22 ^(A)“Brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”

² And Stephen said:

^(A)“Brothers and fathers, hear me. ^(B)The God ^(C)of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, ^(D)before he lived in Haran,

¹⁶ At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. ^(A)May it not be charged against them!

¹⁵ but ^(A)in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, ^(B)always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and ^(C)respect,

¹⁷ The former proclaim Christ ^(A)out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.

⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you ^(A)in my heart, for you are all ^(B)partakers with me of grace,^[a] both ^(C)in my imprisonment and in ^(D)the defense and confirmation of the gospel.

¹⁹ Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? It is ^(A)in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and ^(B)all for your upbuilding, beloved.

¹¹ For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, ^(A)what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.

³ This is my defense to those who would examine me.

¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is ^(A)written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them