The Angel of the Lord at Bokim

2 The angel of the Lord^(A) went up from Gilgal^(B) to Bokim^(C) and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt^(D) and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors.^(E) I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,^{(F) 2} and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land,^(G) but you shall break down their altars.^(H)’ Yet you have disobeyed^(I) me. Why have you done this? ³ And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you;^(J) they will become traps^(K) for you, and their gods will become snares^(L) to you.’”

⁴ When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,^{(M) 5} and they called that place Bokim.^[a](N) There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.

Disobedience and Defeat^(O)

⁶ After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to their own inheritance. ⁷ The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel.^(P)

⁸ Joshua son of Nun,^(Q) the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. ⁹ And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres^[b](R) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

¹⁰ After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.^{(S) 11} Then the Israelites did evil^(T) in the eyes of the Lord^(U) and served the Baals.^{(V) 12} They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods^(W) of the peoples around them.^(X) They aroused^(Y) the Lord’s anger^{(Z) 13} because they forsook^(AA) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.^{(AB) 14} In his anger^(AC) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands^(AD) of raiders who plundered^(AE) them. He sold them^(AF) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.^{(AG) 15} Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them^(AH) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.^(AI)

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up judges,^[c](AJ) who saved^(AK) them out of the hands of these raiders. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted^(AL) themselves to other gods^(AM) and worshiped them.^(AN) They quickly turned^(AO) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.^{(AP) 18} Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved^(AQ) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented^(AR) because of their groaning^(AS) under those who oppressed and afflicted^(AT) them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt^(AU) than those of their ancestors,^(AV) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.^(AW) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn^(AX) ways.

²⁰ Therefore the Lord was very angry^(AY) with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant^(AZ) I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out^(BA) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test^(BB) Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” ²³ The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.^(BC)

The Choosing of the Seven

6 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing,^(A) the Hellenistic Jews^[a](B) among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows^(C) were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.^{(D) 2} So the Twelve gathered all the disciples^(E) together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God^(F) in order to wait on tables. ³ Brothers and sisters,^(G) choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit^(H) and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them^{(I) 4} and will give our attention to prayer^(J) and the ministry of the word.”

⁵ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen,^(K) a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit;^(L) also Philip,^(M) Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. ⁶ They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed^(N) and laid their hands on them.^(O)

⁷ So the word of God spread.^(P) The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly,^(Q) and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Stephen Seized

⁸ Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs^(R) among the people. ⁹ Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene^(S) and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia^(T) and Asia^(U)—who began to argue with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.^(V)

¹¹ Then they secretly^(W) persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”^(X)

¹² So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.^{(Y) 13} They produced false witnesses,^(Z) who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place^(AA) and against the law. ¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place^(AB) and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”^(AC)

¹⁵ All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin^(AD) looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.