¹³ Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them ^[a]heads over you.’

²¹ Moreover you shall select from all the people ^(A)able men, such as ^(B)fear God, ^(C)men of truth, ^(D)hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

²¹ “Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from the baptism of John to that day when ^(A)He was taken up from us, one of these must ^(B)become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

²³ And they proposed two: Joseph called ^(C)Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.

The Seventy Elders

¹⁶ So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me ^(A)seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and ^(B)officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. ¹⁷ Then I will come down and talk with you there. ^(C)I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.

² Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, ^(A)“It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. ³ Therefore, brethren, ^(B)seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this ^(C)business; ⁴ but we ^(D)will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

⁵ And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, ^(E)a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and ^(F)Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and ^(G)Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, ⁶ whom they set before the apostles; and ^(H)when they had prayed, ^(I)they laid hands on them.