Acts 6

¹ And in these days, the disciples multiplying, there came a murmuring of the Hellenists at the Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily ministration,

² and the twelve, having called near the multitude of the disciples, said, ‘It is not pleasing that we, having left the word of God, do minister at tables;

³ look out, therefore, brethren, seven men of you who are well testified of, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may set over this necessity,

⁴ and we to prayer, and to the ministration of the word, will give ourselves continually.’

⁵ And the thing was pleasing before all the multitude, and they did choose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch,

⁶ whom they did set before the apostles, and they, having prayed, laid on them [their] hands.

⁷ And the word of God did increase, and the number of the disciples did multiply in Jerusalem exceedingly; a great multitude also of the priests were obedient to the faith.

⁸ And Stephen, full of faith and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people,

⁹ and there arose certain of those of the synagogue, called of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia, and Asia, disputing with Stephen,

¹⁰ and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking;

¹¹ then they suborned men, saying — ‘We have heard him speaking evil sayings in regard to Moses and God.’

¹² They did stir up also the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and having come upon [him], they caught him, and brought [him] to the sanhedrim;

¹³ they set up also false witnesses, saying, ‘This one doth not cease to speak evil sayings against this holy place and the law,

¹⁴ for we have heard him saying, That this Jesus the Nazarean shall overthrow this place, and shall change the customs that Moses delivered to us;’

¹⁵ and gazing at him, all those sitting in the sanhedrim saw his face as it were the face of a messenger.