3
"Therefore, 1brethren, select from among you sevenmen of goodreputation, 2full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of thistask.
4
"But we will 3devoteourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
5
The statementfoundapproval with the wholecongregation; and they chose4Stephen, a man5full of faith and of the HolySpirit, and 6Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a 7proselyte from 8Antioch.
6
And these they broughtbefore the apostles; and after 9praying, they 10laid their hands on them.
7
11The word of God kept on spreading; and 12the number of the disciples continued to increasegreatly in Jerusalem, and a greatmany of the priests were becomingobedient to 13the faith.
8
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performinggreat14wonders and signsamong the people.
9
But somemen from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both15Cyrenians and 16Alexandrians, and some from 17Cilicia and 18Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen.
10
But they were unable* to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
11
Then they secretlyinducedmen to say, "We have heard him speakblasphemouswordsagainstMoses and against God."
12
And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they 19came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before20the Council.
13
They putforward21falsewitnesses who said, "Thismanincessantly*speaksagainstthis22holyplace and the Law;