New Testament in a Year

⁴⁴ “Our ancestors had the Tent of Testimony^[a] in the wilderness constructed,^[b] just as the one who spoke to Moses directed him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. ⁴⁵ Our ancestors brought it here with Joshua when they replaced the nations that God drove out in front of our ancestors, and it was here until the time of David. ⁴⁶ He found favor with God and asked to design a dwelling for the house^[c] of Jacob, ⁴⁷ but it was Solomon who built a house for him. ⁴⁸ However, the Most High does not live in buildings made by human^[d] hands. As the prophet says,

⁵¹ “You stubborn people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. ⁵² Which of the prophets did your ancestors fail to persecute? They killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. ⁵³ You received the Law as ordained by angels, and yet you haven’t obeyed it!”

Stephen is Stoned to Death

⁵⁴ While they were listening to these things, they became more and more furious and began to grind their teeth at him. ⁵⁵ But Stephen,^[g] filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ He said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”

⁵⁷ But they shouted out loud, stopped listening, and together they all rushed at him, ⁵⁸ ran him outside of the city, and began to stone him to death. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ As they continued to stone Stephen, he kept praying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” ⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” After he had said this, he died.^[h]