1 Now 1Lit in these daysat this time while the AActs 11:26disciples were BActs 2:47; 6:7increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the 2Jews who adopted the Gr language and much of Gr culture through acculturationCActs 9:29; 11:20Hellenistic Jews against the native D2 Cor 11:22; Phil 3:5Hebrews, because their EActs 9:39, 41; 1 Tim 5:3widows were being overlooked in FActs 4:35; 11:29the daily serving of food. 2 So the twelve summoned the 1Lit multitudecongregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. 3  “Therefore, AJohn 21:23; Acts 1:15brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, BActs 2:4full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. 4  “But we will AActs 1:14devote ourselves to prayer and to the 1Or serviceministry of the word.” 5 The statement found approval with the whole 1Lit multitudecongregation; and they chose AActs 6:8ff; 11:19; 22:20Stephen, a man BActs 6:3; 11:24full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and CActs 8:5ff; 21:8Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and 2Gr NikolaosNicolas, a 3I.e. a Gentile convert to JudaismDMatt 23:15proselyte from EActs 11:19Antioch. 6 And these they brought before the apostles; and after AActs 1:24praying, they BNum 8:10; 27:18; Deut 34:9; Mark 5:23; Acts 8:17ff; 9:17; 13:3; 19:6; 1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6; Heb 6:2laid their hands on them.

7 AActs 12:24; 19:20The word of God kept on spreading; and BActs 6:1the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to CActs 13:8; 14:22; Gal 1:23; 6:10; Jude 3, 20the faith.

8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great AJohn 4:48wonders and 1Or attesting miraclessigns among the people. 9 But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both AMatt 27:32; Acts 2:10Cyrenians and BActs 18:24Alexandrians, and some from CActs 15:23, 41; 21:39; 22:3; 23:34; 27:5; Gal 1:21Cilicia and 1I.e. west coast province of Asia MinorDActs 16:6; 19:10; 21:27; 24:18Asia, 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 secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” 12 And they stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, and they ALuke 20:1; Acts 4:1came up to him and dragged him away and brought him 1Lit intobefore BMatt 5:22the 2Or SanhedrinCouncil. 13 They put forward AMatt 26:59-61; Acts 7:58false witnesses who said, “This man incessantly speaks against this BMatt 24:15; Acts 21:28; 25:8holy place and the Law; 14 for we have heard him say that AMatt 26:61this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter BActs 15:1; 21:21; 26:3; 28:17the customs which Moses handed down to us.” 15 And fixing their gaze on him, all who were sitting in the 1Or SanhedrinAMatt 5:22Council saw his face like the face of an angel.