Book of Common Prayer

⁴⁴ `Our fathers had the tent for the laws of God in the wilderness. It was built the way God showed Moses to make it.

⁴⁵ Our fathers brought that tent with them when they came to this country. Joshua was their leader. God put aside the people who lived here first. Our fathers kept that tent with them until the time of David.

⁴⁶ God blessed David who asked God to let him make a better house for Jacob's God.

⁴⁷ But it was Solomon who built a house for him.

⁴⁸ But even so, God is above all. He does not live in houses that people make with their hands. The prophet says,

⁴⁹ "The Lord said, `The sky is the big chair from which I rule. I put my feet on the earth. So then, what kind of house will you build for me? Or where will I rest myself?

⁵⁰ I have made all these things myself.''

⁵¹ `You hard-hearted people! You have hearts and ears like the people who are not Jews. You always fight against the Holy Spirit just as your fathers did long ago.

⁵² What did your fathers do to the prophets of God? They made a lot of trouble for every one of them. They killed the ones who told that the Right and True One would come. He is the One you gave up to be killed. You are the killers.

⁵³ You received the law given by angels, but you have not kept it.'

⁵⁴ When the men heard what Stephen said, they were very angry. They made noises with their teeth to show they hated him.

⁵⁵ But Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit. He looked at the sky and saw the greatness of God. He saw Jesus standing at God's right side.

⁵⁶ `Look,' he said, `I see the sky open. I see the Son of man standing at God's right hand side.'

⁵⁷ Then the men shouted. They put their fingers in their ears. All together they ran at Stephen.

⁵⁸ They put him out of the city and threw stones at him. (Those who had talked against him laid their clothes down by the feet of a young man named Saul.)

⁵⁹ They kept on throwing stones at Stephen. He spoke to God and said, `Oh, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'

⁶⁰ Then he kneeled down and said in a loud voice, `Lord, do not punish them for this wrong thing they are doing,' After he said this, he died.

8 Saul agreed to Stephen being killed. At that time the church people at Jerusalem had much trouble. The church people all went into Judea and Samaria. Only the apostles stayed on at Jerusalem.

⁵² The chief priests, the captains of the temple, and the leaders of the people had come to catch Jesus. He said to them, `Have you come to take me with swords and sticks, the way you catch a man who steals?

⁵³ I was with you every day in the temple. You did not try to catch me then. But this is your time now, the time of the power of darkness.'

⁵⁴ The men caught Jesus and took him away to the high priest's house. Peter followed them far behind.

⁵⁵ They made a fire in the yard and sat around it. Peter sat down with them.

⁵⁶ A woman saw Peter sitting by the fire. She looked at him and said, `This man was with him also.'

⁵⁷ But Peter said, `Woman, I do not know him.'

⁵⁸ After a while, another person saw him and said, `You are one of them also.' But Peter said, `Man, I am not.'

⁵⁹ About an hour later another person said, `Surely this man was with him. He comes from Galilee.'

⁶⁰ Peter said, `Man, I do not know what you are talking about.' And right then, while he was talking, the cock called.

⁶¹ The Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered that the Lord had said to him, `Before the cock calls in the morning, you will say three times that you do not know me.'

⁶² Peter went out and cried very much.