Acts 12
1 Now in that opportune-time1 Herod the king put his hands on some from the assembly2 to do evil. 2 Now James the brother of John took [a] sword. 3 So seeing that it is pleasing to the Jews, he granted [that] Peter also be arrested—now they were [the] days [of the feast] of the unleavened [bread] — 4 whom also having arrested he placed in prison, having delivered up four detachments of soldiers to guard him, planning after the passover to bring him up to the people. 5 Peter on the one hand therefore was kept in the prison, but on the other hand earnest prayer was coming to pass by the assembly2 to God concerning him. 6 Now when Herod was [about] to bring him out, in that night Peter was falling asleep, bound with two chains between two soldiers, and guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 And behold [an] angel of [the] Lord stood by, and light shone in the cell, and having struck Peter's side he roused him saying: Arise in haste. And his chains fell from his hands. 8 And the angel said to him: Gird [yourself] and tie on your sandals. So he did thusly. And he says to him: Put on your garment and be following me. 9 And having gone out he followed, and he did not know that the [thing] coming to pass through the angel was true, but was supposing [he] was seeing [a] vision. 10 So having gone through the first guard and the second he came to the iron gate leading into the city, which opened by itself to them, and having gone out he came before one alley, and straightway the angel left him. 11 And Peter having come to himself said: Now I truly know that the Lord sent out his angel and took me out of [the] hand of Herod and of all the expectations of the people of the Jews. 12 And having realized [this] he came upon the house of Maria the mother of John who was called Mark, where there were many brought together and praying. 13 Now when he knocked on the door of the gateway [a] maid-servant, Rhoda by name, came to answer, 14 and having recognized Peter's voice, from joy she did not open the door, but having run in reported [that] Peter stood before the door. 15 Now they said to her: You are crazy. But she was insisting to be having [it] thusly. But they were saying: It is his angel. 16 Now Peter was waiting knocking, so having opened, they saw him and were astonished. 17 So having motioned to them with his hand to be being silent, he related to them how the Lord brought him out of the prison, and he said: Tell James and these brothers. And having gone out, he went to another place. 18 Now when day came to pass there was not little consternation among the soldiers, what then came of Peter.3 19 Now Herod having sought after him and not having found [him], having questioned the guards, he commanded [them] to be led away [to execution], and having come down from Judea to Capernaum, he was remaining. 20 Now he was very angry with Tyre and Sidon; so with one purpose they came to him, and having persuaded Blastus the chamberlain of the king, they asked4 for peace, because their region was fed from that belonging to the king. 21 Now on the appointed day, Herod, having been clothed in the royal apparel, having sat upon the speaker's platform, he was addressing them. 22 But the populace cried out: [the] voice of [a] god and not of man. 23 But immediately [an] angel of [the] Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and having become eaten by worms he breathed out his last. 24 Now the word of the Lord increased and multiplied. 25 So Barnabbas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, having fulfilled the service, having taken along John the [one] having been called Mark.1KAIROS (καιρoς ) `opportune time', `proper time', `season'
2EKKLESIA (εκκλησια) from "called out". Appears 114 times in the N.T., but only in two places in the Gospels ( Matt.16:18 (twice) and Matt.18:17 (twice)). It's worth noting that when Jesus uses the term EKKLESIA, Christian community as we know it didn't yet exist—there were only the disciples. EKKLESIA is apparently different from 'synagogue' (SYNAGOGE (συναγωγη) which occurs 56 times in the N.T.) EKKLESIA is used in secular Greek literature of a popular assembly 'called to assemble', and also of those 'called' to a cult. EKKLESIA is used frequently in the N.T. outside of the Gospels to refer to Christian communities, but in Acts.7:38 it is used of the people of Israel led through the desert by Moses, and in Acts.19:32 ff. of a secular assembly. Thus, all told, the common translation of EKKLESIA as 'church' doesn't really reflect 1st century usage—it seems to mean more like 'a group of people assembled for some specific purpose'.
3Roman guards on duty when a prisoner escaped were put to death.
4AITEO "ay-TEH-oh" (αιτεω) "request", "demand", "beg" something for oneself. Far from humbly requesting—it's more like 'demanding'. Jesus uses AITEO only of the prayer of others, not of His own (cf. John.16:26)—and not requesting things for Himself, only for others. AITEO seems to suppose a lesser degree of intimacy than EROTAO (ερωταω), hence AITEO is used of the requests of the disciples to God, but EROTAO of the requests of the disciples to Jesus, and of those of Jesus to the Father ( John.14:16). AITEO is demanding/begging/pleading, EROTAO is polite and friendlier. Both AITEO and EROTAO occur in John.16:26.