Stephen Is Seized

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and ^(A)power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ Then 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. ¹⁰ But ^(B)they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. ¹¹ Then ^(C)they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹² And 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, ¹³ and they ^(D)set up false ^(E)witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against ^(F)this holy place and the law, ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth ^(G)will destroy this place and will ^(H)change ^(I)the customs that Moses delivered to us.” ¹⁵ And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face ^(J)was like the face of an angel.

Stephen's Speech

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

^(K)“Brothers and fathers, hear me. ^(L)The God ^(M)of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, ^(N)before he lived in Haran, ³ and said to him, ^(O)‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ ^4 (P)Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And ^(Q)after his father died, ^(R)God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. ⁵ Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised ^(S)to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, ^(T)though he had no child. ⁶ And God spoke to this effect—that ^(U)his offspring would ^(V)be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them ^(W)four hundred years.

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. ⁴⁵ Our 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] 47} But 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,

^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, ⁵³ you who received the law ^(U)as delivered by angels and ^(V)did not keep it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴ Now when they heard these things ^(W)they were enraged, and they ^(X)ground their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But 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. ⁵⁶ And he said, “Behold, I see ^(AB)the heavens opened, and ^(AC)the Son of Man standing ^(AD)at the right hand of God.” ⁵⁷ But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together^[b] at him. ⁵⁸ Then ^(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. ⁵⁹ And as they were stoning Stephen, ^(AI)he called out, “Lord Jesus, ^(AJ)receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ And ^(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.