^51 (A)“You stiff-necked people, ^(B)uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. ^(C)As your fathers did, so do you. ^52 (D)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of ^(E)the Righteous One, ^(F)whom you have now betrayed and murdered, ⁵³ you who received the law ^(G)as delivered by angels and ^(H)did not keep it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴ Now when they heard these things ^(A)they were enraged, and they ^(B)ground their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But he, ^(C)full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw ^(D)the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^(E)at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ And he said, “Behold, I see ^(F)the heavens opened, and ^(G)the Son of Man standing ^(H)at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together^[a] at him. ⁵⁸ Then ^(I)they cast him out of the city and ^(J)stoned him. And ^(K)the witnesses laid down their garments ^(L)at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, ^(M)he called out, “Lord Jesus, ^(N)receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ And ^(O)falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ^(P)“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, ^(Q)he fell asleep.

Saul Ravages the Church

8 And ^(A)Saul ^(B)approved of his execution.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and ^(C)they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. ² Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. ³ But ^(D)Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he ^(E)dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.