| 1 - E intorno a quel tempo, il re Erode mise mano a maltrattare alcuni della Chiesa. | 1 About that time Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. |
| 2 Fece morir di spada Giacomo, fratello di Giovanni. | 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword; |
| 3 Visto poi che ciò piaceva a' Giudei, procedette anche all'arresto di Pietro. Erano i giorni degli Azzimi. | 3 and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. |
| 4 E presolo, lo mise in prigione, dandolo in guardia a quattro picchetti, di quattro soldati ciascuno, volendo dopo la Pasqua offrirlo al popolo. | 4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. |
| 5 Pietro dunque era custodito nella prigione. Ma la Chiesa faceva a Dio continua preghiera per lui. | 5 So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. |
| 6 Or proprio la notte precedente al giorno che Erode aveva stabilito di offrirlo al popolo, Pietro, legato con due catene, dormiva tra due soldati; e le sentinelle alla porta custodivano la prigione. | 6 The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison; |
| 7 Quand'ecco, sopraggiunse un angelo del Signore, facendo una gran luce nella cella; egli percosse il fianco di Pietro, e lo svegliò dicendo: «Presto, sta' su!». E le catene gli caddero da' polsi. | 7 and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands. |
| 8 E l'angelo gli disse: «Mettiti la cintura e lègati i sandali!». E quello così fece. E gli disse: «Avvolgiti nel mantello e seguimi». | 8 And the angel said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals." And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your mantle around you and follow me." |
| 9 Quello uscì, e lo seguì non comprendendo che fosse realtà ciò che si faceva dall'angelo: invece credeva fosse un sogno. | 9 And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. |
| 10 Or com'ebbero passata la prima e la seconda guardia, giunsero alle porte di ferro che mette in città. La porta s'aprì da sè davanti a loro; uscirono, si inoltrarono per una strada, e, a un tratto, l'angelo si partì da lui. | 10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him. |
| 11 Pietro, rientrato in sè, disse: «Or riconosco davvero che il Signore ha mandato il suo angelo, e m'ha liberato dalle mani d'Erode e da tutta l'aspettazione della plebe de' Giudei». | 11 And Peter came to himself, and said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting." |
| 12 E, riflettendo un poco, s'avviò alla casa di Maria, madre di Giovanni soprannominato Marco, dove molti fratelli stavano radunati e pregavano. | 12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. |
| 13 Picchiò alla porta d'entrata; e una serva, Rode di nome, andò ad informarsi. | 13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. |
| 14 Subito riconobbe la voce di Pietro, e, per l'allegrezza, non aprì la porta, ma corse dentro ad annunziare che Pietro stava alla porta. | 14 Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and told that Peter was standing at the gate. |
| 15 Quelli però le dissero: «Tu se' matta!». Ma ella insisteva che era proprio così. Ed essi dicevano: «È il suo angelo!». | 15 They said to her, "You are mad." But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel!" |
| 16 Pietro intanto continuava a picchiare; e, quand'ebbero aperto, lo videro e stupirono. | 16 But Peter continued knocking; and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. |
| 17 Ma egli, fatto cenno con la mano che tacessero, raccontò loro in qual modo il Signore l'avesse liberato. Poi disse: «Fate sapere queste cose a Giacomo e a' fratelli». Poi uscì, e se n'andò altrove. | 17 But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Tell this to James and to the brethren." Then he departed and went to another place. |
| 18 Or fattosi giorno, vi era grande scompiglio tra i soldati, su quel che fosse avvenuto di Pietro. | 18 Now when day came, there was no small stir among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. |
| 19 Lo stesso Erode, fattolo cercare e non avendolo trovato, volle interrogar le sentinelle, e le condannò al supplizio. Poi, lasciata la Giudea, andò a stare in Cesarea. | 19 And when Herod had sought for him and could not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and remained there. |
| 20 Egli era irritato contro que' di Tiro e di Sidone; i quali di comune consenso si presentarono a lui, e, guadagnatosi Blasto ciambellano del re, chiesero un accomodamento, perchè il loro paese traeva i viveri da quello di lui. | 20 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and they came to him in a body, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king's country for food. |
| 21 Nel giorno fissato, Erode, in abito reale, di sul trono cominciò ad arringarli; | 21 On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and made an oration to them. |
| 22 e tutti si misero a gridare: «Voce di un Dio, e non di uomo!». | 22 And the people shouted, "The voice of a god, and not of man!" |
| 23 In quel medesimo istante, un angelo del Signore lo percosse, perchè non aveva data a Dio la gloria; e morì roso da vermi. | 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory; and he was eaten by worms and died. |
| 24 Ma la parola di Dio cresceva e fruttificava. | 24 But the word of God grew and multiplied. |
| 25 E Barnaba e Saulo, compiuta la loro missione, tornarono da Gerusalemme ad Antiochia in compagnia di Giovanni, soprannominato Marco. | 25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, bringing with them John whose other name was Mark. |
