Acts 7:44-8:3

English Standard Version

⁴⁴“Our fathers had ^(A)the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses ^(B)directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. ⁴⁵Our fathers in turn ^(C)brought it in with Joshua when they ^(D)dispossessed the nations ^(E)that God drove out before our fathers. So it was ^(F)until the days of David, ⁴⁶^(G)who found favor in the sight of God and ^(H)asked to find a dwelling place for ^(I)the God of Jacob.^[a] ⁴⁷But it was ^(J)Solomon who built a house for him. ⁴⁸^(K)Yet the Most High does not dwell ^(L)in houses made by hands, as the prophet says,

⁴⁹^(M)“‘Heaven is my throne,
^(N)and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
or what is the place of my rest?
⁵⁰Did not my hand make all these things?’

⁵¹^(O)“You stiff-necked people, ^(P)uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. ^(Q)As your fathers did, so do you. ⁵²^(R)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of ^(S)the Righteous One, ^(T)whom you have now betrayed and murdered, ⁵³you who received the law ^(U)as delivered by angels and ^(V)did not keep it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴Now when they heard these things ^(W)they were enraged, and they ^(X)ground their teeth at him. ⁵⁵But he, ^(Y)full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw ^(Z)the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^(AA)at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶And he said, “Behold, I see ^(AB)the heavens opened, and ^(AC)the Son of Man standing ^(AD)at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together^[b] at him. ⁵⁸Then ^(AE)they cast him out of the city and ^(AF)stoned him. And ^(AG)the witnesses laid down their garments ^(AH)at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹And as they were stoning Stephen, ^(AI)he called out, “Lord Jesus, ^(AJ)receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰And ^(AK)falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, ^(AL)“Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, ^(AM)he fell asleep.

Saul Ravages the Church

8 And ^(AN)Saul ^(AO)approved of his execution.

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