Seven Chosen to Serve
1 Now in these days
1when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in
2the daily distribution.
2
And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
3
3Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men
4of good repute,
5full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
4
But
6we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
5
And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen,
7a man full of faith and
8of the Holy Spirit, and
9Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus,
10a proselyte of Antioch.
6
These they set before the apostles, and
11they prayed and
12laid their hands on them.
7
And
13the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests
14became obedient to
15the faith.
Stephen Is Seized
8 And Stephen, full of grace and
16power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
9
Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
10
But
17they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
11
Then
18they secretly instigated men who said, "We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God."
12
And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,
13
and they
19set up false
20witnesses who said, "This man never ceases to speak words against
21this holy place and the law,
14
for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth
22will destroy this place and will
23change
24the customs that Moses delivered to us."
15
And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face
25was like the face of an angel.