^11 (A)And when they ^(B)bring you before the synagogues and ^(C)the rulers and ^(D)the authorities, ^(E)do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say,

¹² But before all this ^(A)they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to ^(B)the synagogues and ^(C)prisons, and you ^(D)will be brought before ^(E)kings and ^(F)governors for my name's sake. ^13 (G)This will be your opportunity to bear witness. ¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your minds ^(H)not to meditate beforehand how to answer,

¹⁷ Beware of men, for ^(A)they will deliver you over to courts and flog you ^(B)in their synagogues, ^18 (C)and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, ^(D)to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. ^19 (E)When ^(F)they deliver you over, ^(G)do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for ^(H)what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. ^20 (I)For it is not you who speak, but ^(J)the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

⁵ On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, ⁶ with ^(A)Annas the high priest and ^(B)Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. ⁷ And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, ^(C)“By what power or ^(D)by what name did you do this?”

^9 (A)“But ^(B)be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten ^(C)in synagogues, and you will stand before ^(D)governors and ^(E)kings for my sake, ^(F)to bear witness before them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be proclaimed ^(G)to all nations. ¹¹ And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, ^(H)do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say ^(I)whatever is given you in that hour, ^(J)for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Do Not Be Anxious

²² And he said to his disciples, ^(A)“Therefore I tell you, ^(B)do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.

^34 (A)Therefore ^(B)I send you ^(C)prophets and wise men and ^(D)scribes, ^(E)some of whom you will kill and crucify, and ^(F)some you will ^(G)flog in your synagogues and ^(H)persecute from town to town,

²⁷ And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, ²⁸ saying, ^(A)“We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you ^(B)intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” ²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered, ^(C)“We must obey God rather than men. ^30 (D)The God of our fathers ^(E)raised Jesus, ^(F)whom you killed by hanging him on ^(G)a tree. ³¹ God exalted ^(H)him at his right hand as ^(I)Leader and ^(J)Savior, ^(K)to give ^(L)repentance to Israel and ^(M)forgiveness of sins. ³² And ^(N)we are witnesses to these things, and ^(O)so is the Holy Spirit, ^(P)whom God has given to those who obey him.”

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 ^(A)they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. ¹¹ Then ^(B)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 ^(C)set up false ^(D)witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against ^(E)this holy place and the law, ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth ^(F)will destroy this place and will ^(G)change ^(H)the customs that Moses delivered to us.” ¹⁵ And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face ^(I)was like the face of an angel.