Acts 7:44-8:13
New King James Version
God’s True Tabernacle
44 “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Moses (A)to make it according to the pattern that he had seen, 45 (B)which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Joshua into the land possessed by the Gentiles, (C)whom God drove out before the face of our fathers until the (D)days of David, 46 (E)who found favor before God and (F)asked to find a dwelling for the God of Jacob. 47 (G)But Solomon built Him a house.
48 “However, (H)the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says:
49 ‘Heaven(I) is My throne,
And earth is My footstool.
What house will you build for Me? says the Lord,
Or what is the place of My rest?
50 Has My hand not (J)made all these things?’
Israel Resists the Holy Spirit
51 “You (K)stiff-necked[a] and (L)uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 (M)Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of (N)the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, 53 (O)who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it.”
Stephen the Martyr
54 (P)When they heard these things they were [b]cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. 55 But he, (Q)being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the (R)glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, 56 and said, “Look! (S)I see the heavens opened and the (T)Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; 58 and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And (U)the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, (V)receive my spirit.” 60 Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, (W)“Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Saul Persecutes the Church
8 Now Saul was consenting to his death.
At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and (X)they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and (Y)made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, (Z)he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.
Christ Is Preached in Samaria
4 Therefore (AA)those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. 5 Then (AB)Philip went down to [c]the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For (AC)unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.
The Sorcerer’s Profession of Faith
9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously (AD)practiced [d]sorcery in the city and (AE)astonished the [e]people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his [f]sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things (AF)concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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