¹¹ “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say,^(A)

¹² “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. ¹³ And so you will bear testimony to me.^{(A) 14} But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.^(B)

¹⁷ Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils^(A) and be flogged in the synagogues.^{(B) 18} On my account you will be brought before governors and kings^(C) as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it.^(D) At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰ for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father^(E) speaking through you.

⁵ The next day the rulers,^(A) the elders and the teachers of the law met in Jerusalem. ⁶ Annas the high priest was there, and so were Caiaphas,^(B) John, Alexander and others of the high priest’s family. ⁷ They had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”

⁹ “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues.^(A) On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. ¹⁰ And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. ¹¹ Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.^(B)

Do Not Worry^(A)

²² Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.

³⁴ Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify;^(A) others you will flog in your synagogues^(B) and pursue from town to town.^(C)

²⁷ The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin^(A) to be questioned by the high priest. ²⁸ “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,”^(B) he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.”^(C)

²⁹ Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!^{(D) 30} The God of our ancestors^(E) raised Jesus from the dead^(F)—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross.^{(G) 31} God exalted him to his own right hand^(H) as Prince and Savior^(I) that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins.^{(J) 32} We are witnesses of these things,^(K) and so is the Holy Spirit,^(L) whom God has given to those who obey him.”

⁹ Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene^(A) and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia^(B) and Asia^(C)—who began to argue with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.^(D)

¹¹ Then they secretly^(E) persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”^(F)

¹² So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin.^{(G) 13} They produced false witnesses,^(H) who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place^(I) and against the law. ¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place^(J) and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”^(K)

¹⁵ All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin^(L) looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.