Textus Receptus Bibles
The Great Bible 1539
| 12:1 | At the same tyme Herode the kyng stretched forth hys handes to vexe certen of the congregacyon. |
| 12:2 | And he kylled Iames the brother of Iohn with the swerd. |
| 12:3 | And because he sawe that it pleased the Iewes, he proceded farther, and toke Peter also. Then were the dayes of swet bread. |
| 12:4 | And when he had caught hym, he put him in preson also, & delyuered him to .iiij. quaternions of soudiers to be kepte, entendynge after Ester to bringe him forth to the people. |
| 12:5 | And Peter was kepte in preson. But prayer was made without ceasynge of the congregacyon, vnto God for hym. |
| 12:6 | And when Herode wolde haue brought him oute vnto the people, the same nyght slepte Peter betwene two soudiers, bounde with two chaynes, and the kepers before the dore kepte the preson. |
| 12:7 | And behold, the angel of the Lord was ther present, and a lyght shyned in the habytacyon. And he smote Peter on the syde, and steryd him vp, sayinge: aryse vp quickly. And his cheynes fel of from his handes. |
| 12:8 | And the angel sayd vnto hym: gyrde thy selfe, and bynde on thy sandales. And so he dyd. And he sayth vnto him: cast thy garment about the, & folowe me. |
| 12:9 | And he came out & folowed him, and wyst not that it was trueth which was done by the angell, but thought he had sene a visyon. |
| 12:10 | When they were past the fyrst and the seconde watch, they came vnto the yron gate, that leadeth vnto the cytie, whych opened to them by the awne accorde. And they went oute, and passed thorow one strete, and forth with, the angell departed from him. |
| 12:11 | And whan Peter was come to him selfe, he sayd: nowe I knowe of a surety, that the Lorde hath sent his angell, and hath delyuered me out of the hande of Herode, and from all the wayting for, of the people of the Iewes. |
| 12:12 | And as he consydred the thynge, he came to the house of Mary the mother of one Iohn, whose syrname was Marke, where many were gathered togeather in prayer. |
| 12:13 | As Peter knocked at the entry dore, a damsell came forth to herken, named Rhoda. |
| 12:14 | And when she knew Peters voyce, she opened not the entry for gladnes, but ran in, & told how Peter stode before the entry. |
| 12:15 | And they sayde vnto her: thou art mad: But she affirmed that it was euen so. Then sayd they: it is hys angel. |
| 12:16 | But Peter contynued knockinge: & when they had opened the dore, and sawe him, they were astonyed. |
| 12:17 | And whan he had beckned vnto them with the hande, that they myght holde theyr peace, he tolde them by what meanes the Lorde had brought him out of the preson. And he sayde: go shewe these thinges vnto Iames and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. |
| 12:18 | Assone as it was daye, ther was no littel ado among the soudiers, what was become of Peter. |
| 12:19 | When Herode had sought for him, and founde hym not, he examined the kepers, and commaunded them to be caryed awaye. And he descended from Iewry to Cesarea, & ther aboode. |
| 12:20 | Herode was displeased wt them of Tyre and Sidon. But they came all with one accorde, & made intercession vnto Blastus the kynges chamberlayne, and desyred peace, because their countre was norysshed by the kynges prouysyon. |
| 12:21 | And vpon a daye appoynted, Herode arayed him in royall apparell, and sett hym in hys seate, and made an oracion vnto them. |
| 12:22 | And the people gaue a showte, sayinge: it is the voyce of a God & not of a man. |
| 12:23 | And immediatly the angell of the Lorde smote hym, because he gaue not God the honour, and he was eaten of wormes and gaue vp the ghost. |
| 12:24 | And the worde of God grewe and multiplyed. |
| 12:25 | And Barnabas and Paul returned to Ierusalem, when they had fulfylled their offyce, and toke wt them Iohn whose syrname was Marke. |
The Great Bible 1539
The Great Bible of 1539 was the first authorized edition of the Bible in English, authorized by King Henry VIII of England to be read aloud in the church services of the Church of England. The Great Bible was prepared by Myles Coverdale, working under commission of Thomas, Lord Cromwell, Secretary to Henry VIII and Vicar General. In 1538, Cromwell directed the clergy to provide "one book of the bible of the largest volume in English, and the same set up in some convenient place within the said church that ye have care of, whereas your parishioners may most commodiously resort to the same and read it."