What do you think the soldiers said when they could not find Peter in the morning?
They were much frightened: they saw his chains, but not Peter. They found the gates locked; they could not think how Peter got out of prison.
So the king sent for Peter. This was the day when Peter was to be killed. All the wicked people in Jerusalem were expecting to see him. The king’s servants said, Where is Peter? Bring him out.
The soldiers answered, We cannot tell where Peter is: he is gone.
The servants went and told the king that Peter was not in prison. The king was very angry; he said, Bring the soldiers to me. They must have fallen asleep.
When the soldiers came, they could not tell the king how Peter had got away. For God had made them sleep when the angel fetched Peter. The king was in a great rage, and said, The soldiers must be killed.
What a wicked king this was! He loved to do wickedness. He was very proud, and hated God and God’s people. He fell into passions, and only cared to please himself. At last God sent an angel to kill him, and worms ate up his flesh until he died.
God sends angels to punish the wicked, and to help people who love him as Peter did.
“Awake,” the angel cries; and from the hands