4
"But we will 1devoteourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
5
The statementfoundapproval with the wholecongregation; and they chose2Stephen, a man3full of faith and of the HolySpirit, and 4Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a 5proselyte from 6Antioch.
6
And these they broughtbefore the apostles; and after 7praying, they 8laid their hands on them.
7
9The word of God kept on spreading; and 10the number of the disciples continued to increasegreatly in Jerusalem, and a greatmany of the priests were becomingobedient to 11the faith.
8
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performinggreat12wonders and signsamong the people.
9
But somemen from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both13Cyrenians and 14Alexandrians, and some from 15Cilicia and 16Asia, 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 17came up to him and dragged him away and brought him before18the Council.
13
They putforward19falsewitnesses who said, "Thismanincessantly*speaksagainstthis20holyplace and the Law;
14
for we have heard him say that 21thisNazarene, Jesus, will destroythisplace and alter22the customswhichMoseshandeddown to us."