Jeremiah Saved from Death^(A)

26 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came from the Lord, saying, ² “Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in ^(B)the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the Lord’s house, ^(C)all the words that I command you to speak to them. ^(D)Do not diminish a word. ^3 (E)Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may ^(F)relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.’ ⁴ And you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(G)“If you will not listen to Me, to walk in My law which I have set before you, ⁵ to heed the words of My servants the prophets ^(H)whom I sent to you, both rising up early and sending them (but you have not heeded), ⁶ then I will make this house like ^(I)Shiloh, and will make this city ^(J)a curse to all the nations of the earth.” ’ ”

⁷ So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. ⁸ Now it happened, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak to all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people seized him, saying, “You will surely die! ⁹ Why have you prophesied in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be ^(K)desolate, without an inhabitant’?” And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.

¹² Then Jeremiah spoke to all the princes and all the people, saying: “The Lord sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city with all the words that you have heard. ¹³ Now therefore, ^(A)amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the Lord your God; then the Lord will relent concerning the doom that He has pronounced against you. ¹⁴ As for me, here ^(B)I am, in your hand; do with me as seems good and ^[a]proper to you. ¹⁵ But know for certain that if you put me to death, you will surely bring innocent blood on yourselves, on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

The Lord a Fortress in Adversity

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

Stephen Accused of Blasphemy

⁸ And Stephen, full of ^[a]faith and power, did great ^(A)wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. ¹⁰ And ^(B)they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. ^11 (C)Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council. ¹³ They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak ^[b]blasphemous words against this holy place and the law; ^14 (D)for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to us.” ¹⁵ And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.

Stephen’s Address: The Call of Abraham

7 Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

² And he said, ^(E)“Brethren and fathers, listen: The ^(F)God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in ^(G)Haran,

Israel Resists the Holy Spirit

⁵¹ “You ^(A)stiff-necked^[a] and ^(B)uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. ^52 (C)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of ^(D)the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, ^53 (E)who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”

Stephen the Martyr

^54 (F)When they heard these things they were ^[b]cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. ⁵⁵ But he, ^(G)being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the ^(H)glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, ⁵⁶ and said, “Look! ^(I)I see the heavens opened and the ^(J)Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

⁵⁷ Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; ⁵⁸ and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And ^(K)the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, ^(L)receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ^(M)“Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

^34 (A)Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: ^(B)some of them you will kill and crucify, and ^(C)some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, ^35 (D)that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, ^(E)from the blood of righteous Abel to ^(F)the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. ³⁶ Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Jesus Laments over Jerusalem^(G)

^37 (H)“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets ^(I)and stones those who are sent to her! How often ^(J)I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks ^(K)under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁸ See! Your house is left to you desolate; ³⁹ for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ^(L)‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”