选立执事

那时,门徒的人数与日俱增。当中有些讲希腊话的犹太人埋怨讲希伯来话的犹太人,说对方在日常分配食物的事上怠慢了他们的寡妇。 于是,十二使徒召集所有的门徒,对他们说:“我们不应该忽略传上帝的道,去管理膳食。 弟兄姊妹,请从你们中间选出七位声誉良好、被圣灵充满、有智慧的人来负责膳食, 而我们要专心祈祷和传道。”

大家一致同意,便选出充满信心、被圣灵充满的司提凡,此外还有腓利、伯罗哥罗、尼迦挪、提门、巴米拿,以及曾信过犹太教、来自安提阿的外族人尼哥拉。 大家将这七个人带到使徒面前。使徒把手按在他们身上,为他们祷告。

上帝的道兴旺起来,耶路撒冷的门徒大大增多,连许多祭司也皈信了。

司提凡被捕

司提凡得到极大的恩典和能力,在百姓中间行了惊人的神迹奇事。 但有些来自古利奈、亚历山大、基利迦和亚细亚、属于“自由人[a]会堂”的犹太人联合起来与司提凡辩论。 10 他们无法驳倒司提凡,因为他靠着智慧和圣灵说话。

11 于是,他们暗中唆使一些人诬告司提凡说:“我们听见他说亵渎摩西和上帝的话!” 12 又煽动百姓、长老和律法教师抓住司提凡,把他押到公会。 13 他们还派人作伪证说:“司提凡常常讲侮辱圣地[b]和律法的话。 14 我们听见他说那个拿撒勒人耶稣要毁坏圣殿,还要摒弃摩西传给我们的规矩。” 15 在场的人都盯着司提凡,只见他的容貌好像天使一样。

Footnotes

  1. 6:9 自由人”指的是原为奴隶,后来获得自由的人。
  2. 6:13 圣地”指“圣殿”。

七个人去执行特殊的任务

当时,门徒的人数不断地增长着。讲希腊语的犹太人与讲阿拉米语的犹太人之间发生了争执,前者埋怨后者在日常的分配中忽视了他们的寡妇。 十二名使徒便把全体门徒召集到一起,对他们说∶“如果我们忽视传播上帝信息的工作,而去伺候膳食,是不对的。 所以,兄弟们,从你们中间选出七个以充满圣灵和智慧而有好名声的男子,我们让他们来负责这件事, 这样我们就可以专心致志地祷告和教导上帝之道了。”

这个建议令所有的人都非常满意。于是,他们选出了司提反(司提反是一个充满信仰和圣灵的人)、腓利 [a]、伯罗歌罗、尼迦挪、提门、巴米拿,和过去改信犹太教的安提阿人尼哥拉。 他们让这七个人站到了使徒们面前,使徒们把手放在他们身上 [b],为他们做了祷告。

这样,上帝的话得以传播,耶路撒冷门徒的人数又大大地增加了。许多祭司也服从了这个信仰。

一些犹太人反对司提反

充满恩赐和力量的司提反,在人们中间行了许多了不起的奇事和神迹。 但是,一些来自被称为自由人会堂 [c]的人却反对他。这些犹太人是从古利奈、亚力山太,以及基利家和亚西亚等地来的犹太人。他们和司提反争吵起来。 10 但是,他们无法对抗他话里的智慧和圣灵,他是凭着它们在说话的, 11 于是他们就秘密地收买了一些人去说∶“我们听到司提反亵渎摩西和上帝!” 12 这些犹太人用这种方式煽动起人们、年长的犹太首领和律法师。他们便去抓住司提反,并把他带到了议会面前。 13 他们又带来假证人,他们说∶“这个家伙从末停止过亵渎圣所和律法。 14 因为,我们亲耳听到他说,拿撒勒的耶稣要毁掉这个地方,还要改变摩西传给我们的规矩。 15 这时,所有坐在议会的人都把目光集中到了司提反身上,他们看见,司提反的面容就像天使的脸。

Footnotes

  1. 使 徒 行 傳 6:5 腓利: 不是使徒腓利。
  2. 使 徒 行 傳 6:6 把手放在他们身上: 在此表示把上帝的一项重要任务交给了这些人。
  3. 使 徒 行 傳 6:9 自由人会堂: 曾是奴隶的犹太人,或他们的父亲是奴隶,但此时已自由了。

選立執事

那時,門徒的人數與日俱增。當中有些講希臘話的猶太人埋怨講希伯來話的猶太人,說對方在日常分配食物的事上怠慢了他們的寡婦。 於是,十二使徒召集所有的門徒,對他們說:「我們不應該忽略傳上帝的道,去管理膳食。 弟兄姊妹,請從你們中間選出七位聲譽良好、被聖靈充滿、有智慧的人來負責膳食, 而我們要專心祈禱和傳道。」

大家一致同意,便選出充滿信心、被聖靈充滿的司提凡,此外還有腓利、伯羅哥羅、尼迦挪、提門、巴米拿,以及曾信過猶太教、來自安提阿的外族人尼哥拉。 大家將這七個人帶到使徒面前。使徒把手按在他們身上,為他們禱告。

上帝的道興旺起來,耶路撒冷的門徒大大增多,連許多祭司也皈信了。

司提凡被捕

司提凡得到極大的恩典和能力,在百姓中間行了驚人的神蹟奇事。 但有些來自古利奈、亞歷山大、基利迦和亞細亞、屬於「自由人[a]會堂」的猶太人聯合起來與司提凡辯論。 10 他們無法駁倒司提凡,因為他靠著智慧和聖靈說話。

11 於是,他們暗中唆使一些人誣告司提凡說:「我們聽見他說褻瀆摩西和上帝的話!」 12 又煽動百姓、長老和律法教師抓住司提凡,把他押到公會。 13 他們還派人作偽證說:「司提凡常常講侮辱聖地[b]和律法的話。 14 我們聽見他說那個拿撒勒人耶穌要毀壞聖殿,還要摒棄摩西傳給我們的規矩。」 15 在場的人都盯著司提凡,只見他的容貌好像天使一樣。

Footnotes

  1. 6·9 自由人」指的是原為奴隸,後來獲得自由的人。
  2. 6·13 聖地」指「聖殿」。

Choosing of the Seven

Now about this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, a complaint was made by the [a]Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews) against the [[b]native] Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the [c]Twelve called the disciples together and said, “It is not appropriate for us to neglect [teaching] the word of God in order to serve tables and manage the distribution of food. Therefore, brothers, choose from among you seven men with good reputations [men of godly character and moral integrity], full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will [continue to] devote ourselves [steadfastly] to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The suggestion pleased the whole congregation; and they selected [d]Stephen, a man full of faith [in Christ Jesus], and [filled with and led by] the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas (Nikolaos), a proselyte (Gentile convert) from Antioch. They brought these men before the apostles; and after praying, they laid their hands on them [to dedicate and commission them for this service].

And the message of God kept on growing and spreading, and the number of disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem; and a large number of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith [accepting Jesus as Messiah and acknowledging Him as the Source of eternal salvation].

Now Stephen, full of grace (divine blessing, favor) and power, was doing great wonders and signs (attesting miracles) among the people. However, some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (freed Jewish slaves), both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and [the province of] Asia, rose up and questioned and argued with Stephen. 10 But they were not able to successfully withstand and cope with the wisdom and the intelligence [and the power and inspiration] of the Spirit by whom he was speaking. 11 Then [to attack him another way] they secretly instructed men to say, “We have heard this man [Stephen] speak blasphemous (slanderous, sacrilegious, abusive) words against Moses and against God.” 12 And they provoked and incited the people, as well as the elders and the scribes, and they came up to Stephen and seized him and brought him before the Council (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court). 13 They presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and the Law [of Moses]; 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will tear down this place and will change the traditions and customs which Moses handed down to us.” 15 Then all those who were sitting in the Council, stared [intently] at him, and they saw that Stephen’s face was like the face of an angel.

Footnotes

  1. Acts 6:1 Jews born outside the Holy Land who spoke the Greek language and had adopted much of the Greek culture.
  2. Acts 6:1 Native-born Jews who spoke Hebrew and/or Aramaic and lived according to Jewish custom.
  3. Acts 6:2 See note Matt 10:2.
  4. Acts 6:5 These seven men had Greek names, so they may have been Greek in ancestry, language, or way of life; however, Stephen, in his defense before the Sanhedrin (ch 7), exhibited an extensive knowledge of Jewish history.