Acts 6:1-7:16

English Standard Version

Seven Chosen to Serve

6 Now in these days ^(A)when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists^[a] arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in ^(B)the daily distribution. ²And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ³^(C)Therefore, brothers,^[b] pick out from among you seven men ^(D)of good repute, ^(E)full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ⁴But ^(F)we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” ⁵And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, ^(G)a man full of faith and ^(H)of the Holy Spirit, and ^(I)Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, ^(J)a proselyte of Antioch. ⁶These they set before the apostles, and ^(K)they prayed and ^(L)laid their hands on them.

⁷And ^(M)the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests ^(N)became obedient to ^(O)the faith.

Stephen Is Seized

⁸And Stephen, full of grace and ^(P)power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. ¹⁰But ^(Q)they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. ¹¹Then ^(R)they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹²And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, ¹³and they ^(S)set up false ^(T)witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against ^(U)this holy place and the law, ¹⁴for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth ^(V)will destroy this place and will ^(W)change ^(X)the customs that Moses delivered to us.” ¹⁵And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face ^(Y)was like the face of an angel.

Stephen's Speech

7 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?” ²And Stephen said:

^(Z)“Brothers and fathers, hear me. ^(AA)The God ^(AB)of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, ^(AC)before he lived in Haran, ³and said to him, ^(AD)‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ ⁴^(AE)Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And ^(AF)after his father died, ^(AG)God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. ⁵Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised ^(AH)to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, ^(AI)though he had no child. ⁶And God spoke to this effect—that ^(AJ)his offspring would ^(AK)be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them ^(AL)four hundred years. ⁷‘But ^(AM)I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out ^(AN)and worship me in this place.’ ⁸And ^(AO)he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And ^(AP)so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and ^(AQ)circumcised him on the eighth day, and ^(AR)Isaac became the father of Jacob, and ^(AS)Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

⁹“And the patriarchs, ^(AT)jealous of Joseph, ^(AU)sold him into Egypt; but ^(AV)God was with him ¹⁰and rescued him out of all his afflictions and ^(AW)gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ^(AX)who made him ruler over Egypt and over all his household. ¹¹Now ^(AY)there came a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food. ¹²^(AZ)But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit. ¹³And ^(BA)on the second visit ^(BB)Joseph made himself known to his brothers, and ^(BC)Joseph's family became known to Pharaoh. ¹⁴And ^(BD)Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his kindred, ^(BE)seventy-five persons in all. ¹⁵And ^(BF)Jacob went down into Egypt, and ^(BG)he died, he ^(BH)and our fathers, ¹⁶and ^(BI)they were carried back to Shechem and laid in the tomb that ^(BJ)Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.