The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am^(A) the true vine,^(B) and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,^(C) while every branch that does bear fruit^(D) he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.^{(E) 4} Remain in me, as I also remain in you.^(F) No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;^(G) apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.^{(H) 7} If you remain in me^(I) and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.^{(J) 8} This is to my Father’s glory,^(K) that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.^(L)

⁹ “As the Father has loved me,^(M) so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands,^(N) you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.^(O)

⁵¹ “You stiff-necked people!^(A) Your hearts^(B) and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ⁵² Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute?^(C) They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him^(D)— ⁵³ you who have received the law that was given through angels^(E) but have not obeyed it.”

The Stoning of Stephen

⁵⁴ When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious^(F) and gnashed their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit,^(G) looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.^{(H) 56} “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open^(I) and the Son of Man^(J) standing at the right hand of God.”

⁵⁷ At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ dragged him out of the city^(K) and began to stone him.^(L) Meanwhile, the witnesses^(M) laid their coats^(N) at the feet of a young man named Saul.^(O)

⁵⁹ While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”^{(P) 60} Then he fell on his knees^(Q) and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”^(R) When he had said this, he fell asleep.^(S)

8 And Saul^(T) approved of their killing him.

The Church Persecuted and Scattered

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered^(U) throughout Judea and Samaria.^{(V) 2} Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. ³ But Saul^(W) began to destroy the church.^(X) Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Philip in Samaria

⁴ Those who had been scattered^(Y) preached the word wherever they went.^(Z)

Warning Against Unbelief

⁷ So, as the Holy Spirit says:^(A)

¹² See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.^{(G) 13} But encourage one another daily,^(H) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.^{(I) 14} We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold^(J) our original conviction firmly to the very end.^{(K) 15} As has just been said:

¹⁶ Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?^{(M) 17} And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?^{(N) 18} And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest^(O) if not to those who disobeyed?^{(P) 19} So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.^(Q)

A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

4 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.^{(R) 2} For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed.^{[c](S) 3} Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

And yet his works have been finished since the creation of the world. ⁴ For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: “On the seventh day God rested from all his works.”^{[e](U) 5} And again in the passage above he says, “They shall never enter my rest.”^(V)

⁶ Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest, and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed to them did not go in because of their disobedience,^{(W) 7} God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:

⁸ For if Joshua had given them rest,^(Y) God would not have spoken^(Z) later about another day. ⁹ There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰ for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,^[g](AA) just as God did from his.^{(AB) 11} Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.^(AC)