Shǐtúxíngzhuàn 6

1 Nàshí , méntǔ zēng duō , yǒu shuō Xīlà huà de Yóutaìrén , xiàng Xībólái rén fà yuànyán . yīnwei zaì tiāntiān de gōngjǐ shàng hūlǜe le tāmende guǎfu .

2 Shí èr shǐtú jiào zhòng méntǔ lái , duì tāmen shuō , wǒmen piĕ xià shén de dào , qù guǎnlǐ fàn shí , yuán shì bù hé yí de .

3 Suǒyǐ dìxiōng men , dàng cōng nǐmen zhōngjiān xuǎn chū qī gè yǒu hǎo míngsheng , beì Shènglíng chōngmǎn , zhìhuì chōngzú de rén , wǒmen jiù paì tāmen guǎnlǐ zhè shì .

4 Dàn wǒmen yào zhuān xīn yǐ qídǎo chuán dào wéi shì .

5 Dàjiā dōu xǐyuè zhè huà , jiù jiǎnxuǎn le sī tí fǎn , nǎi shì dà yǒu xìnxīn , Shènglíng chōngmǎn de rén , yòu jiǎnxuǎn féi lì , bó luó gē luó , ní jiā nuó , tí mén , bā mǐ ná , bìng jìn Yóutaì jiāo de ān tí a rén ní gē lá .

6 Jiào tāmen zhàn zaì shǐtú miànqián . shǐtú dǎogào le , jiù àn shǒu zaì tāmen tóu shàng .

7 Shén de dào xīngwàng qǐlai . zaì Yēlùsǎlĕng méntǔ shùmù jiā zēng de shén duō . yĕ yǒu xǔduō jìsī xìn cóng le zhè dào .

8 Sī tí fǎn mǎn dé ēnhuì nénglì , zaì mínjiān xíng le dà qí shì hé shénjī .

9 Dāngshí yǒu chèn lì bǎi dì ná gōngtáng de jǐ gèrén , bìng yǒu Gǔlìnaì , yà lì shān taì , jī lì jiā , yà xī yà , gè chù gōngtáng de jǐ gèrén , dōu qǐlai , hé sī tí fǎn biànlùn .

10 Sī tí fǎn shì yǐ zhìhuì hé Shènglíng shuōhuà , zhòngrén dídǎng bù zhù .

11 Jiù mǎi chū rén lái shuō , wǒmen tīngjian tā shuō bàng dú Móxī , hé shén de huà .

12 Tāmen yòu sǒng dòng le bǎixìng , zhǎnglǎo , bìng Wénshì , jiù hūrán lái zhuōná tā , bǎ tā daì dào gōnghuì qù ,

13 Shè xià jiǎ jiànzhèng shuō , zhège rén shuōhuà , bù zhù de zāo jiàn shèng suǒ hé lǜfǎ .

14 Wǒmen céng tīngjian tā shuō , zhè Násǎlè rén Yēsū , yào huǐhuaì cǐ dì , yĕ yào gǎibiàn Móxī suǒ jiāo gĕi wǒmen de guī tiaó .

15 Zaì gōnghuì lǐ zuò zhe de rén , dōu shì déngjīng kàn tā , jiàn tāde miànmào , hǎoxiàng tiānshǐ de miànmào .

Shǐtúxíngzhuàn 6 Commentary

Chapter 6

The appointment of deacons. (1-7) Stephen falsely accused of blasphemy. (8-15)

Verses 1-7 Hitherto the disciples had been of one accord; this often had been noticed to their honour; but now they were multiplied, they began to murmur. The word of God was enough to take up all the thoughts, cares, and time of the apostles. The persons chosen to serve tables must be duly qualified. They must be filled with gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost, necessary to rightly managing this trust; men of truth, and hating covetousness. All who are employed in the service of the church, ought to be commended to the Divine grace by the prayers of the church. They blessed them in the name of the Lord. The word and grace of God are greatly magnified, when those are wrought upon by it, who were least likely.

Verses 8-15 When they could not answer Stephen's arguments as a disputant, they prosecuted him as a criminal, and brought false witnesses against him. And it is next to a miracle of providence, that no greater number of religious persons have been murdered in the world, by the way of perjury and pretence of law, when so many thousands hate them, who make no conscience of false oaths. Wisdom and holiness make a man's face to shine, yet will not secure men from being treated badly. What shall we say of man, a rational being, yet attempting to uphold a religious system by false witness and murder! And this has been done in numberless instances. But the blame rests not so much upon the understanding, as upon the heart of a fallen creature, which is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Yet the servant of the Lord, possessing a clear conscience, cheerful hope, and Divine consolations, may smile in the midst of danger and death.