⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great ^(A)wonders and ^[a]signs among the people. ⁹ But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both ^(B)Cyrenians and ^(C)Alexandrians, and some from ^(D)Cilicia and ^[b](E)Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. ¹¹ Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they ^(F)came up to him and dragged him away and brought him ^[c]before ^(G)the ^[d]Council. ¹³ They put forward ^(H)false witnesses who said, “This man incessantly speaks against this ^(I)holy place and the Law; ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that ^(J)this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter ^(K)the customs which Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the ^[e](L)Council saw his face like the face of an angel.

The Church at Antioch

^19 (A)So then those who were scattered because of the ^[a]persecution that occurred in connection with Stephen made their way ^[b]to ^(B)Phoenicia and ^(C)Cyprus and ^(D)Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews alone.

²⁰ And ^(A)when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.’