The Early Church

also, having considered, he came unto the house of Mary, the mother of John, who is surnamed Mark, where there were many thronged together and praying.

And Peter having knocked at the door of the porch, there came a damsel to hearken, by name Rhoda,

and having known the voice of Peter, from the joy she did not open the porch, but having run in, told of the standing of Peter before the porch,

and they said unto her, `Thou art mad;' and she was confidently affirming it to be so, and they said, `It is his messenger;'

and Peter was continuing knocking, and having opened, they saw him, and were astonished,

and having beckoned to them with the hand to be silent, he declared to them how the Lord brought him out of the prison, and he said, `Declare to James and to the brethren these things;' and having gone forth, he went on to another place.

And day having come, there was not a little stir among the soldiers what then was become of Peter,

and Herod having sought for him, and not having found, having examined the guards, did command them to be led away to punishment, and having gone down from Judea to Caesarea, he was abiding there .

And Herod was highly displeased with the Tyrians and Sidonians, and with one accord they came unto him, and having made a friend of Blastus, who is over the bed-chambers of the king, they were asking peace, because of their country being nourished from the king's;

and on a set day, Herod having arrayed himself in kingly apparel, and having sat down upon the tribunal, was making an oration unto them,

and the populace were shouting, `The voice of a god, and not of a man;'

and presently there smote him a messenger of the Lord, because he did not give the glory to God, and having been eaten of worms, he expired.

And the word of God did grow and did multiply,

and Barnabas and Saul did turn back out of Jerusalem, having fulfilled the ministration, having taken also with them John, who was surnamed Mark.

And there were certain in Antioch, in the assembly there, prophets and teachers; both Barnabas, and Simeon who is called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenian, Manaen also--Herod the tetrarch's foster-brother--and Saul;

and in their ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, `Separate ye to me both Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them,'

then having fasted, and having prayed, and having laid the hands on them, they sent them away.

These, indeed, then, having been sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia, thence also they sailed to Cyprus,

and having come unto Salamis, they declared the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they had also John as a ministrant;

and having gone through the island unto Paphos, they found a certain magian, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name is Bar-Jesus;

who was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man; this one having called for Barnabas and Saul, did desire to hear the word of God,

and there withstood them Elymas the magian--for so is his name interpreted--seeking to pervert the proconsul from the faith.

And Saul--who also is Paul--having been filled with the Holy Spirit, and having looked stedfastly on him,

said, `O full of all guile, and all profligacy, son of a devil, enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease perverting the right ways of the Lord?

and now, lo, a hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season;' and presently there fell upon him a mist and darkness, and he, going about, was seeking some to lead him by the hand;