hym, and foonde not, aftir that he hadde made enqueryng of the keperis, he comaundide hem to be brouyt to hym. And he cam doun fro Judee in to Cesarie, and dwellide there.
20 And he was wroth to men of Tyre and of Sidon. And thei of oon acord camen to hym, whanne thei hadden counseilid with Bastus, that was the kingis chaumbirleyn, thei axiden pees, for as myche that her cuntrees weren vitailid of hym.
21 And in a dai that was ordeyned, Eroude was clothid with kyngis clothing, and sat for domesman, and spak to hem.
22 And the puple criede, The voicis of God, and not of man.
23 And anoon an aungel of the Lord smoot hym, for he hadde not youun onour to God; and he was wastid of wormes, and diede.
24 And the word of the Lord waxide, and was multiplied.
25 And Barnabas and Saul turneden ayen fro Jerusalem, whanne the mynystrie was fillid, and token Joon, that was named Marcus.