2 And I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand.

² Then said I, Where are you going? And he said to me, To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length.

³ And behold, the angel who talked with me went forth and another angel went out to meet him,

⁴ And he said to the second angel, Run, speak to this young man, saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited and dwell as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.

⁵ For I, says the Lord, will be to her a wall of fire round about, and I will be the glory in the midst of her.

⁶ Ho! ho! [Hear and] flee from the land of the north, says the Lord, and from the four winds of the heavens, for to them have I scattered you, says the Lord.

⁷ Ho! Escape to Zion, you who dwell with the daughter of Babylon!

⁸ For thus said the Lord of hosts, after [His] glory had sent me [His messenger] to the nations who plundered you—for he who touches you touches the apple or pupil of His eye:

⁹ Behold, I will swing my hand over them and they shall become plunder for those who served them. Then you shall know (recognize and understand) that the Lord of hosts has sent me [His messenger].

¹⁰ Sing and rejoice, O Daughter of Zion; for behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you, says the Lord.

¹¹ And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day and shall be My people. And I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know (recognize and understand) that the Lord of hosts has sent me [His messenger] to you.^(A)

¹² And the Lord shall inherit Judah as His portion in the holy land and shall again choose Jerusalem.

¹³ Be still, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused and risen from His holy habitation.^(B)

⁵⁷ Now the time that Elizabeth should be delivered came, and she gave birth to a son.

⁵⁸ And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy on her, and they rejoiced with her.

⁵⁹ And it occurred that on the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were intending to call him Zachariah after his father,^(A)

⁶⁰ But his mother answered, Not so! But he shall be called John.

⁶¹ And they said to her, None of your relatives is called by that name.

⁶² And they inquired with signs to his father [as to] what he wanted to have him called.

⁶³ Then Zachariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, His name is John. And they were all astonished.

⁶⁴ And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, blessing and praising and thanking God.

⁶⁵ And awe and reverential fear came on all their neighbors; and all these things were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.

⁶⁶ And all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, Whatever will this little boy be then? For the hand of the Lord was [^[a]so evidently] with him [protecting and aiding him].

6 Now about this time, when the number of the disciples was greatly increasing, complaint was made by the Hellenists (the Greek-speaking Jews) against the [native] Hebrews because their widows were being overlooked and neglected in the daily ministration (distribution of relief).

² So the Twelve [apostles] convened the multitude of the disciples and said, It is not seemly or desirable or right that we should have to give up or neglect [preaching] the Word of God in order to attend to serving at tables and superintending the distribution of food.

³ Therefore select out from among yourselves, brethren, seven men of good and attested character and repute, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we may assign to look after this business and duty.

⁴ But we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer and the ministry of the Word.

⁵ And the suggestion pleased the whole assembly, and they selected Stephen, a man full of faith (a strong and welcome belief that Jesus is the Messiah) and full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte (convert) from Antioch.

⁶ These they presented to the apostles, who after prayer laid their hands on them.

⁷ And the message of God kept on spreading, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem; and [besides] a large number of the priests were obedient to the faith [in Jesus as the Messiah, through Whom is obtained eternal salvation in the kingdom of God].

⁸ Now Stephen, full of grace (divine blessing and favor) and power (strength and ability) worked great wonders and signs (miracles) among the people.

⁹ However, some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (freed Jewish slaves), as it was called, and [of the synagogues] of the Cyrenians and of the Alexandrians and of those from Cilicia and [the province of] Asia, arose [and undertook] to debate and dispute with Stephen.

¹⁰ But they were not able to resist the intelligence and the wisdom and [the inspiration of] the Spirit with which and by Whom he spoke.

¹¹ So they [secretly] instigated and instructed men to say, We have heard this man speak, using slanderous and abusive and blasphemous language against Moses and God.

¹² [Thus] they incited the people as well as the elders and the scribes, and they came upon Stephen and arrested him and took him before the council (Sanhedrin).

¹³ And they brought forward false witnesses who asserted, This man never stops making statements against this sacred place and the Law [of Moses];

¹⁴ For we have heard him say that this Jesus the Nazarene will tear down and destroy this place, and will alter the institutions and usages which Moses transmitted to us.

¹⁵ Then all who sat in the council (Sanhedrin), as they gazed intently at Stephen, saw that his face had the appearance of the face of an angel.