^8 (A)Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.

¹⁸ And I, behold, I make you this day ^(A)a fortified city, ^(B)an iron pillar, and ^(C)bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land.

³² And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of ^(A)Gideon, ^(B)Barak, ^(C)Samson, ^(D)Jephthah, of ^(E)David and ^(F)Samuel and the prophets— ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, ^(G)stopped the mouths of lions, ^34 (H)quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, ^(I)became mighty in war, ^(J)put foreign armies to flight. ^35 (K)Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. ³⁶ Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even ^(L)chains and imprisonment. ^37 (M)They were stoned, they were sawn in two,^{[a] (N)}they were killed with the sword. ^(O)They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—

²⁷ By faith he ^(A)left Egypt, ^(B)not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured ^(C)as seeing him who is invisible.

^51 (A)“You stiff-necked people, ^(B)uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. ^(C)As your fathers did, so do you. ^52 (D)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of ^(E)the Righteous One, ^(F)whom you have now betrayed and murdered, ⁵³ you who received the law ^(G)as delivered by angels and ^(H)did not keep it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴ Now when they heard these things ^(I)they were enraged, and they ^(J)ground their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But he, ^(K)full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw ^(L)the glory of God, and Jesus standing ^(M)at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ And he said, “Behold, I see ^(N)the heavens opened, and ^(O)the Son of Man standing ^(P)at the right hand of God.”

²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, ^(A)“Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because ^(B)you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord.